Lottery Wins and Losses

BinFrog

MayDay10 said:

I have said it ad nauseum, but the current structure of having GA/RES separate from each show invites a lot of clowing around the rules. Why not sign up family and close friends for extra 10c accounts in the 500XXX (as GA doesnt count). I could have 10 chances for GA (more if I have a 10c pal) to your 1.

My somewhat decent 10c # I have cultivated over years can be for reserved only. Why burn it on GA chances when we have so many "new" members in the pool.

You're not "burning" anything...it's your choice.

pjsteelerfan

BinFrog said:

They do more than any other band I know. Phish (whom I love) has a pre-sale for anyone who wants to enter. I entered for 3 shows on this tour...and got tickets for all 3. LAWN tickets for all 3. Some pre-sale, eh? Can you imagine if PJ did this?

People heads on here would explode. So many people will only accept GA tickets, cant imagine buying them through Ticketmaster.

MayDay10

BinFrog said:

MayDay10 said:

I have said it ad nauseum, but the current structure of having GA/RES separate from each show invites a lot of clowing around the rules. Why not sign up family and close friends for extra 10c accounts in the 500XXX (as GA doesnt count). I could have 10 chances for GA (more if I have a 10c pal) to your 1.

My somewhat decent 10c # I have cultivated over years can be for reserved only. Why burn it on GA chances when we have so many "new" members in the pool.

You're not "burning" anything...it's your choice.

well, no. I would just use the other memberships that have shitty numbers. why would I go for reserved with a membership I just started last week?

BinFrog

MayDay10 said:

well, no. I would just use the other memberships that have shitty numbers. why would I go for reserved with a membership I just started last week?

Because in general the reserved seats have higher odds of winning than GA. And they are still always the best seats in the house.

DosimetricPJFan

People getting shut out are going for the hardest shows to get. I know, captain obvious. Choose easier shows. The odds were right in front of you.

MayDay10

I know that. Im 1 for 14 in the lottery and only because I layed up and went for Buffalo Reserved for my 1st choice of leg 1 last year.




Back of the floor is a bad night for me that is burned with the image of staring at people's backs. I would honestly rather not go.


I would be curious to see the distribution on entries into GA and how many memberships entered have been "started" since the lottery system was rolled out.

BinFrog

MayDay10 said:

Back of the floor is a bad night for me that is burned with the image of staring at people's backs. I would honestly rather not go.

While I understand that, you can't really blame the band or the system for that. I have a pretty good number, and would rather have seats on the wing then a few rows back on the floor behind GA...but I'll take what I can get. I am average height, so my view will be ok no matter where...but my wife is a few inches shorter and will have a hard time seeing if we are on the floor and not in the first few rows.

know1

BinFrog said:

Everyone's opinion is completely valid, and there is a counter-argument for each side.

Back in the 3x5 days, you were all but assured tickets (first to just 1 show, and then for any show you wanted). And if they had more demand than tickets, they did their best to give you spillover tickets to another show. Yeah it was a hassle to get money orders/etc, but you made it work.

Then the f5 world came. People bitched and moaned, but if you knew how to work the system it usually worked out in your favor. Over the years I only lost out on 1 pre-sale, and it was because I had a friend do it for me (I was on vaca and not near a computer) and he did not have the patience to sit there and refresh for 45 mins through all of the crashes. yes, I know why the f5 world pissed some people off, but for a lot of people it worked fine with a little bit of patience and perseverance. There were always those who could not be near a computer, or didn't have a credit card, or just had bad luck...but no system is perfect. In many markets there simply aren't enough tickets to go around...regardless of what pre-sale system is used.

Now it's the tiered priority lottery world. It's almost a combination of f5 meets 3x5 days. It sucks that figuring out your priority is kind of a shot in the dark...but that's where the news odds feature comes into play (and seemed to work for some). It's not perfect, but it makes people really think about their top priority show(s). That's kind of a plus.

For years we had it good: persevere through the f5 system and you were rewarded. It was great to see so many familiar faces at shows over the span of like a decade. We got spoiled. Really spoiled. Almost NO other band's fans had it that good. But things changed. I don't know if it was just because of more members, or people complaining about the antiquated system, or if the band just wanted to try something new (along the lines of the 1/2 and 9/10 random rows and then GA...), but here we are. It's no longer easy to just get a run of shows through the 10C and then do a tour. you have to work a little harder now. I mean, god forbid you lose out on 10C tickets and have to use Ticketmaster. On leg 1 last year I got 10C for 1 show and had to use TM for the other 4 I wanted. I got nice upgrades for 2 shows, and had mediocre seats for the other 2. I still rocked the hell out at every show. Yeah, so for 2 shows i wasn't surrounded by 10C members...so what? I still gave it my all and did my thing. What can you do?

I have been a member since '97 and Memphis will be show #43 for me, going back to '96. I've been around. All of the old members complaining about the new system: just realize you had it good for a LONG time. This is a very popular band and they are doing what they can to make the fans happy. They do more than any other band I know. Phish (whom I love) has a pre-sale for anyone who wants to enter. I entered for 3 shows on this tour...and got tickets for all 3. LAWN tickets for all 3. Some pre-sale, eh? Can you imagine if PJ did this?

It will never be what it was. There is NO system that will make us all happy. I was super bummed last year to see "LOST" next to 4 shows. But I made it work. I went to 5 shows and had a BLAST. Yeah it sucks to miss out on 10C tickets, but going to the shows is the most important thing. There is ALWAYS a way to get tickets...and 10C members are always generous and helpful. Just be glad the band is still touring and playing at a VERY high level. We still have it good with this band.

I would say that the F5 system was far worse than the lottery. I know a lot of people had success, but it was a royal pain in the but and certainly catered to people who could spend large chunks of time during a weekday to get tickets.

Had I not been "lucky" enough to be unemployed during the pre-sale for PJ20, there's no way I would have gotten tickets unless I had taken a vacation day. The lottery is vastly better than that.

Since the lottery's been in place, I've had a decent success rate, but then again the most important thing to me was seeing them (as opposed to GA) and I've always put in for lower demand shows in Reserved. This time, I got my first choice, but was shut out of 2 other shows. Had I wanted badly enough to see them more times on this leg, I would have put in Reserved picks for Lincoln, Tulsa and Memphis as well. Likely, I would have gotten 2 or 3 of those.

And if I'd lost out, I would have just obtained tickets by other means.

My main point is the F5 system was horrible even if I was able to get tickets for every show I tried.

know1

MayDay10 said:

I have said it ad nauseum, but the current structure of having GA/RES separate from each show invites a lot of clowing around the rules. Why not sign up family and close friends for extra 10c accounts in the 500XXX (as GA doesnt count). I could have 10 chances for GA (more if I have a 10c pal) to your 1.

My somewhat decent 10c # I have cultivated over years can be for reserved only. Why burn it on GA chances when we have so many "new" members in the pool.

Nobody's clowning around the rules. They are following the rules and trying to give themselves the best options within them.

Sure you could sign up 10 friends, but do you really want to be out the money for all those memberships every year? If you have that much cash to blow, just buy good tickets from StubHub.

BinFrog

know1 said:

My main point is the F5 system was horrible even if I was able to get tickets for every show I tried.

It was annoying, but for a lot of fans it worked and was worth the hassle. I used to just set aside time on my calendar so that no-one scheduled a meeting for like an hour. And yeah, it would give me freaking palpitations sometimes...but I managed to almost always get tickets. It may have been horrible...but I never had a problem with the end result.

MayDay10

Yeah, I would be the same way. Block off time. Even took a vacation day for PJ20. Had very good results, but it took patience and there were some tricks/lessons (that were easy and readily offered here). Anyone else I left in charge or to get f5 tickets elsewhere never succeeded. Extra memberships did no good.

I dont mind the lottery. But I think it does need to be restructured a bit. Either make it 1 lottery per show and draw GA within winners later, maybe make GA 1 ticket, maybe make members have to be >1 year in continuous tenure to go for GA??? I dont know. I am 1 for 14 now without even trying for East Coast shows and only won by going for a "sure thing" with a 1st choice once. That is very frustrating.

BinFrog

MayDay10 said:

I am 1 for 14 now without even trying for East Coast shows and only won by going for a "sure thing" with a 1st choice once. That is very frustrating.

I hear you and understand your frustration.

Leezestarr313

DosimetricPJFan said:

People getting shut out are going for the hardest shows to get. I know, captain obvious. Choose easier shows. The odds were right in front of you.

So if there is a show coming to your hometown, you would still not try for this one as your first priority? I have travelled a lot for PJ. From Germany to the US, to Canada, and also throughout the US. Because I wanted to see them. Heck, I even moved countries because I fell in love with a fellow fan. Now there is finally a chance to only drive 30 minutes to a show. Of course I go for this one.

I have no solution for this whole thing. I am thinking making the floor all GA and open to fanclub members would be cool. But what do I know.

mcgruff10

Play more shows, problem solved. Start touring again like you did in 06 and 03. Oh yeah, and get rid of ga. Maybe have one show seniority based and another show totally random. Four show limit per leg

know1

Leezestarr313 said:

DosimetricPJFan said:

People getting shut out are going for the hardest shows to get. I know, captain obvious. Choose easier shows. The odds were right in front of you.

So if there is a show coming to your hometown, you would still not try for this one as your first priority? I have travelled a lot for PJ. From Germany to the US, to Canada, and also throughout the US. Because I wanted to see them. Heck, I even moved countries because I fell in love with a fellow fan. Now there is finally a chance to only drive 30 minutes to a show. Of course I go for this one.

I have no solution for this whole thing. I am thinking making the floor all GA and open to fanclub members would be cool. But what do I know.

The hometown argument holds no water, though, when they never come to people's hometowns. This will be the first time I've not had to travel 3.5 hours or more to see them in over 8 years.

DosimetricPJFan

Leezestarr313 said:

DosimetricPJFan said:

People getting shut out are going for the hardest shows to get. I know, captain obvious. Choose easier shows. The odds were right in front of you.

So if there is a show coming to your hometown, you would still not try for this one as your first priority? I have travelled a lot for PJ. From Germany to the US, to Canada, and also throughout the US. Because I wanted to see them. Heck, I even moved countries because I fell in love with a fellow fan. Now there is finally a chance to only drive 30 minutes to a show. Of course I go for this one.

I have no solution for this whole thing. I am thinking making the floor all GA and open to fanclub members would be cool. But what do I know.

If they came to Houston, I would not put Houston GA or reserved as my top choices. Reserved for maybe 2nd choice.

BeerBaron

I won Milwaukee Reserved (first choice) and St. Paul reserved (second choice) and lost on the rest. I am happy.

Gern Blansten

I won Cincy GA tix....lost on STL and Moline. I'll hit up ticketmaster and do my best there....there's always Stubhub if you can't score something good through TM

I do prefer this system to the F5 days...then you would get totally shut out after spending four hours putting tickets in your cart and then losing them

benjs

Rayne O'er Me said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

Rayne O'er Me said:

Put me on the 'poor little baby didn't get his tickets and is going to cry about it' list. !

Are you the same guy (Sean) crying about it over on the Ten Club facebook page? Dude, there's still the general public sale. All is not lost.

You were TEN (not quite) when I joined and it just seems that loyalty is no longer being reciprocated. I know I can get on Ticketmaster with a million other people and try and get tickets for a show, but I shouldn't have to. And I probably won't. I used to sit within five rows and now I am supposed to be okay with sitting in nose bleeds with people who don't even know any songs other than five or six from Ten. No, I'm not the guy from Facebook. I am from Buffalo.

You have no idea that the loyalty you've had towards this band since you discovered them is ANY different than the loyalty this other guy has had for the band since he discovered them. So you'd like to criticize him for being too young? Give me a break - that's ageism at its finest. Am I biased in this? Absolutely - I'm 24, and I was born in '90 back when Pearl Jam is Mookie Blaylock. But I'm no less a fan than anyone else here, that much I can assure you.

Your loyalty is reciprocated by seniority for the best reserved sections in the house, since clearly the band has been realizing that penalizing people for being born at certain times is insensitive and absurd.

jeff2040

1st choice Moline, IL - GA Standing LOST
2nd choice St. Paul, MN - Reserved Seating WON
3rd choice Lincoln, NE - GA Standing LOST
4th choice Moline, IL - Reserved Seating LOST
5th choice Denver, CO - Reserved Seating LOST
6th choice St. Paul, MN - GA Standing N/A
7th choice Denver, CO - GA Standing LOST
8th choice Lincoln, NE - Reserved Seating WON

I knew Denver was a lost cause that far down my list but I'm really bummed that I still haven't won any of my first choices in the history of the lottery. I will be trying for Moline tickets tomorrow morning!