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Ticket Buying Tips


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I subscribe to the email list of every concert venue in town, which usually have free/discount ticket codes in them. When I can't get a ticket through there, I search every ticket website and make a spreadsheet of which source is the best to buy from. I've been told if you don't think it's gonna be a sellout, a good gamble is to wait until right around game/showtime to get tickets.

 

What do you usually do when buying tickets for concerts, games, etc to find the best deals?

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lots of bands these days have fan clubs that provide codes for pre-sale tickets.  even if the fan clubs charge a membership fee, one can often find the codes by diligently searching facebook comments, twitter posts, and band community forums.  this isn't likely going to get you any 'best deals' though, but they will get you early access to tickets for shows that might sell out pretty quickly and thus you can avoid the stubhub seatgeek etc aftermarket.  For example, I already have tickets to all the Red Rocks shows I'm attending this summer and the dates are still months away.   Personally I wouldn't want to wait until right around showtime to be scrambling to get tickets, however I am sure there will be always be those who have to cancel on late notice and will likely take whatever they can get on the aftermarket web sites.  But I just wouldn't want to play this game if it's a band I really want to see.  Good luck!

 

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I don't remember the band I was going to see, but they had a Groupon for $25/seat at our local amphitheater. I got two seats from that, then knowing it was not a sold out show, the afternoon of the concert, looked on TM to see what sections had plenty of open seats, and sat there instead of being packed in the back with all the other Groupon people. I've done this at other venues. Most don't care unless you are sitting in someone else's seat. 

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If you can only pull crap seats when they go on sale, keep checking a week or so before the show for a ticket drop. Comp tickets that are held back get put on sale, plus new seats on the floor can get created once the footprint of the stage is established.

 

Last year, this also worked for me. I bought crap seats at the Capitol One Arena in DC in the upper levels & felt a little vertigo because it was so steep up there. I went to the ticket office inside before the show during the opening act to see if I could trade up for a price. They wouldn’t do that, but they had great seats that were designated as premium VIP seats going for a fraction of the TM price... I guess better to get something for them than nothing.  I bought them & just ate the cost of the cheap seats.

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On 3/27/2019 at 8:55 PM, Rico said:

If you can only pull crap seats when they go on sale, keep checking a week or so before the show for a ticket drop. Comp tickets that are held back get put on sale, plus new seats on the floor can get created once the footprint of the stage is established.

 

Last year, this also worked for me. I bought crap seats at the Capitol One Arena in DC in the upper levels & felt a little vertigo because it was so steep up there. I went to the ticket office inside before the show during the opening act to see if I could trade up for a price. They wouldn’t do that, but they had great seats that were designated as premium VIP seats going for a fraction of the TM price... I guess better to get something for them than nothing.  I bought them & just ate the cost of the cheap seats.

this is spot on. Hamilton was an insane rush to buy a couple of years back in DC...and people spent big money on the secondary market once they were "sold out" six months before the  run in DC started. 

 

We bought face value seats form the Kennedy Center Box Office online about a few days before the show we wanted to go to, and there were plenty in all price ranges. Cant remember exactly but think we paid $250 for our seats, and they were selling for like $750 on stub hub. 

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I’ve gotten to the point if I can’t get in the first 10 rows in a medium/big venue I won’t go. For the money shows cost now, I’m not gonna sit way back or in the balcony.  I’ve gotten spoiled being up close.  The experience is so much more immersive. 

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