Hi,

I bought tickets to the Paris gig, but couldn't go to the rescheduled gig. Didn't get my money back either.

So... £150 down, but suddenly thinking I'll give Twickenham a go.

eBay is a rob but do any of you have experience of getting tickets from Twickenham's box office on the day of the gig (or even tomorrow)? It doesn't seem to be as "sold out" as they'd have you believe. Do ticket prices ever go down as the hour approaches?

Or what about touts on the day? Do you think they'll be sky high or just keen to get their money back?

The spaces free on Ticketmaster don't seem good value for money, so any last minute buying advice much appreciated.

Thank you.

The touts will be crapping themselves because at these prices they'll have lots to spare. You wont have to pay face value for a ticket and the later in the day you buy them they'll almost be giving them away

Yes, Gazza - and we'll be laughing in their ugly faces! Just can't wait.

shall we go together as a pair? LOL...I'll stand behind you....

Um, by Touts, I assume you guys are refering to scalpers? Sorry, I'm American.

yes...we call them ticket touts

and its still legal over here .. for now

"Or what about touts on the day? Do you think they'll be sky high or just keen to get their money back?"

Chat up as many as you can. Bring a seating chart. NEVER ask them what they are charging, just tell them what you are paying. The further back the seat, the lower the price. Don't be afraid to offer ridiculously low prices ($10, $20 etc). Then just wait around. Eventually someone will get frustrated and take your offer. Hell, I have told people that their tickets arent worth paying for because I don't want to sit there only to have them come up to me later and just give me the tickets.

And its not the career scalpers you should be looking for, but just people trying to unload their extra tickets since they broke up with their girlfriend in the ten months since they went on sale. Around here, the scalpers don't wait in line at Ticketmaster - they hit up people with extras, for example paying $20 and trying to sell for $50 when face value is $75 because they know they are competing with the box office in most cases.

Touts or scalpers are fully legal here in California, the only restriction being they cannot sell the tickets on the grounds of the venue. For the vast majority of concerts that I go to, I buy tickets on the night of the show close to the venue and usually get in for less than 1/2 price. With large venue shows, there are always people stuck with extra tickets and rarely enough people looking to purchase those tickets.

In the UK, for the arena or stadium shows that I have been to, I have had good success. I attended the Stones first night concert at Wembley Stadium in 1999 and was being offered tickets for well under face as I walked up to the stadium, making my haggling much easier to do. I got a field ticket (not front of stage) for about 1/2 face value.

For Springsteen in London in 2003, he played 2 nights. There were many touts trying to unload their tickets and on the first night, I jumped the gun and bought from a guy at the strain stop instead of walking a little further and seeing just how many totuts there were trying desperately to get rid of the tickts. That night I paid 20 pounds for a 40 pound ticket on the field. For the second night, I placed my limit at 10 pounds and while it took a few minutes of haggling, I pretty easily got my 10 pound field ticket which was a 75% discount off the face or an even greater discount when you take into account the booking fees that the touts had paid to Ticketmaster.

I saw Paul McCartney on that same trip to the UK and for his arena show in Sheffield, I got a pretty good floor ticket, just over 1/2 way back on the floor, for about 35-40% below face value.

I bet me and Halup have seen each other before.

I second everything Dan just said. Most of my ticket success comes form the people stuck with tickets and on occasion I am just given tickets for free.

Dan, I'm sure I've probably seen you at shows here in L.A. I go to shows virtually every week and I'm sure while I've been looking for tickets, I've seen you doing the same.

Halup Wrote:

>
> Dan, I'm sure I've probably seen you at shows here
> in L.A. I go to shows virtually every week and I'm
> sure while I've been looking for tickets, I've
> seen you doing the same.

I don't go to shows as much as I used to. But right now I have a preference for the papered shows at the Universal since I can walk home from there. Saw New Cars/Blondie, Ringo and Mark Knopfler/Emmylou Harris for free.

I kind of jumped the gun on Ringo and paid $20, but I ended up watching in front a center orchestra seat, so I didn't mind the cost. Universal can be a good venue for getting free tickets when a show is not sold out. When it is far from sold out, they give out comp tickets to Universal employees who then cannot really sell those tickets at the venue or risk losing their job. I've been given free tickets there a few times. I dabted seeing both of those other shows you went to, but held off. How was that New Cars show?

Thanks for the tips everyone. Let's hope I strike lucky.

For what it's worth, last time around I had bought Twickenham tickets, but not for anywhere else. Ended up at Wembley arena twice and Manchester, and bought all tickets from touts about five mins before band was due on stage. Never paid more than half price for any of the tickets bought off touts,

Keep wondering if I'd still be able to pick up cheaper, better tickets than I have before Sunday night outside Twickenham.(Probably, given I'm in east stand, 126.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The touts will be crapping themselves because at
> these prices they'll have lots to spare. You wont
> have to pay face value for a ticket and the later
> in the day you buy them they'll almost be giving
> them away

Absolutely correct. When you get to Twickers, start heading towards where Ticketmaster has set up for ticket collections; that'll also be where they're selling any last minute jobs. It'll probably be in what is known as the West Gate Car Park. You won't actually get as far as the temporary ticket office, because there'll probably be dozens of people brandishing fistfuls of tickets standing enroute to it and/or right outside it ........... so you ought to find yourself positively spoiled for choice.

Halup Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I kind of jumped the gun on Ringo and paid $20,
> but I ended up watching in front a center
> orchestra seat, so I didn't mind the cost.
> Universal can be a good venue for getting free
> tickets when a show is not sold out. When it is
> far from sold out, they give out comp tickets to
> Universal employees who then cannot really sell
> those tickets at the venue or risk losing their
> job. I've been given free tickets there a few
> times. I dabted seeing both of those other shows
> you went to, but held off. How was that New Cars
> show?

Ringo?

Halup Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I kind of jumped the gun on Ringo and paid $20,
> but I ended up watching in front a center
> orchestra seat, so I didn't mind the cost.
> Universal can be a good venue for getting free
> tickets when a show is not sold out. When it is
> far from sold out, they give out comp tickets to
> Universal employees who then cannot really sell
> those tickets at the venue or risk losing their
> job. I've been given free tickets there a few
> times. I dabted seeing both of those other shows
> you went to, but held off. How was that New Cars
> show?

New Cars show was really good. It was just seeded on Dime a few weeks ago. Forgot how good some of those songs were and the Rundgren solo stuff was good too. Probably what made it so enjoyable is I hooked up a backstage pass and also got plenty of free beer.

At just short of 8 pm outside twickenham they were doing good business, either face or £10 under as far as could see/hear