is filled with near full-page headline (illustrated w/ baseball tongue): "STONE CRAZY - $3,500 for a ticket - and it will go up." It is about, natch, the online scalping business. "Starting bids on ebay for similar tickets began at $3,999" One 'fan' remarks that if Keith keeled over dead during the show, it might be worth it. As a rather destitute hardcore fan, I was angry enough about getting shut out of Saturday's 10 a.m. frenzy, 60,000 tix gone in 2 minutes - now internet surfing & stories like these are leading me to brink of despair. To me RS tix are like any art I love - priceless (tho admittedly overpriced, even before the scalpers got hold of them),- if I can afford it, I go. $163 I can handle. How did I manage to get to 3 shows last tour (as well as every US tour since my first show in '75)? Is the demand higher? the online scalpers' stranglehold tightening?? I am depressed.

40 odd years in the business though and we stills see this press etc. reaction....incredible!

And on show day you will be able to buy all these $350 face value tickets for $250 from the scalpers, as always.

Bjornulf

Yes, or less!

I am very depressed too and think that I may be too worn out and stressed to play the game, as I usually do; my usual drill goes like this! Try to get tickets thru TicketMaster, usually I strike out! Call a few brokers and wrangle a ticket and negotiate a price, get a great seat and book the hotel! Move to the next city, repeat the previous steps! BUT NOT THIS TIME! Not with ticket face value $453! I am about to dust off my Stones videos and get into my comfy chair and that may be as far as I'll get( except for Boston! Gotta go to Fenway!) In previous years, you could actually make a decent deal with the Crooks, aka brokers but it will not be that easy this tour.....unless we all WAIT! Wait until brokers get nervous and think they are going to get stuck with a load of tickets, then make an offer they can't refuse! YUCK YUCK! I just took my patience pill! Hope it takes affect, FAST!

Agree here. I am gonna try hoping for day of show desparate scalpers for
the first time. But this is gonna make for some sleepless nights between
now and then. 2 $350 shows last time put me over my Visa limit!
Just can't afford it. How about sliding scale, like at a Free Clinic,
Keith?

From "the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world" to "the greatest rock 'n' roll bank in the world".