Hot Seats

Your favorite performer has announced a one-night show in the Cities, so you wait anxiously for tickets to go on sale, only to find that row ZZ, section 456, is the best you can get. We feel your pain. The truth is, before tickets ever go on sale to the public, a large share is set aside for subscribers, fan club members, season ticket holders, and radio station promotions. The remaining tickets are then distributed to box offices and various ticket brokers. The people who get the best seats are those who know how to work the system by either pouncing on ticket opportunities as soon as they go on sale or by purchasing tickets through channels that give them access to seats unavailable to the general public. Here are a few ways to get in on the good seats.

Newsletters: Find out about concerts and events before the masses by simply registering for free e-newsletters. Sign up at ticketmaster.com, mrchanpresents.com, cities97.com, pollstar.com, livenation.com, or jambase.com and, in addition to receiving the inside scoop on upcoming TC shows, benefit from presale opportunities, discount tickets, and more exclusive deals.

Subscription and membership deals: Numerous local venues offer affordable subscription packages, which are especially worthwhile if you’re a regular theatergoer. Plus, membership dollars usually go toward fueling future performances and events. The Guthrie’s season subscribers purchase eight-, six-, or four-play packages and receive priority order status and seats for several theater events and special presentations (612-225-6238). Membership at the Southern Theater includes discounted opening night tickets, invitations to member-only events, discounts at Seven Corner establishments, and reduced membership at the Walker, Intermedia Arts, and the Loft (612-340-1725 ). By joining the Hennepin Theatre Trust—which runs the Orpheum, State, Pantages, Hennepin Stages, and Music Box theaters—members experience preferred seating at shows, entrance into members-only events, and opportunities to purchase tickets prior to the general public (612-373-5606). Subscription season benefits for the Minnesota Orchestra include advance notice on performances and events, first-choice seating, discounted tickets, and prepaid parking (612-371-5656). Other institutions, such as Walker Art Center, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Children’s Theatre Company, offer equally attractive packages.

Enhancing your show experience: There are several ways to get the most out of your concert or show experience. Myth Nightclub offers the TC’s best VIP lounge, complete with an unobstructed, bird’s-eye view of performers, a private bar, and the plushest surroundings in town (651-815-4002). First Ave.’s Sightline Seating allows concertgoers to reserve a table in the balcony for select shows, assuring the best view of the concert. It’s only $35 for a three-person table, plus the cost of tickets (612-332-1775). The Minnesota Opera’s Young Professionals Group gives great perks to opera lovers in their twenties and thirties. YPG members gain access to social and opera-related events, including postshow cocktail parties, plus a notable discount on tickets to Minnesota Opera performances (612-333-6669). Similarly, the Urbanites program at Ordway Center provides twenty-one- to thirty-five-year-old professionals with networking opportunities, discounted tickets, and an insider look at theater productions (651-224-4222).

Last-Minute Miracles
So, you don’t get any newsletters, aren’t part of a group, and you have no idea when tickets went on sale—but you want to go really, really badly, and the show is only a week or two away. How do you get good tickets without approaching some shady (if not legal) person on the street? We checked out some of the online ticket brokers to see who had hot tickets, who had the deals, and who was trying to make an easy buck.

Ticket King
212 Chicago Ave., Mpls., 651-341-4131

Selection: Good seats to pretty much any concert in town, plus a decent selection of theater events, though tickets for each theater show are limited.
Price: Spendy. Ticket King probably has the tickets you want—but charges accordingly. Orchestra seats for Spamalot at the Ordway sold for $100 over face value ($179.95 for $80 tickets), and seats for the Children’s Theatre’s High School Musical that originally went for $52.50 sold for $89.95.
Legit?: Yes.

StubHub
Selection: Similar to Ticket King—heavy on concerts and light on the arts, though tickets for big sellers such as The Lion King and Spamalot were plentiful. Stubhub had floor seats to this summer’s Michael Bublé concert long after Ticketmaster had sold out.
Price: Those Michael Bublé floor seats sold for $275, compared to $99.50 face value. Most tickets for Spamalot were selling for double face value.
Legit?: It’s a reputable third-party dealer, so you shouldn’t have any problems.

craigslist
Selection: craigslist allows anyone and everyone to sell tickets, much like a classified ad, so the selection is completely random. Large events tend to spawn multiple listings, but there were even a few impossible-to-find Amy Winehouse tickets at the State October 1.
Price: Price is set by the seller, so while some people are trying to make money, it’s also the best place to find tickets offered at face value or less, especially a day or two before the show. Plus, the price is always negotiable.
Legit?: Usually, but a little sketchy since you never know who the seller is. The best option is to contact the seller and make the exchange in person in a public place. Whatever you do, don’t send money without seeing the tickets.

eBay
Selection: Though dominated by tickets for sporting events (attention Wild and Vikings fans), there were some hard-to-find concert tix for sale, including Amy Winehouse tickets and first-row floor seats to Rush. A handful of tickets for Spamalot and David Sedaris were being sold at or close to face value.
Price: Since eBay is an auction site, ticket price usually depends on the show’s popularity—sometimes you’ll get a deal, sometimes you won’t.
Legit?: Yes, but as with any eBay purchase, it’s best to go with a seller who has a high satisfaction rating.