Editorial: Second Dating

When Wilco and Neil Young announced their joint tour, there was no way I wasn’t getting tickets. We settled for seats in the 300 level at Madison Square Garden because that’s the best we could pull 35 seconds after they went on sale. Had we known about the second show, we could have rolled the dice for better (and granted more expensive) seats.

I know this will never change and promoters and venues will do whatever it takes to sell as many tickets for as many nights as possible. I just wish there was some way to give the loyal fans a heads up. “Hey dude – don’t bust your ass trying for Thursday tickets, there’s going to be a show on Friday, too.” That’s about as realistic as reduced service charges from the world’s worst monopoly.

On their own, Wilco further complicates their ticket situation by usually announcing their shows a few at a time rather than all at once. That makes it tough if you live somewhere like New York City. You see that Red Bank, NJ or Philly show pop up and you instinctively want to buy tickets because at the time, it’s the closest show. Then two days later they announce something in Manhattan and you’re of course buying tickets for that one too. Now you’re Craigslisting your Philly tickets and eating the shipping charge.

I guess sort of like dating, you want as much information up front as possible. Here’s to hoping the music industry starts opening up a little bit more. – Luke Sacks