Queuing for GA gigs - thoughts, feedback, suggestions?

[sienna]

s.

 

 

Otherwise it will just be the usual stupid presale lottery (no guarantee you will even win the right to buy a ticket) and none of the MFCers will even have a chance. His whole front row could be suits!!! Universal execs on their way home from the office! GYAAAH:aah:

 

Sorry that was a very long opinion. Don't know if anyone will even read...

 

Oh that would be a sight for sour eyes, haha, but I would feel sorry for Mika!

 

BS it’s always interesting to hear how people in other parts of the world handle situations like this, I read it with big interest.

[Kelzy]

I've read it. And, no thanks. I like the idea of number jumping thanks to no-shows.

 

But, I wouldn't want to rely on getting my Mika ticket through a lottery. What if I missed out and had to pay double price to a scalper??

 

I'll stick with buying presale or through official sites.

[soangel]

Interesting idea, the Japanese one, but I don't see it as one that would work over here. It takes long enough to check tickets as it is at some places, delaying the acts or causing some to miss the support band when their forced to go on on time, adding in having to check that that person has the right number would complicate things more. While not having to queue would be nice, and seated venues are also nice for their just rock upness, the queues don't always have to be started as early as some start them. And that system benefits those who are able to buy tickets first, which might not be those who most want to see it, even with presale for members (some people don't have access to credit cards etc,)

 

Anyways, thats just my view. While it does work in some place as busy as Japan, I don't see it as something that would work the same here

 

 

 

See you later

 

Becster

[IngievV]

As said, I think the number system has advantages and disadvantaged. But that's mostly based on whether or not the security is willing to cooperate. In Amsterdam last July, there were people who wrote numbers on their hands and just went away and came back demaning our spots at the gates while we were there queueing and securing our spots all day long. So it needs to be thoroughly organised before it works. But if it does, it will be a huge relief. Especially if the small groups thing can be organised as well, I'm sure the security will also be relieved.

[Soaring Simpson]

We have ticket lotteries here for big events- Wimbledon (last 4 days) and the Last Night of the Proms.

 

I suppose it would get round all the "but I can't get to the computer at noon/ only my parents have credit cards and they don't understand" stuff.

 

I don't like the idea of number jumping for no shows- it just brings queueing back and benefits people who live near/have a lot of time on their hands.

[Kelzy]

I don't like the idea of number jumping for no shows- it just brings queueing back and benefits people who live near/have a lot of time on their hands.

 

I meant number jumping for no shows - as in they don't show and so they aren't there and don't turn up at all and so you are closer to the front because of it. Still honoring the number system in place as Blue Sky explained..

I didn't mean queue jumping - which is something I don't like.

[Droopsy]

 

That's also a very good point. Have you ever actually seen that happen? I like to think MFCers are fair and that the numbering system is indeed based on order of arrival.

 

I'm sad to say I have yes. I showed up at one of the previous gigs, got a number on my hand and some people that had arrived later got a smaller number. So it does happen. And it disgusts me.

 

Luckily enough it didn't matter that much with that particular gig, people just got in the way they were standing in line so okay.

 

As said, I think the number system has advantages and disadvantaged. But that's mostly based on whether or not the security is willing to cooperate. In Amsterdam last July, there were people who wrote numbers on their hands and just went away and came back demaning our spots at the gates while we were there queueing and securing our spots all day long. So it needs to be thoroughly organised before it works. But if it does, it will be a huge relief. Especially if the small groups thing can be organised as well, I'm sure the security will also be relieved.

 

Oh I remember that! I also remember you making it veryyy clear they weren't going to get your spot! And yes, the small groups thing was brilliant... It would idd be better for security as well, so if that's something that could be arranged/that security agrees with, that would be fab:thumb_yello:

Edited June 26, 2009 by Droopsy

[Greyceli]

I think that we are devoted enough to queue for as long as we have to . I read about the system that's been developed and it's pretty genius it seems to work really well.

I don't know if am speaking for anyone else when I say this, but, Mika makes AGES worth of queuing completely worth it

[IngievV]

Considering MFCers are usually early birds, why not have us discuss it with the security in advance and make sure there is a list with names and numbers. Ofcourse it's impossible to get a number on everyone's hand, but those who arrive before a specific time will get a number and their names will be on the list. The conditions will be made clear and then when the doors open, the numbers will get in first in groups and after that the latecomers...

[IngievV]

 

Oh I remember that! I also remember you making it veryyy clear they weren't going to get your spot! And yes, the small groups thing was brilliant... It would idd be better for security as well, so if that's something that could be arranged/that security agrees with, that would be fab:thumb_yello:

 

I had been there since 8 in the morning, had not eaten anything apart from lollipops and only went to the toilet once. No fecking way I was going to move one inch.

[Droopsy]

Considering MFCers are usually early birds, why not have us discuss it with the security in advance and make sure there is a list with names and numbers. Ofcourse it's impossible to get a number on everyone's hand, but those who arrive before a specific time will get a number and their names will be on the list. The conditions will be made clear and then when the doors open, the numbers will get in first in groups and after that the latecomers...

 

This is exactly what happened in Brussels, and it was the best system I've ever witnessed

 

I had been there since 8 in the morning, had not eaten anything apart from lollipops and only went to the toilet once. No fecking way I was going to move one inch.

 

And you were absolutely right about that!

[Christine]

I don't see any need for a lottery in most countries. Even with the acoustic gigs there were tickets available to anyone who tried to purchase them at the start of the presales. Realistically the majority of his future gigs are going to be in large venues where tickets will be readily available for GA entry.

[Blue Sky]

Blue Sky, thank you for your clear explanation of how things work in Japan. And yes, I read every word, and yes, if Mika ever gets his arse to your untoured land, we'll do what we can to work with Team Mika to see about getting an MFC/Mikasounds presale, thus affording you a coveted low seiri bango.

 

In your experience, do they ever do reserved seating gigs in Japan?

 

A couple of extra points to add to my long-windedness. You need to remember that I am a non-Japanese fan who can't really read Japanese. So there may be many more explanations available to the literate people here:naughty: And indeed, I may have crucial facts wrong. So it is a subjective report on the sytem from an outsider.

 

Secondly, there are plenty of seated gigs in big stadiums and the like. MTV video music awards was seated, and I was waaaaaaaay down the back on my sponsor ticket. Katy Perry looked like a little dot.

 

I was grateful for the chance to even be at the show (for that one, you had to enter online competitions for months to get a chance to win a ticket, and I was lucky to get a sponsor ticket from hubby's work) but if that little glow down the front had been Mika...well...how would any of us feel......

 

If I may indulge in a few more reminiscences, I went to see Elton John's acoustic show at Budokan in Tokyo. (Famous for many large scale performers.) And everyone had allocated seats, and the atmosphere was VERY different from what I have been watching on YT of Mika's shows for the past 2 years. However, near the end of the gig, some diehard fans with posters and tinsel etc, were allowed to go and stand at the front of the stage, gazing up at the piano. The 20 or so fans down there seemed to be really in their own world with Elton, swaying and dancing, while the rest of us several floors up just watched as if they were a You Tube video. That was what it felt like. And it was a great show, but it wasn't Mika, and it didn't have the energy of a Mika show, nor that special audience connection for me, when I was sitting about 4 floors up.

 

Of course, the Japanese music industry has long been dealing with over zealous fans. They have found what works for them. I am in no way suggesting it should be considered for MFC or for Mika gigs in other places. I am not advertising the system because of its benefits, I am only reporting how hard it can be to get front row.

 

So I wondered how the 20 or so Elton fans got the front. Were they members of the Elton fanclub? Did they pay scalper prices? Or did the record label allow fan club members a special presale....or were they actually from the record company... I have no idea.

 

Likewise I remember wondering how it was that Queen fans travelled from Europe to Japan and got the front, when I live here, speak the language, and have no idea how to get the front. So the record labels must have SOME experience of fan clubs/diehards getting some of the good tickets. I seriously doubt that MFC needs to reinvent the wheel here.

 

I have a friend who paid premium price for Madonna premium fan seats in Tokyo. She got to be right down near the front of the stadium (not the actual front) and she got a bag of goodies and a poster to take home. But she said it wasn't as good as the secret free show Madonna did, where she had won tickets, stood for hours in the rain and cold to go in, Madonna had been hours late BUT she had been down the front, close enough to see the sweat and the "diamonds" on the top of Madonna's eyelashes.

 

So my guess is that there is already a "wheel" that does not need reinventing, it is just difficult for non-Japanese to access the information without being able to read Japanese.

 

Isn't the serai bango system just like reserved seating, without seats? It sounds like a great system, saving hours of queueing, though the presale lotteries sound a bit pointless. Presale to MFC- now that would work.

 

Yes, it is like that...and I agree a MFC presale might work.

[sariflor]

I've read it. And, no thanks. I like the idea of number jumping thanks to no-shows.

 

But, I wouldn't want to rely on getting my Mika ticket through a lottery. What if I missed out and had to pay double price to a scalper??

 

I'll stick with buying presale or through official sites.

 

Oh, I never meant that I wanted the lottery element of it. Far from that!! Just normal ticket sales with a presale for fans (from a reputable site, not Sandbag as we've experienced ), and then the 'buying order' applied in order to get access to the front (whoever is interested in it).

I find that this is the fairest and nicest way for GA venues, so that one can avoid the queueing all day/night before scenario.

 

 

I think that we are devoted enough to queue for as long as we have to . I read about the system that's been developed and it's pretty genius it seems to work really well.

I don't know if am speaking for anyone else when I say this, but, Mika makes AGES worth of queuing completely worth it

 

Yes, we (obviously, as it's been proved) are, but the case here is not whether we are devoted/mad enough to do it, and whether he's "worth it", but whether there is a better system that avoids the need for this stupid waste of time.

Time is money, as has been said many times.

To queue for a full day, I lose a lot of money as I need to take time off work, and potentially travel a day before if abroad, which adds extra accommodation costs, etc...So, in the long run, queuing for ages adds a LOT of expenses to the whole thing.

Not to mention the being cold/hot/getting rained on, not eating, not having proper toilet breaks element of it.....And all this for what? Just so that a bunch of us (it's always MFC'ers) can be there for 12+ hours before any other fan turns up??

It's utterly pointless, it really is. It only harms US. But still, it's reached a point where people will carry on doing it unless there is a viable alternative.

Rose mentioned a few posts ago that we should come to an agreement of not queuing before a certain time. This was tried a long time ago, and, guess what? It never worked. You always get people who want to "beat it" and turn up earlier, and this is how the whole "night before" queuing started.

I personally think that this is just crazy, it achieves nothing, and that it's high time that we figure a better system.

If this Japanese "get in by the speed at which you bought" system can be combined with a dedicated fanclub presale, then we're laughing. It would be the best of both worlds for all the people who say that Mika gigs should not have seats, etc...

Other than that, allocated seating is the only other viable option as I see it.

 

 

I had been there since 8 in the morning, had not eaten anything apart from lollipops and only went to the toilet once. No fecking way I was going to move one inch.

 

See, this is exactly the type of scenario that I am trying to avoid. Being there from 8 am to 11 pm with no food, in the rain, etc... is not healthy or advisable, hence why we have got to figure a better way.

[ncsuemme]

some of you MFCers are hardcore! i agree with your sentiment, sariflor. me personally, if i took a day off of work to queue, that's a big chunk of my paycheck. and it stinks, because most small venues are general admission. so, it's like "ok, do you want an assigned seat and a less personal venue or a line and a more intimate experience?" there definitely should be some way to create a happy medium between the two!

[lollipop_monkey]

If this Japanese "get in by the speed at which you bought" system can be combined with a dedicated fanclub presale, then we're laughing. It would be the best of both worlds for all the people who say that Mika gigs should not have seats, etc...

 

I've always said the absolute ideal situation would be a reserved venue with a numbered square on the floor to stand in. All the stress-free relaxation of a reserved seating gig, and the energy of a standing gig.

 

The problem is, this Japanese system will never happen in Western countries because of all the admin associated with it. Someone has to issue these numbers and keep track of them, which obviously is status quo in Japan but unheard of in most other places.

 

I mean, Sandbag can't even manage to send us our paper tickets, never mind issuing a number based on order purchased - and then having the venue be aware and let people in based on that number.

 

some of you MFCers are hardcore!

 

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

[Cassiopée]

I've always said the absolute ideal situation would be a reserved venue with a numbered square on the floor to stand in. All the stress-free relaxation of a reserved seating gig, and the energy of a standing gig.

 

 

 

Exactely what I said to Véro in NYC

[IngievV]

 

 

See, this is exactly the type of scenario that I am trying to avoid. Being there from 8 am to 11 pm with no food, in the rain, etc... is not healthy or advisable, hence why we have got to figure a better way.

 

That is true, and I was very relieved in Amsterdam last time as the seats were all located and we could just have a nice day before, I could do my exam in all peace without worrying about queueing.

 

But the thing with the GA venues is, people say, we are coming at this and this time and being a 'hardcore' fan, you feel the urge to be at the front and so feel pressured to come early. At least that's how I feel.

[sariflor]

I've always said the absolute ideal situation would be a reserved venue with a numbered square on the floor to stand in. All the stress-free relaxation of a reserved seating gig, and the energy of a standing gig.

 

The problem is, this Japanese system will never happen in Western countries because of all the admin associated with it. Someone has to issue these numbers and keep track of them, which obviously is status quo in Japan but unheard of in most other places.

 

I mean, Sandbag can't even manage to send us our paper tickets, never mind issuing a number based on order purchased - and then having the venue be aware and let people in based on that number.

 

Yeah, I vote for the square on the floor system myself, !

The thing about the admin costs...I really don't see why it would add any cost to the existing systems.

Tickets are always numbered, whether they are for a standing venue or for a seated one, they always have a certain number in the batch, so one could use those numbers and that wouldn't add any extra cost to the system....And as for calling them out or organising it at the venues, all they need is security to call them out in the same way that they now call out our "hand" numbers. Surely that wouldn't be a lot to ask for? Or we could even have fanclub representatives do it. There are a million solutions for that....

As for Sandbag...really, honestly, I think that Team Mika need to use someone who is more professional at the whole ticketing thing. With the likes of Ticketmaster and other ticketing sites being so great, Sandbag just don't cut it.

The way that they have organised these ticket collections were crazy and time and resource consuming to the max, but it will NEVER work for larger venues.

Imagine having someone personally finding 10.000 people's names on a list. I don't think so .

So the best solution is to use a better ticketing agent, where the ticket numbers are standard anyway. Problem solved .

 

 

That is true, and I was very relieved in Amsterdam last time as the seats were all located and we could just have a nice day before, I could do my exam in all peace without worrying about queueing.

 

But the thing with the GA venues is, people say, we are coming at this and this time and being a 'hardcore' fan, you feel the urge to be at the front and so feel pressured to come early. At least that's how I feel.

 

Of course. You're not alone there: That's how we all feel, and why we end up there early in the morning, me included . But I just find it SO stupid and pointless, and in the winter for example it's just plain torture. We shouldn't have to do this, and I'm trying to find a solution .

[Soaring Simpson]

(Sorry, thought I'd quoted)

 

I don't see why selling numbered standing tickets would be that hard- they do it for seats in stadiums, even for sporting events where even the keenest fans have to be seated. And letting people in in batches is easy enough to administer.

 

And I still think Sandbag might have been telling the truth about not getting their deliveries of tickets and EPs. In which case, all the competance in the world couldn't have got them out in time.

[sariflor]

(Sorry, thought I'd quoted)

 

I don't see why selling numbered standing tickets would be that hard- they do it for seats in stadiums, even for sporting events where even the keenest fans have to be seated. And letting people in in batches is easy enough to administer.

 

And I still think Sandbag might have been telling the truth about not getting their deliveries of tickets and EPs. In which case, all the competance in the world couldn't have got them out in time.

 

Ditto about the numbered tickets.

About Sandbag, you make a good point there, I hadn't thought of that.

However, I think that we need (Mika needs!) ad more "automatic" system, where tickets are numbered based on when they are purchased, and not done manually afterwards.

Sandbag weren't able to give the buyer the exact number/location of the ticket at the time of purchase like Ticketmaster for example does. They had to manually go through the orders at a later date in order to allocate seats to the ticket buyers.

This is what I mean by it being clumsy, and by saying that an automated system is better. Everything in Sandbag was done manually. There are automated alternatives that work really well.

It's a case of not reinventing the wheel, as BS very well said earlier.

[ncsuemme]

With the likes of Ticketmaster and other ticketing sites being so great, Sandbag just don't cut it.

 

Be careful what you wish for. Ticketmaster, LiveNation, etc end up charging you crazy "ticket fees" for a concert. While I am willing to pay an arm and a leg for tickets, it's really annoying when a $25 ticket has an addition $13 fee! I wanted to see Adele live in May, and the ticket was listed for $35 but with fees, it was $50+. (They sold out before I could get tickets, unfortunately.)

[sariflor]

Be careful what you wish for. Ticketmaster, LiveNation, etc end up charging you crazy "ticket fees" for a concert. While I am willing to pay an arm and a leg for tickets, it's really annoying when a $25 ticket has an addition $13 fee! I wanted to see Adele live in May, and the ticket was listed for $35 but with fees, it was $50+. (They sold out before I could get tickets, unfortunately.)

 

True, very true, but Sandbag also had fees (lower) and together with their postage fee it was also quite high.

I'd rather pay more and get good service though, in the same way that I'd pay more for guaranteed front tickets .

[ncsuemme]

True... I sort of wish I had gotten a real ticket and not just the printed ticket confirmation. But yes, I'd pay good money to get a front row spot, especially considering I'm such a shorty.

[Suzy]

It may happen one day when even pre-sale tickets for MFCers becomes in such high demand. It is obviously a possibility that many of us may not be in first row.

 

A system based on something - for example, registration date, points, post count activity, raffle, etc., or some combination of this criteria, for Right of First Refusal may possibly sort this a little better.

 

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561548017/right_of_first_refusal.html

 

Let's imagine years from now, when Mika is on his 4th album and the MFC has 30,000 registered members, wouldn't we all feel a little entitled to have first dibs?