Don't Buy PJ Premium/Platinum Seating. We'll Help Each Other Find Good Seats.

Go Animal

I think this goes without saying, but there's some new & lapsed faces I see popping up in the various 2023 ticket threads. So here it is: do NOT buy PJ Premium tickets. Tomorrow, through day-of show. EVERY show.

I get it. We all want good seats. Or GA. But the people on this board, whether your 10c number is double digits, or in the high 700,000's... have paid their dues. And you buy a shit ton of merch, let alone the albums & singles. Sometimes you have to say "that's too much."

PJ Premium is basically Ticketmaster's Official Platinum pricing. Tickets start at regular price, and then dramatically increase with "surge pricing" based on various factors. Tickets on the floor, 100's and even some popular 200's will dramatically increase in price tomorrow, and will remain so for the better part of the summer. From $400 to $4,000. It's gonna get a little ridiculous.

It doesn't have to be that way. All you need is patience & persistence.

I'm not saying this on faith alone. I have data on my side:

The 2022 NA Ticket Pricing Thread

I spent nearly all of last spring & summer monitoring 2022 ticket prices, as did many other board members.

Hold fast, get what you can at regular price (while higher than it's ever been, I'm still willing to accept), and we'll help each other find the best seats possible.

We did it before, and we can do it again.

Berlin2000

I second that! Gotta beat them at their own game! 

Go Animal

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

StardogChamp79

RatherStarved

Go Animal said:

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

I have also found with other bands recently the winning strategy is to wait to 1-3 days before the show to buy.  However, unless it is a local show, that isn’t a reliable strategy.  

Go Animal

Here's a screen grab from @demetrios - Toronto was BONKERS last year. Hottest ticket in Canada. One of these pairs actually sold, the rest eventually fell in price. $2,500 ea for Floor! You're gonna see it, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Don't buy into it.

They'll drop in price.

JR86440

Go Animal said:

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

In NYC, 4K is pocket change for many, many people

Go Animal

RatherStarved said:

Go Animal said:

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

I have also found with other bands recently the winning strategy is to wait to 1-3 days before the show to buy.  However, unless it is a local show, that isn’t a reliable strategy.  

I made it happen when I saw Springsteen this year! Club seats dropped for face value 3 days before the show, and I freely admit I resold the ones I originally had for more than what I paid less than a day later. All told, I paid about $40/ticket to see The Boss from Club Level. Because of patience & persistence.

Go Animal

JR86440 said:

Go Animal said:

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

In NYC, 4K is pocket change for many, many people

Quite true. And if they sold, good for them. And good for the band. But WE shouldn't have to feel like we have to pay that much to get good seats to see our favorite band.

For that price, I'd want all 5 sigs (7, if Gigaton) on an album, the poster, the shirt, and smoke a doob with Ed, Matt, and/or Boom. And a selfie. And some tapas.

tschav

Given the amount of forum support for Fan to Fan sales - whether letting others know what’s available or coordinating a drop - there’s little reason to stress and impulse buy Premium. 

Tracking the prices makes it even clearer there are better options. 

Go Animal

tschav said:

Given the amount of forum support for Fan to Fan sales - whether letting others know what’s available or coordinating a drop - there’s little reason to stress and impulse buy Premium. 

This.

Jbarnacle

Agree.  100% true 

danofun

Friends don’t let friends buy PJ Premium..

tim131

Great post!

@Go Animal are there typically ticket drops (at face value) day of or even week of the show?

For Springsteen there were drops at face value. I saw tickets for $1,000's of dollars due to dynamic pricing, but for every show, was able to get face value tickets through drops (MSG Included)

curleybarney

StardogChamp79 said:

SAVE THE EMPIRE 

curleybarney

danofun said:

Friends don’t let friends buy PJ Premium..

This is the way

gotthebottle

GA not for sale except on F2F

Hoagie Breath

tim131 said:

Great post!

@Go Animal are there typically ticket drops (at face value) day of or even week of the show?

For Springsteen there were drops at face value. I saw tickets for $1,000's of dollars due to dynamic pricing, but for every show, was able to get face value tickets through drops (MSG Included)

This right here has worked for me trying to score tickets online for years now.

 And if you find yourself striking out with this method, go old school. Head on over to the box office of the venue the day of the show around lunchtime and wait patiently and see if anything becomes available. Usually by three or four p.m. the stage crew is done erecting the stage and seats almost always become available, and they're some of the best seats in the house on either side of the stage at face value minus all the service fees to boot. Been doing this since high school in the late 80's after learning this trick from a much older and wiser hippie in the parking lot of The Spectrum before a Dead show in 1988.

I have very rarely been shut out of a show that I wanted into using these day-of-show methods. And if I couldn't score tickets, or was broke, there still are ways. Some less legal than others, but they exist lol. Sneaking in, paying a security guard a few bucks to open a door and look the other way (note: I have not used this method post 9/11 and all the security camera's everywhere as a result. But you never know, you may find a guard who decided this was their last day on the job and wants to secure some extra seperation $ lol), smoking pens outside the building with a 38 inch high fence and a guard whose head is buried in their phone lol, fan 2 fan, etc. Use your imagination. You want in bad enough, you'll find a way. I always have.

How do you think I've seen every PJ show in Philly/Camden besides the first show at Dobb's?

I don't get great seats anymore thru Ten Club either. I joined the Ten Club after PJ played The Troc in '92 (yes my number was insanely low) but let it lapse, not once, but twice. With a little help from the ex-wife the first time (cancelled the credit card without my knowledge and deleted all emails from TC warning about impending doom) and an unscheduled vacation the second time (if you know what I mean) lol.

These days I use the TC as a way into the building. Now with the lottery, people travelling, shorter tours, and option to buy multiple shows, there is no guarantee. Even back the day you only got TC tickets to one show of the tour. So if you wanted in, you found a way. Same applies today.

Now all of this only applies if its a local show for you. And I'll admit I'm just lucky that my favorite band seems to love my city and plays here way more than most other cities.

But the one thing I never did was pay scalper. Never, not even once. And that's all this premium crap is. I enjoy great seats as much as the next person, but at the end of the day, I'm just happy that I'm in the building rocking out. Its about the music man. Get your ass in the building but don't spend your savings account trying too.

I hope this helps someone out. Enjoy the shows!

kaw753

Go Animal said:

Here's a screen grab from @demetrios - Toronto was BONKERS last year. Hottest ticket in Canada. One of these pairs actually sold, the rest eventually fell in price. $2,500 ea for Floor! You're gonna see it, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Don't buy into it.

They'll drop in price.

I upgraded about 5 times on F2F last year in Toronto to 106. It was only difficult to get tickets beyond that section, from my extensive F5 experience. 

Go Animal

kaw753 said:

Go Animal said:

Here's a screen grab from @demetrios - Toronto was BONKERS last year. Hottest ticket in Canada. One of these pairs actually sold, the rest eventually fell in price. $2,500 ea for Floor! You're gonna see it, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Don't buy into it.

They'll drop in price.

I upgraded about 5 times on F2F last year in Toronto to 106. It was only difficult to get tickets beyond that section, from my extensive F5 experience. 

Side note: everyone keep track of how much you spend on tickets. ESPECIALLY ones you sell on Fan-to-Fan. If you flip 4 or 5 tickets, ticketmaster will be sending you a 1099 beginning of next year

josevolution

Great idea that’s the best way to combat evil premium TM prices boycott them!

Go Animal

tim131 said:

Great post!

@Go Animal are there typically ticket drops (at face value) day of or even week of the show?

For Springsteen there were drops at face value. I saw tickets for $1,000's of dollars due to dynamic pricing, but for every show, was able to get face value tickets through drops (MSG Included)

Yep! Same applies for these shows. It's all about timing.

Some days, the shows will appear as "Sold Out, Check Back Later" - if they were really sold out, why would they add the check back later part?

Toronto, MSG, Camden, Nashville & Denver all had this.

And all of them had tickets miraculously appear a few days before show & the day-of.

elvistheking44

JR86440 said:

Go Animal said:

First, the 200's will see an increase anywhere from $250 to $450, 100's will see around $325 for the back, and up to $1,500 for bird's eye views from Mike or Stone's side. GA & Floor could go as high as $4,000.

A few members here can confirm that there was a pair of MSG floor seats that sat around for $4K EACH last year. Did they get bought? Not by anyone on this board. If I had to guess, unless someone very well off decided to Treat Himself, they were re-absorbed & later released on day-of show. A few production holds shook loose that day, and I saw people going up to the box office & scoring decent seats right as I was walking in.

ALL the shows last year that had PJ Premiums saw the remaining inventory slowly decrease in price, and eventually drop to the 2020/2022 regular prices set forth in their respective tour announcements.

Feel free to go through every page of the thread linked above. It all happened in real time.

Some people play the stock market. I spent last year watching ticket prices, lol.

And I'll do it again

In NYC, 4K is pocket change for many, many people

Chicago as well, some people love to tell others how much they spent on things, concert tickets are no exception.

JeBurkhardt

F2F will be your friend. In 2020 I managed moves 3 times and ended up with great tickets. This year I will be trying to get a pair for Indy. I am content to get lawn seats, so I don't think it will be too hard to find a pair over the next 4 months. But then again I didn't think I would be unfulfilled on lawn seats either, so who really knows.   

Go Animal

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the biggest reason not to buy PJ Premium: you can't resell those tickets on F2F for any other price than what you paid.

Obviously, that's fair in terms of limiting scalping & trying to make a profit.

But what if you can't make the show?

Or what if you find better tickets at a lower cost, and you want to get rid of the ones you paid $750 for? Or $1,200?

Fan to Fan won't even let you REDUCE the price.

Let's say you want to let those $750 tickets go for $500, and just resign yourself to a $250/ticket loss...

Nope. The system won't let you.

You have to pray to whatever deity you worship, that someone is going to pay that exact same amount for those tickets at some point over the summer.

MANY members took a hit last year because of this, and the same system is still in place.

It adds undue pressure to a fanbase that just wants to get good seats to see one of their favorite bands.

Last year, the ONLY tickets that were still marked up by showtime last year? Were F2F resales of PJ Platinum tickets.

EVERY Premium/Platinum fell in price, as long as no one bought them & relisted them on F2F.

Every show.

Kwieneke

Awesome post!!

JojoRice

Thanks for the reminder!  I might be trying to upgrade my Reserved St Paul night 1 tickets depending on how the 3rd round of seating assignments go for 10c tickets.  I just hope when we sell on F2F that we get paid within a few days instead of having to wait until after the show. 

Go Animal

As Indy is about to queue up, hold fast. Get what you can at regular price & DON'T GIVE IN TO AN IMPULSE PREMIUM BUY!

We got this!!

rlaidepeas

Go Animal said:

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the biggest reason not to buy PJ Premium: you can't resell those tickets on F2F for any other price than what you paid.

Obviously, that's fair in terms of limiting scalping & trying to make a profit.

But what if you can't make the show?

Or what if you find better tickets at a lower cost, and you want to get rid of the ones you paid $750 for? Or $1,200?

Fan to Fan won't even let you REDUCE the price.

Let's say you want to let those $750 tickets go for $500, and just resign yourself to a $250/ticket loss...

Nope. The system won't let you.

You have to pray to whatever deity you worship, that someone is going to pay that exact same amount for those tickets at some point over the summer.

MANY members took a hit last year because of this, and the same system is still in place.

It adds undue pressure to a fanbase that just wants to get good seats to see one of their favorite bands.

Last year, the ONLY tickets that were still marked up by showtime last year? Were F2F resales of PJ Platinum tickets.

EVERY Premium/Platinum fell in price, as long as no one bought them & relisted them on F2F.

Every show.

Preach! Thank you for pointing this out. There are many reasons not to buy PJ Premium Tickets but this by far is the best reason not to. And this same philosophy applies to all Ticketmaster premium tickets. 

In fact, it applies to regular price tickets as well, since they follow a dynamic pricing model. I have been stuck unable to let go of tickets i bought for regular face value for shows in the past because by day of show Ticketmaster had dropped the original retail price even lower due to slow sales, excessive inventory, etc….and then what incentive does anyone have to buy your ticket that is locked into a higher price now that other tickets are available for a new retail cost lower than yours? 

It’s not right that they do this and it’s a reason I almost always wait to buy tickets until a day or two prior to the show.

tschav

Go Animal said:

kaw753 said:

Go Animal said:

Here's a screen grab from @demetrios - Toronto was BONKERS last year. Hottest ticket in Canada. One of these pairs actually sold, the rest eventually fell in price. $2,500 ea for Floor! You're gonna see it, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Don't buy into it.

They'll drop in price.

I upgraded about 5 times on F2F last year in Toronto to 106. It was only difficult to get tickets beyond that section, from my extensive F5 experience. 

Side note: everyone keep track of how much you spend on tickets. ESPECIALLY ones you sell on Fan-to-Fan. If you flip 4 or 5 tickets, ticketmaster will be sending you a 1099 beginning of next year

My tax guy had… questions… after asking how I sold so much on F2F and didn’t make a dime. Conversely, I did rack up 2 credit card sign up bonuses in the process. 😄

Indifference

Of course if no one buys the PJ premium tickets at the price levels  then expect an increase in ticket prices next time around