I don't post alot, but this I gotta say...
Regardless of everything, I firmly believe this was the most organized ticket-sales I've seen EVER! Anyone remember the Munich shows, where the pre-sale just sorta happened with no warning? I just stumbled upon it and got my tickets... but no warning, no registration... nothing.
This time, they did a pre-sale, where they announced that it would take place and how to register. Thousands upon thousands of fans got tickets after over 1.5 mill people registered. Heck, they even added another 40 shows!
The fans who registered on the day and on the next - seems like pretty much everyone got codes! The ones who registered days later, didn't. But if everyone got codes - what would the idea behind a presale be if not to take a load off the server?
Come general sale day... Millions of people scrambled for tickets from around the world. 650.000 tickets sold within a few hours...
I realize there were technical errors... Me and a few friends bought tickets for each other, and while for me and one friend it was nerve-wrecking, but painless. For 2 other friends they got kicked off time and time again. Got tickets, but lost them because the server crashed... Lost tickets again because their credit card wasn't accepted the first time around, codes not working... all of that.
But... keep in mind... THOUSANDS of people were going crazy! There is but a TENTH if even that on this site, and Gary is fighting his behind off to keep this site up with the amount of traffic right now...
Time the traffic by 10... maybe 50 times and then think of the strain on the server, on the credit-card terminals etc. How the heck can it NOT cause issues?
Back before the internet, we had to cue up for days, be on the phone for hours in the hopes of getting tickets. This gave equal access for all... For those wanting to cue up. For those wanting to call, and for those sitting behind their screens.
When I bought tickets for the HIStory tour 13 years ago, I stood in 5 inches of snow. My feet frozen, my hands numb from the cold, pressing the metal buttons on a pay phone, praying and hoping because I couldn't go line up in my country capital... This time I bought tickets in another country from my couch!
I understand the disappointment, absolutely. But ticketmaster cannot completely stop scalpers - they can't! They can't stop people trying to make money off of fans, and they cannot stop the hunger for Michael.
So yeah... rant over!
Wow, you're lucky to have been able to see HIStory... I wish I was old enough back then to see it. That's by far my favorite tour.
During the week of waiting since the press conference, I was so sick. My nerves were shot and I hadn't eaten or slept. I just kept worrying that I had never seen Michael before, never been through any of his ticket sales before, but everyone kept saying it'd be impossible, since they would sell out almost immediately. I stayed up so many nights checking my e-mails for presale codes... I even dreamt of being in queue in London for these tickets... I had always promised myself for 13 years that if he performed again, I would be going NO MATTER WHAT...
My husband and I stayed up all night waiting for the presale to begin. It was supposed to begin at 3AM our time, but I got an IM from a friend around 2:35AM screaming that she had gotten 3 tickets to 3 seperate concerts already... I paniced because TicketMaster had a glitch that enabled people to buy tickets early... So everything I was anticipating about the crashing of the site, the high demand was probably coming true... I kept refreshing and refreshing and finally, about 7 minutes before 3AM, I noticed they glitched again and enabled us to buy tickets again!! I was screaming at my husband to hurry...
I bought 3 tickets. One for my husband, best friend and I. I also included after-party tickets for us. My husband was at his computer surprising me with the Thriller Hospitality Package. I'm so blessed because he understood how much it meant to me to be as close as possible and he did that for me... He enabled me to see two Michael Jackson concerts... 2!!! 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never been even able to see 1!!! Now, I can say I have seen Michael during my first concert and my last concert!!!
After we got everything booked, you know, our tickets, flights and hotel, I tried to load Ticketmaster UK again. Just to see if it was still up because I needed just 1 more ticket for my best friend so she could go the second night, too. The site was down... I knew I had been one of the lucky ones that was able to get tickets... I guess everything I had worried about came true for so many other people...
I was at least able to rest easier after that night, knowing I had secured my tickets, but now, I was worrying about treating my friend to another one... So, I slept better, but not well during the next 2 nights, waiting for the general sale. So, again, I was up at 3AM my time ready to get her last ticket. This time, there was no early glitch. And when it hit 3AM, EVERYONE got on and I experienced the full Michael Jackson effect. As worried as I was about her ticket, it felt good to witness Michael's success. I was so happy for him because he never anticipated this reaction. After about an hour and a half of refreshing, crashing, lagging, queueing, I finally got her a ticket. THANK GOD!!!
But see, I'm not one of those fans who is going to complain. I'm genuinely happy for Michael and with Michael. He didn't have to do this for us... He wanted to. He was only going to do 10 shows, but he wanted to do 50 to give more of us this historical chance to see him... He didn't have to do anything musically anymore, but he wants to for US. So many people are taking his kindness and turning it in to something that isn't good enough for them. Why can't we just be satisfied that we are part of history?? We were one of few (I know there is a lot, but compared to just how many Michael fans there are, we are a drop in the bucket) to actually get tickets to see Michael during his last bit!! Must we have to feel like we have a right to tell MICHAEL JACKSON how to run his show?? NOOOOOOOO! As a fan, you never do that. True fans are happy with whatever they get.
I just wish people would shut up and stop whining that things aren't good enough, that they expect this and that of Michael. Whatever he does, he's doing it how he wants to and we all have to respect that. He's done everything in his career anyway! Why expect anything more than everything he's already done???!
And I also wish people would stop saying suits are VIP and true fans aren't. I am a TRUE MICHAEL FAN and went in to debt getting VIP. I don't care what anyone thinks of that, but don't call the front VIP people suits. I know a lot of fans who couldn't "afford" VIP, but got it.
Let's appreciate Michael... Let's enjoy him... Let's be happy for getting what we've so passionately wished for.
I'm simply of the mind that it should be appreciated that Michael is performing 50 shows for a million of his fans. That's huge. He didn't have to do this at all. But he is. And seeing Michael live is more then just about hearing him sing live, it's about being in his his presence while he's on a stage, the energy and charisma he emites, his dancing, how he emotes. It's ALL part of the Michael Jackson experience, it's all part of what makes him the greatest entertainer in history. Not just live vocals. Of course everyone wants him to sing live, but it'll still be the best show you've ever seen even if he doesn't because of all those other factors I talked about. He's more then just a great singer or a great dancer. Michael is a force.
That's what I keep saying. People need to just be happy with what we get. We're lucky he is even performing at all after what's happened to him. Seems as loving as his fans are, a chunk of them are ungrateful, selfish, disrespectful people. :no: