The 5 shows in NYC for the Arcade Fire sold out in 5 minutes. That’s old news. The new story is that the tickets are non-transferable (the staff is checking IDs and credit cards at the door). Without transferable tickets, the market dynamics have become interesting.
Typically scalpers exchange tickets for cash, but now that the scalpers have to actually attend the show with their buyers, a barter economy has emerged. Brooklyn hipsters are making indecent proposals. Here’s some excerpts from Craigslist:
-
Dignity doesn’t mean what it used to…
If you have 2-4 tickets for the Arcade Fire, I will pay you as much money as i can (this is obviously negotiable)and perhaps sacrifice my dignity. Most likely this means a really nice dinner at a really nice resturant.
-
And my personal favorite… Chirophobia - a fear of hands:
I am a skinny, fit guy with a job and nice shirts, mostly from Salvation Armys and Goodwills. I like to drink green tea and listen to the Arcade Fire. Boy do I have a deal for someone out there with an extra Arcade Fire ticket!
I will let you take me out to dinner, go to the show with you, and then, yes, I’ll go home with you and we can spoon all night. No heavy petting! Light petting is possible, depending on your hands.
No amount of regulation and artificial mechanisms can suppress supply and demand.
ha ha that’s awesome.
The MTL shows sold in something like 4 min. as well.
I haven’t seen any indecent proposals yet, but i’m not sure they’re going to be checking IDs, so good ol’scalping it’ll probably be. There was a limit of 2 tickets per buyer, though.
I couldn’t get any, but 2 colleagues (who I clued in to the both the band and the shows) did, and both told me I’m they’re official Plan B. Just great.
D
how much were the tickets? in dublin, between the band, the promoters (the famed pennypinchers MCD) and ticketmaster, the bastards wanted €45 to go to their fuckin show. moneygrabbin fuckers can ram their exorbitant concert up their hairy holes for that price as far as im concerned. needless to say, it sold out in 5 mins, with a computer error ensuring that anyone who got through could buy as many tickets as they want.