Very similar to everyone else here! Offered block 412 at 9.00 on the dot which I rejected and from that moment on nothing at all available. Went to the shops and try again an hour later and they've added new dates, (so must be confident of the demand), while still not selling anything for most dates. I can't believe that seven dates were sold out at 9.01! it's the same old story - make the best seats unavailable until the crap has gone.

And guess what? KNOWING that I finally bought block 412 for one of the newly added dates that they were selling tickets for: Friday 17th.

Why? Cos I'm not a hardcore fan by any means and thirty quid is cheap even for the upper tier. (How used to Stones prices I've become!!) And most of all, I can case the joint before the far more important gigs the following week!

But I'll tell you something - and I know not everyone will agree - but it was so much easier to get something reasonable for the Stones at 9 in the morning and if that's rationing by price then it's OK by me. There's no way Prince has a wider fanbase than our boys so just imagine the outcome of them selling tickets at £30!

The fact is that the floor seats are only available at the moment in a special VIP package for £235. So it is not the case that all seats are £31.21 - or at least not yet. Another ticket scam. I ended up after an hour and a half with block 114 (which I had rejected yesterday in the presale!) on 1 Sept. It was a fluke. Immediately after that, there were no more tickets available for that date either on ticketmaster.

Now the frenzy is over, plenty of lower tier seats now on offer for 12 Sept.

So that's 14 nights at the O2 then, all but one sold out - so far. He'll add more dates, either there or at other smaller venues.

Saw him last night at the Koko. Those who have seen Prince before can expect a return to his usual playing extended medleys of his hits, amid some extended jazz-funk jams (some of which went on for too long) and covers. Maceo Parker is in his band though, which adds a touch of genuine old school funk to the proceedings.

barbabang Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Praise to Prince! Great touring idea, normal
> prices. Rolling Stones and Cohl are you reading
> this???


Praise to the hype! Floor seats are actually cheaper for the Stones and at least you get to know your seat. No doubt about it, the marketing for this has been outstanding. It's got me along to watch from the upper tier and it's given the purple one the prestige of a 14 night stint at London's largest indoor venue. But it's become clear that it's far from a uniform price of £31.21.

IMO, the Stones and Cohl have nothing to learn from this. I actually PREFER their approach for being more honest.

more honest?

Which bit do you mean - advertising tickets as costing £70,£100 and £150 only to keep the front ten rows exclusively for fan asylum packages which actually cost about £1500 or the occasional 'hot seat' at about £100 over the advertised price - without telling you this at the time the tickets went on sale?

Or could it be the 'advantage' of buying that Legacy or Platinum $100 fan club package which might get you a good seat had they not decided to hold the good seats back in order to get you to snap up the shitty ones, before they finally decide to release a few decent ones at an absolutely random time

paulywaul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bloody hell ...
>
> [search.ebay.co.uk]
> http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.co.uk%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&
> satitle=prince+O2&category0=
>
> Type in Prince O2 into Ebay and a mere ... wait
> for it ... 408 items come up for sale. Silly silly
> silly and greedy greedy greedy mothertruckers, you
> scalpers are gonna get burned bigtime. Come the
> day ...
>
> O happy days !!
>
> Spoke too soon, it's now gone up to a mere 415
> items for sale
>
> O even happier days !!

Wow ... bit of a scalper "feeding frenzy" goin' on 'ere boys n' girlies ...

[search.ebay.co.uk]

F f f f f f f f f **k the lot of them, hope they get burned bigtime ... and they probably WILL !!

Anybody trying to scalp tickets for what - 14 shows in a 21,000 seat arena needs their head tested.

Slap it up them

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anybody trying to scalp tickets for what - 14
> shows in a 21,000 seat arena needs their head
> tested.
>
> Slap it up them

Well at last look there's about 560 odd imbeciles out there trying to do EXACTLY that. Maybe we should set up a mobile clinic for head examinations ? We'd make a fortune ... which is something I CAN'T in all fairness see any of the 560 odd making on Prince tickets !!

Another new date just went on sale only a few minutes ago - same story. NO floor tickets whatsoever and only the back rows of the lower tiers.

paulywaul Wrote:
Maybe we
> should set up a mobile clinic for head
> examinations ?

There's bound to be a Keef punchline in there somewhere but I'll resist!

I get offered a lot of block 111 though I´d prefer the end lower tie like 115-116 to get the full view of the arena as well.

I think in time there will be more seats available for low parts of the ties, when allotments to other selling companies are released. Sometimes even on the day of the event

It´s everywhere, with Madonna, MJ and George Michael, you can get tickets on the day of the show as well-->to scare away the scalpers!

I am waiting for 15th or 16th of September to come on sale, then I can party the weekend in London!!!!!

I saw Prince in the late eighties, it was long show full of loud guitar playing and he had a tight band with him. it was rock, it was funk and it had some pop music.

It was a great show.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> paulywaul Wrote:
> Maybe we
> > should set up a mobile clinic for head
> > examinations ?
>
> There's bound to be a Keef punchline in there
> somewhere but I'll resist!


Ah, c'mon Gaz, don't hold back baby, sock it to 'em.

funsense Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I get offered a lot of block 111 though I´d
> prefer the end lower tie like 115-116 to get the
> full view of the arena as well.
>
> I think in time there will be more seats available
> for low parts of the ties, when allotments to
> other selling companies are released. Sometimes
> even on the day of the event
>
> It´s everywhere, with Madonna, MJ and George
> Michael, you can get tickets on the day of the
> show as well-->to scare away the scalpers!
>
> I am waiting for 15th or 16th of September to come
> on sale, then I can party the weekend in
> London!!!!!


Do you think its likely that the Stones will release more front block 02 tickets at some point (ie £150 ones, not some hot seat or package scamfest)?

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> more honest?
>
> Which bit do you mean - advertising tickets as
> costing £70,£100 and £150 only to keep the front
> ten rows exclusively for fan asylum packages which
> actually cost about £1500 or the occasional 'hot
> seat' at about £100 over the advertised price -
> without telling you this at the time the tickets
> went on sale?
>
> Or could it be the 'advantage' of buying that
> Legacy or Platinum $100 fan club package which
> might get you a good seat had they not decided to
> hold the good seats back in order to get you to
> snap up the shitty ones, before they finally
> decide to release a few decent ones at an
> absolutely random time



I agree with all you say. However, I still managed to score A1, (8th row), for one of the Stones O2 shows from the public sale, no such luck for the other two but from what I've read here others did. So it was possible for such seats to be had at the stated price of £150. That's more honest than saying all seats are £31.21 if all floor seats are £235! From what I've read here no-one has been offered a floor seat at £31.21. OK, this VIP ticket has a pre show reception buffet and drinks just as the Stones hot seats have a laminate. So presumably since the ticket value is £31.21 the reception is worth over £200?

I honestly think it's a bigger scam than the Stones hot seats!

rebelrebel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I honestly think it's a bigger scam than the
> Stones hot seats!

Agree, it is

rebelrebel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gazza Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > more honest?
> >
> > Which bit do you mean - advertising tickets as
> > costing £70,£100 and £150 only to keep the
> front
> > ten rows exclusively for fan asylum packages
> which
> > actually cost about £1500 or the occasional
> 'hot
> > seat' at about £100 over the advertised price -
> > without telling you this at the time the
> tickets
> > went on sale?
> >
> > Or could it be the 'advantage' of buying that
> > Legacy or Platinum $100 fan club package which
> > might get you a good seat had they not decided
> to
> > hold the good seats back in order to get you to
> > snap up the shitty ones, before they finally
> > decide to release a few decent ones at an
> > absolutely random time
>
>
>
> I agree with all you say. However, I still managed
> to score A1, (8th row), for one of the Stones O2
> shows from the public sale, no such luck for the
> other two but from what I've read here others did.
> So it was possible for such seats to be had at the
> stated price of £150. That's more honest than
> saying all seats are £31.21 if all floor seats are
> £235! From what I've read here no-one has been
> offered a floor seat at £31.21. OK, this VIP
> ticket has a pre show reception buffet and drinks
> just as the Stones hot seats have a laminate. So
> presumably since the ticket value is £31.21 the
> reception is worth over £200?
>
> I honestly think it's a bigger scam than the
> Stones hot seats!


Sorry, but that's bollocks! The biggest scam the Stones pulled was with their so-called "platinum legacy membershite" - your loyalty in 2007 (and $200) was rewarded with the chance to get not floor seats but tiered seats (mostly - I was lucky in getting seats right next to the B Stage, but I'm in a minority; I'm not complaining, but I feel bad for other people who paid in to the scheme and got first bite at crap seats), and ... drumroll - a shitty little visor with a tongue on it. I mean, HONESTLY! Who's fooling who? The Stones really don't give a s.hit about their long term fans at all. They only want your money, honey. And you and I have both given it to them.

The Who don't rip their fans off like that at all. Pay $100 for premium seats and that's exactly what you get. Dylan goes one better - he bypasses his official site altogether and makes arrangements with independent websites so that his hardcore fans get premium seats at face value for a really minute handling fee.

Prince hasn't ripped anyone off. You actually get the BEST views from the lower and upper tier seats than you do from the floor (unless you're in the back rows). He last played in the round in 2004 on the Musicology tour. That was when he was still running his fanclub (at a one off payment of $25, which guaranteed you floor seats on the tour). A lot of people who got floor seats complained that they couldn't see much from the floor because the stage was too high. He's using the same stage.

Oh, and by the way, you may scoff, but those £235 tickets do include a boat to the venue and a buffet too. Take out the cost of the boat and food and you're probably down to about £150 anyway. You get wined, dined, transported and entertained for your big bucks. So it all works out at a better grade of a.ssf,uck, if you want to see it that way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-12 00:22 by Nikolai.

rebelrebel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree with all you say. However, I still managed
> to score A1, (8th row), for one of the Stones O2
> shows from the public sale, no such luck for the
> other two but from what I've read here others did.
> So it was possible for such seats to be had at the
> stated price of £150.

Yet for the same show, with a Legacy passcode which cost $100, another member and myself who were trying for a pair got offered nothing but tiered seats despite hitting 'refresh' for a full hour before giving up on floor seats and settling for Block 101.

Nice work on getting A1 - I'm genuinely pleased for you and any genuine fan who gets lucky - but in theory should those seats have been made available to the public to just anyone instead of being held back from fans who have stuck with the band and already renewed an overpriced fan club membership and who were paying for a presale a few days earlier?

It's quite simple. Either have a proper fan club allocation or dont bother pretending it's something that it isnt. Conning your core fanbase is a pretty shitty thing to do whatever way you choose to look at it or however you wish to spin it. What Prince's organisation chooses to do doesnt really affect me as I'm not a fan club member. Excusing the Stones for doing it because they're supposedly "more honest" about doing so is absurd on every level. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Gazza Wrote:
>
> Do you think its likely that the Stones will
> release more front block 02 tickets at some point
> (ie £150 ones, not some hot seat or package
> scamfest)?


Depends how they are selling. I believe it´s all about business. With Stones I have no experience.

With divas like Madonna and Streisand I know for sure that to guarantee the "sell-out" status they will put the unsold tickets for sale under face value to get some money back.

Streisand´s US shows last year; people bought 350$ to uptier seats and when they picked the tickets 2 hours before the show, they were upgrated to better seats---> even on the floor! There were plenty of these cases on her tour.

well i went for it and got a Prince ticket. seems weird going to see him as a casual fan, rather the Stones as a diehard

but i'm not into getting @#$%& over by bands i love

roll on September

> Prince hasn't ripped anyone off.

Nikolai wrote:

those £235 tickets do include a boat to the venue and a
> buffet too. Take out the cost of the boat and
> food and you're probably down to about £150
> anyway. You get wined, dined, transported and
> entertained for your big bucks.


Don't forget the free new CD of His Royal Badness! So take another few bucks of the 235 Pounds.

But I totally agree with you, Gazza and Barbabang. There's nothing wrong with the way the Prince tickets are sold. And yes the Stones can learn something from this. We've all been ripped of by The Stones and Cohl. But they can continue doing so because in a way we let them to.

funsense Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gazza Wrote:
> >
> > Do you think its likely that the Stones will
> > release more front block 02 tickets at some
> point
> > (ie £150 ones, not some hot seat or package
> > scamfest)?
>
>
> Depends how they are selling. I believe it´s all
> about business. With Stones I have no experience.


well from experience on this tour they HAVE done that. Certainly for stadiums. Not sure how it'll work for the 02 because they DIDNT hold cheaper front block tickets back in the presales and DID keep the bulk of them for packages.

>
> With divas like Madonna and Streisand I know for
> sure that to guarantee the "sell-out" status they
> will put the unsold tickets for sale under face
> value to get some money back.

The Stones did that several times on the most recent US tour with their 'firesale' offers to shift slow selling tickets. 4 for the price of 2, or in some cases selling a few nosebleeds for $22 or something. That problem doesnt arise with the 02 shows though as theyve sold well.


>

Is there any chance of Prince playing in London while we're all there for the Stones? This would really make my summer. On ticketmaster I can see there are no shows planned between August 18th and 28th. A show on the 22nd of 24th would be perfect!

iamthedj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is there any chance of Prince playing in London
> while we're all there for the Stones? This would
> really make my summer. On ticketmaster I can see
> there are no shows planned between August 18th and
> 28th. A show on the 22nd of 24th would be
> perfect!

All 21 shows are taking place at the O2. There are six more to be added. At least two in September, so you never know.

Nikolai Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>> All 21 shows are taking place at the O2. There
> are six more to be added. At least two in
> September, so you never know.


they are? Ah bollocks! I was hoping for a few 'smaller' venues when the Stones were in town so I could catch him.

The original press releases suggested that Prince will be playing venues other than the O2, but confirmed 21 nights there.

Given Prince's fondness for playing in small, intimate venues and clubs, as well as large arenas, I would be astonished if there were not more shows at places KOKO.

If this was not the case, he would have just played 3 or 4 nights at Wembley Stadium. Atmosphere and venues that lend themselves to the creation of atmosphere are obviously important to Prince.

SD

iamthedj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is there any chance of Prince playing in London
> while we're all there for the Stones? This would
> really make my summer. On ticketmaster I can see
> there are no shows planned between August 18th and
> 28th. A show on the 22nd of 24th would be
> perfect!


I can't see them taking out the Stones stage arrangements and putting in his so I think the answer has to be no.

I think he meant in other, smaller venues. It would appear now not to be the case, which is a disappointment.

Still, the as yet unconfirmed 02 shows will have to be in September then. He has ten days off in the middle of his stint. Cant see him kicking his high heels in and staying at home, can you?

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think he meant in other, smaller venues. It
> would appear now not to be the case, which is a
> disappointment.
>
> Still, the as yet unconfirmed 02 shows will have
> to be in September then. He has ten days off in
> the middle of his stint. Cant see him kicking his
> high heels in and staying at home, can you?


Well, I have it on very good authority that the 21 dates will be at the O2. It's booked up and the next six will be announced once the ticket agencies have sold out their ticket allotments.

He'll probably play some semi-secret shows in London, announced at 24-12 hours notice. They'll be worth going to because, having been to half a doszen aftershows since 1987, they're really exceptional. Forget that you're a couple of metres away from one of the most talented musicians alive, it's the sheer quality of those intimate shows that will blow anyopne fortunate to attend them away. They're Prince channelling his key influences - Hendrix, Brother Ray, Sly and The Godfather - paring his stage show down to sinew and soul.

Check out the official site - 3121.com, Housequake and Prince.org - if you're interested.