Does scarcity of Safeco and Fenway tix mean scalpers were largely undermined?

JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
I'm watching how scarce tix to Fenway are, and how hard a lot of people worked for Safeco tix (although there were like 10,000 more of those so not as hard to find as Fenway) and it makes me wonder, even given Safeco 1 tix disappearing for some and this forum going down the day/night of Wrigley 2, is that scarcity of tix a good sign that PJ and the 10Club's efforts to avoid scalpers were largely successful?

I know tix still ended up on Stubhub almost right away with the general onsale, and maybe even the 10Club sale (although we all know they didn't know where their tix were at first), but seems like overall that goal may have been reached better than ever before?  I'd love to know what the 10Club's experience was, or if it was similar/different to other tours/shows in terms of their perception of scalper activity.

Didn't see many scalpers for Safeco, but I know for Radiohead in 2 cities (they also did non-transferable mobile tix, but you could buy 1 with them), I know the scalpers looked very frustrated and didn't have much to offer (I asked out of curiosity).

What do you think, what was your experience as compared to past years if you got shut out or didn't try for tix until after the 10Club lottery?
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Comments

  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    It's really impressive how every tour you can check the map on stubhub and see a giant white space in the 10C section. Just checked Fenway 1 and there are a total of 67 field seats available. 67. That is nuts.


  • risrisrisris Posts: 76
    Let’s not forget that Stubhub would not allow the resale of tickets to the Seattle events because of the charity aspect of the event.

    I never checked other sites but it was definitely nice to see that the scalpers were held at bay. 

    I believe that Pearl Jam is ahead of the curve on making sure their true fans are taken care of.  Only allowing 1 ticket to be transferred is a step in the right direction and I hope more artists look at this as a way of getting tickets into the hands of those that are truly passionate about their favourite band/artist. 

    There will always be scalpers but the best seats(at face value) should go to the fans. 
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Wow and yes, both of your comments are helpful in filling in the full picture, seems like it IS a move in the very right direction!
  • PJNBPJNB Posts: 12,622
    Same thing happened in 2016 as it did in that pic though. I also think 10 club scoring a lot more tickets then usual on top of the verified fan process helped real fans get in. 
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    PJNB said:
    Same thing happened in 2016 as it did in that pic though. I also think 10 club scoring a lot more tickets then usual on top of the verified fan process helped real fans get in. 
    Yeah, agreed. I don't think the etickets are a dramatic improvement because they seemed to be doing a great job already. Have been for a while. 
  • pjl44 said:
    PJNB said:
    Same thing happened in 2016 as it did in that pic though. I also think 10 club scoring a lot more tickets then usual on top of the verified fan process helped real fans get in. 
    Yeah, agreed. I don't think the etickets are a dramatic improvement because they seemed to be doing a great job already. Have been for a while. 
    E tickets cuts down on fraud dramatically. Its been proven. 
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    pjl44 said:
    PJNB said:
    Same thing happened in 2016 as it did in that pic though. I also think 10 club scoring a lot more tickets then usual on top of the verified fan process helped real fans get in. 
    Yeah, agreed. I don't think the etickets are a dramatic improvement because they seemed to be doing a great job already. Have been for a while. 
    E tickets cuts down on fraud dramatically. Its been proven. 
    We're talking about scalping
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Yes, the transferability difference is huge between e-tix and hard tix.

    Just because they're 10Club doesn't mean fans aren't going to scalp them, sadly.  So the limited transferability of some and the lack of transferability of others is definitely a deterrent.
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 7,958
    I have no problem with e-tix. Lots of aspects make sense. (Just sell me a commemorate stub, please!) All I'm saying is 10C had a very high baseline when it comes to curbing scalping.
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Makes sense!
  • RG292419RG292419 Chicago Posts: 79
    pjl44 said:
    I have no problem with e-tix. Lots of aspects make sense. (Just sell me a commemorate stub, please!) All I'm saying is 10C had a very high baseline when it comes to curbing scalping.
    A paper stub option would be cool.  
    95 - Soldier Field, 11 - Alpine Valley PJ 20 N2, 13 - Wrigley Field, 16 - Wrigley 1 & 2, 18 - Wrigley 1 & 2
  • Jimmy124Jimmy124 Posts: 52
    I use to be a 10 club member in the 90s but forgot to renew one year and never signed back up. I still saw the band when they came to the area and never had an issue getting tickets during the general sale. For some reason, this time was different. I was completely shut out of both shows. I figured I would have to spend most of my paycheck if I wanted to go to both shows this time. Then a buddy of mine told me to sign back up, then at least I would be all set for future shows, plus fans sell and trade tickets all the time on here, and at face value. It only took me about 2-3 days of trying and I was able to get a ticket to both Fenway shows at face value. I bought from two super awesome long time fans, so I have no worries about getting scammed and the e transfer was more simple than I thought. I cannot say enough good things about the band and the great people on this board. 
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Jimmy124 said:
    I use to be a 10 club member in the 90s but forgot to renew one year and never signed back up. I still saw the band when they came to the area and never had an issue getting tickets during the general sale. For some reason, this time was different. I was completely shut out of both shows. I figured I would have to spend most of my paycheck if I wanted to go to both shows this time. Then a buddy of mine told me to sign back up, then at least I would be all set for future shows, plus fans sell and trade tickets all the time on here, and at face value. It only took me about 2-3 days of trying and I was able to get a ticket to both Fenway shows at face value. I bought from two super awesome long time fans, so I have no worries about getting scammed and the e transfer was more simple than I thought. I cannot say enough good things about the band and the great people on this board. 
    Aaawwww, Jimmy124, go on about how awesome the fans you bought tix from are!

    No, like, seriously... go on!!

    =)=)=) 
  • Jimmy124Jimmy124 Posts: 52
    Lol, you are so awesome, people actually just send you free stuff. That's impressive.
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    edited August 2018
    Jimmy124 said:
    Lol, you are so awesome, people actually just send you free stuff. That's impressive.
    And search every inch of Fenway Park to buy me a PITCHER of gin & tonic & cranberry too!  You're right, those fans you bought from do sound rather fantastic...

    No, in all seriousness, despite the very real threads about GA douchebags and seeing some actual PJ fans also act like jerks in the merch lines, by and large PJ has one of the most incredible, kind, generous, and awesome fanbases ever.  It is an honor and a privilege to be in a community like this.  Thanks everyone!  Jimmy, see you soon!
  • bbisonbbison Posts: 215
    Safeco wasn't scarce. The box office had Field and 100 level tix all day Friday. Stubhub not allowing listings made them seem scarce. 
    Is this where the show list goes?

    11-26-91 / 8-2-92 / 3-15-94 / 7-9-95 / 7-11-95 / 8-29-98 / 9-1-00 / 10-25-03 
    10-23-04 / 10-22-06 / 10-9-09 / 10-23-10 / 10-3-12 / 7-9-13 / 10-21-13
    11-24-13 / 11-26-13 / 10-17-14 / 10-20-14 / 10-25-14 / 4-8-16 / 4-9-16
     4-28-16 / 4-29-16 / 8-20-16 / 8-22-16 / 8-10-18 / 8-18-18 / 8-20-18
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    bbison said:
    Safeco wasn't scarce. The box office had Field and 100 level tix all day Friday. Stubhub not allowing listings made them seem scarce. 
    But all day Friday of a show is totally different from any showing up before then.  For pretty much the entire time (with only little blips of exceptions) between the public onsale sell out and the show week, there was usually NOTHING available except a few sketchy tix on Craigslist.  That's a major major difference from usual times.

    What's released days before a show is always something else, but seems like overall there were nowwhere near as many tix available on the secondary market for Seattle or Boston. Isn't that still true right now of Fenway?  With as many people posting ISO on Given to Fly here, it seems like Fenway is even much harder to come by than Seattle even here among 10Club members.
  • wordowordo Posts: 22
    Seattle on Given to Fly was almost a layup....Boston seems to be far more difficult, but they are dropping on secondary markets (which is great)
  • If it's anything like 2016 tickets will be easy to find for face or below day of...
    "What can you expect when you're on top? You know? It's like Napoleon. When he was the king, you know, people were just constantly trying to conquer him, you know, in the Roman Empire. So, it's history repeating itself all over again."
  • That is because these are the last two shows evah!
    It's a hopeless... situation
    And I'm starting to believe
  • mikerlmikerl Posts: 580
    That is because these are the last two shows evah!
    You’re likely kidding.  But it’s crossed my mind.
    Hartford 1996, Hartford 1998, Mansfield 1 1998, Mansfield 1 2000, Mansfield 2 2000, Albany 2003, MSG 2 2003, Mansfield 3 2003, Boston 2 2004, Albany 2006, Boston 2 2006, Mansfield 2 2008, Boston 2010, Worcester 1 2013, Worcester 2 2013
  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,090
    That is because these are the last two shows evah!
    I mean it's entirely possible.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • ZodZod Posts: 9,941
    I think they were fairly scarce.   First and foremost the band put alot of effort into trying to get the tickets into the hands of people that would use them.  It sounds like a sizable chunk of the venue was allocated to 10c.  The floor, lower bowl, some of upper bowl?   Then for public tickets they tried verified fan which is TM using an algoritm trying to determine if you're the type of person that uses the tickets they buy (decreasing the odds that scalpers buy them).    It left very few for sale for the public onsale.   

    I think it worked as intended.   Most of the tickets ended up with fans instead of scalpers.    I agree that it helped that both stub hub and ticketmaster both disable the ability to resell the tickets.  Those are the two most popular places to do so.  Make it hard for scalpers to get them, and make it hard for scalpers to sell them.  Good recipe :)
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Totally agree, but let's remember that Ticketmaster is usually VERY MUCH part of the problem. I've seen public onsales where within a minute of tix going onsale, TICKETMASTER lists the resale tickets on their own site for a ton more money.  Should be illegal... 

    But yes, the band did a great job on these shows.  Whatever headaches there were (like my ticket disappeared before Seattle 1) were worth it in the long run.
  • sancknersanckner Posts: 20
    JH6056 said:
    Totally agree, but let's remember that Ticketmaster is usually VERY MUCH part of the problem. I've seen public onsales where within a minute of tix going onsale, TICKETMASTER lists the resale tickets on their own site for a ton more money.  Should be illegal... 

    But yes, the band did a great job on these shows.  Whatever headaches there were (like my ticket disappeared before Seattle 1) were worth it in the long run.
    I’m glad that happened to someone else for Seattle 1... I’d saved my tickets to my phone, but they disappeared from the website which scared the crap out of me until it successfully scanned at the gate. 

    I’m still needing a pair for Boston 1, but confident it’ll happen, likely day of. Coming all the way from Alaska. So it just has to work out. 
  • ZodZod Posts: 9,941
    Given that tickets are over $100 a ticket, maybe PJ should officially donate $10 from every ticket to every show so TM/Stubhub feels guilty about reselling their tickets? :)
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    Zod said:
    Given thatDr tickets are over $100 a ticket, maybe PJ should officially donate $10 from every ticket to every show so TM/Stubhub feels guilty about reselling their tickets? :)
    As if TM/SH even have the capacity to feel guilt! They clearly never feel guilty about anything... ;) 
  • CantKeepmedownCantKeepmedown Portland, Maine Posts: 2,894
    If it's anything like 2016 tickets will be easy to find for face or below day of...
    This is true.  I had a buddy who tried all day to sell a ticket for face and couldn't unload it.  Ended up selling it for $80 I think, around 5pm.  Tickets will be out there, you just have to be patient.......and not picky about where you are sitting.  
  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    JH6056 said:
    I'm watching how scarce tix to Fenway are, and how hard a lot of people worked for Safeco tix (although there were like 10,000 more of those so not as hard to find as Fenway) and it makes me wonder, even given Safeco 1 tix disappearing for some and this forum going down the day/night of Wrigley 2, is that scarcity of tix a good sign that PJ and the 10Club's efforts to avoid scalpers were largely successful?

    I know tix still ended up on Stubhub almost right away with the general onsale, and maybe even the 10Club sale (although we all know they didn't know where their tix were at first), but seems like overall that goal may have been reached better than ever before?  I'd love to know what the 10Club's experience was, or if it was similar/different to other tours/shows in terms of their perception of scalper activity.

    Didn't see many scalpers for Safeco, but I know for Radiohead in 2 cities (they also did non-transferable mobile tix, but you could buy 1 with them), I know the scalpers looked very frustrated and didn't have much to offer (I asked out of curiosity).

    What do you think, what was your experience as compared to past years if you got shut out or didn't try for tix until after the 10Club lottery?


    Numerous Fenway tickets on StubHub, until recently, the cheapest were $350 +

    Not sure what their ticketing system accomplishes, other than getting the same fans close to the stage for below market value show after show year after year
  • JH6056JH6056 Posts: 2,427
    edited August 2018
    JH6056 said:
    I'm watching how scarce tix to Fenway are, and how hard a lot of people worked for Safeco tix (although there were like 10,000 more of those so not as hard to find as Fenway) and it makes me wonder, even given Safeco 1 tix disappearing for some and this forum going down the day/night of Wrigley 2, is that scarcity of tix a good sign that PJ and the 10Club's efforts to avoid scalpers were largely successful?

    I know tix still ended up on Stubhub almost right away with the general onsale, and maybe even the 10Club sale (although we all know they didn't know where their tix were at first), but seems like overall that goal may have been reached better than ever before?  I'd love to know what the 10Club's experience was, or if it was similar/different to other tours/shows in terms of their perception of scalper activity.

    Didn't see many scalpers for Safeco, but I know for Radiohead in 2 cities (they also did non-transferable mobile tix, but you could buy 1 with them), I know the scalpers looked very frustrated and didn't have much to offer (I asked out of curiosity).

    What do you think, what was your experience as compared to past years if you got shut out or didn't try for tix until after the 10Club lottery?


    Numerous Fenway tickets on StubHub, until recently, the cheapest were $350 +

    Not sure what their ticketing system accomplishes, other than getting the same fans close to the stage for below market value show after show year after year

    "Numerous" does not mean "Same level as past years".  Even for Fenway 2016 there were FAR more tickets in circulation on the secondary market well before the show, not just in the week before the show.

    No one is saying that no scalpers got their hands on tickets, but there is no question that the numbers of tickets in circulation is way way down.

    Your grumpiness about the same fans being close is heard loud and clear though... ;)  And I can say that as someone who used to have a stellar # but lapsed and is now nowhere near close.  But I'm not really grumpy about it either. =)

    And I LOVE that the 1st 2 rows are lottery!  I hope that continues forever!
    Post edited by JH6056 on
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