Time Out New York: Ticket Masters

from Time Out New York
Issue 608 : May 24, 2007 - May 29, 2007

Ticket masters
Trying to score seats to a sold-out show? Savvy concertgoers reveal eight proven strategies to get you in.

By Joey Arak Illustrations by Ian Keltie

When Arcade Fire’s recent New York shows went on sale, the difficulty quotient of scoring tickets ranked somewhere between solving Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded and managing to watch an entire episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos without seeing a guy get hit in the nuts. In the age of online ticket selling, rampant scalping and music blogs clueing in every Tom, Dick and IT guy to new music, it’s no surprise that hot-ticket concerts sell out their supply faster than a Meatpacking District coke dealer. TONY knows your pain, so we’ve assembled eight strategies—including getting freaky—to help you end up inside the walls of a sold-out show, along with tales of glory from the successful. Study up, and maybe we’ll see you at the Police gig, swooning over Sting’s cheekbones. If you’re lucky.

TACTIC:
Buy tickets to the same act in a different city

Success Story:“I wanted to see Arcade Fire at the Bowery Ballroom right after they blew up at CMJ in 2004, but it was sol"