u2

[Arlette]

Well, if we're trying to play "top this" (Sorry!):  I saw them in December, 1980 at the Paradise in Boston.  They opened for a metal band.  They didn't have enough songs, they had to play 2 songs over again becausethey got two encores. Can't believe it's been almost 25 (gulp) years.  
 
 Looks like they made a good effort at least trying to fix this fan club ticketing mess.  I received an email from Ticketmaster saying they knew I tried, but couldn't get tix thru the fan club pre-sale. I needed to submit some info to them, via email, and if they had tickets for my requested show, they would call me.  Right.  Like I believed that.  But, I emailed anyway and guess what...Ticketmaster called and I got my two G.A. tickets, $50.00 each, for the show I wanted.  I've heard they've emailed a lot of people.  
 
 So, I saw this band in 1980 for $5.00, and now, 25 years from the first show, for $50.00.  Seems like a bargain.  Don't know any other band that's been together nearly as long charging so little. I know they have expensive tickets too, but charging only $50.00?  That's unheard of.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  I missed U2 playing in a East Lansing bar around the same time due to something called Finals Week, just what was I thinking...

I first caught them at the US Festival in '83 when my folks took me there (they wanted to see some guy named Daivd Bowie).  They played with Berlin, Quarterflash, Missing Persons, the
 Pretenders, Joe Walsh, Stevei Nicks and Bowie.  Bowie was great, but I remember seeing the lead singer trying to climb to the top of the tarp that covered the crowd to place a white flag upon it during "Sunday Bloody Sunday".  He dropped the flag, fell into the crowd, disappeared for a while, and came out holding his arm.  Jumped right back into the song and finished the set.
 
 At 9 years old, I thought he was the coolest guy I had ever seen.  The first guy since Terry Bradshaw to be cooler than my dad.
 
 Looking back, it was my dad who was cool enough to take me with him.  If only he would have known what he started.

[walkonby]

memories are molded by money, unfortunately.  i still remember one of my first shows: u2 at rfk in ninety-two.  i spent the money, and still feel the fun of the entire evening, when i think to it, even though i almost ran out of gas in the parking lot. (ha-hah)

[lily1]

*seething*
 
 i got shut out of nyc too! so out of 12 shows i tried for, in 5 cities, i got tickets for 1 show. and i should count myself as fortunate unlike 99% of the other fans who got shit!

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Two tickets for the 21st!! (But I also agree with the claim the TVOTR and The Arcade Fire are much better now)

[MaLo]

Originally posted by lily1:
  *seething*
 
 i got shut out of nyc too! so out of 12 shows i tried for, in 5 cities, i got tickets for 1 show. and i should count myself as fortunate unlike 99% of the other fans who got shit!

i have no tickets :-(
 
 i did see them 5 times on the eleveation tour tho, so, if worse comes to worse, i guess i can skip this one

[Frank Gallagher]

My missus saw them play the Mardyke in Cork at some outdoor festival years and years ago when they were just "four fuckers from Dublin"....to Corkonians anyway.
 
 The two times I saw them was the zoo tv thingie then the shopping cart one, both shows were brilliant.
 
 Fans here in Ireland are all kinds of pissed off at them. To get the pre-sale bullshit they had to join some website club or something. â?¬40 just to join, then you got to buy a ticket....only for the band to add a second show in Dublin, and most probably a third. So the fact they had a pre-sale was just a cash cow for Bono and the boys. TAX FREE cash cow I might add because U2 don't pay any taxes whatsoever in Ireland....which begs the question, "If you don't contribute, what right should you have in telling governments what to spend their money on?"  SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THE POLITICS AND JUST SING BONO!!!!

[bearman🐻]

You people all just need to sneak into the MCI Center like I did in 2001. True story. I knew PJ Harvey's soundman and he was going to get me working passes for the first DC show at the MCI Center. He already got me into one of the Chicago gigs for free, into the heart no less.
 
 For the DC show, I was supposed to meet up with him and we missed each other. He had to go work since PJ Harvey was going on. Somehow I found an open door and just walked right up to the sports bar in the MCI Center, then showed my old wristband and walked down to the floor...they didn't let me on, but some guy who worked for U2 overheard my story, handed me a floor ticket, and I walked right up to my buddy while PJ was rocking away. He was pretty stunned when I told him what I did. Great thing was that I sold my working pass after the show to some guy on the street for $40.    I know, I suck.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by bunnyman:
  You people all just need to sneak into the MCI Center like I did in 2001.

When I was a student, I used this one all the time.  At least 50 times I saw a concert, basketball or hockey game by doing this.
 
 The elevators for the suite level weren't covered on the ground level (they still might not be, it's been years).  Get in the elevator with a large group.  When you get to the club level, walk with the group out of the elevator and try to get in the middle.  Sometimes they're asking for tickets, sometimes they're not, but it's easy to sneak by either way (one guard, a dozen people).  For the first few years, they only asked for tickets when you asked to be let into your suite.  There are plenty of doors on the suite level to the other levels.  Just go through one of those doors and you are past the turnstiles and in the arena.  Get two drinks in your hand when you face a guard blocking an aisle and now you're in any row you want, no tickets.

[walkonby]

golly beaver, those are wonderful stories of sneaking into venues and ripping off the place and the proceeds that go to the band. (let's us sneak into your worksite and take a small piece of your paycheck for the job you do)  and people wonder and bitch to why prices for everything cost so much.
 
 ha-hah

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Why does a guy who's driving a Beemer at 23 need to sneak into hockey games?

[bearman🐻]

Hmmmmm...think that U2 was hurting from my sneaking into the venue? I seriously doubt it. I would never do that to a band that is struggling to put meals on the table. As it was, someone from U2's management gave me a free ticket anyway. Besides, I knew someone working for PJ Harvey, and that guy is still a friend. I felt like I had a reason to be there instead of ripping off an artist. But that being said, given how many people got screwed over in getting U2 tickets this time around, I don't have any moral objections if they decided to do try what I did. $40 for the CHANCE to buy a ticket? More power to the people who want to go see that band. It always amazes me to see how many people never show up to big concerts, where you could see rows of empty seats from no-shows.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
  Why does a guy who's driving a Beemer at 23 need to sneak into hockey games?

It was age 21 actually.
 
 Oh, and it was about 10 years old, had 100K+ miles on it and was worth a mere $6000.  
 
 I sold it to get a much coveted graduate degree that you, in your infinite wisdom, tell every other young person on the board to get.  So while I was a student taking on astronomical loans, I debated between buying a ticket or geting a beer and some grub, but after the first few times I bought the tickets, I realized that with the squad the Caps and Wiz were putting out there, they weren't worth me paying my money for a ticket.  So after I was invited to a game in a suite and nobody checked my ticket, the decision was made quite simple for me.
 
 Oh, and I never snuck into U2.  For concerts I REALLY wanted to see, I wouldn't take the chance of not getting in, so I always bought tickets.  I'd say I only snuck into two, maybe three concerts.
 
 Any more questions there, bright guy?  I'm not sure if there's anything I get more pleasure out of on this board then dismissing one of your silly backhanded comments.  Get a rise out of the newbies or the young'ens, because I find your games a bit trite.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

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