Hannah Montana : Tickets for Miley Cyrus' performance Sept. 27 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods sold out within a few hours??
Tickets for Miley Cyrus' performance Sept. 27 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods sold out within a few hours of going on sale last Wednesday, but fans who came up empty last week aren't necessarily shut out of the concert.
Despite a multi-step ticketing process designed to screen out scalpers, a handful of tickets to the show have ended up on eBay for prices that are exorbitant by any standard: One four-pack of tickets was offered for $10,000, while another set of four orchestra seats is currently listed for $8,000.
But those seats aren't guaranteed, says a Foxwoods official.
Tickets for Miley Cyrus' performance Sept. 27 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods sold out within a few hours of going on sale last Wednesday, but fans who came up empty last week aren't necessarily shut out of the concert.
Despite a multi-step ticketing process designed to screen out scalpers, a handful of tickets to the show have ended up on eBay for prices that are exorbitant by any standard: One four-pack of tickets was offered for $10,000, while another set of four orchestra seats is currently listed for $8,000.
But those seats aren't guaranteed, says a Foxwoods official.
Because purchasers must pick up their tickets in person on the day of the show, Foxwoods has time to investigate secondary-market sales listings. If the casino can determine what seats a scalper is offering, Foxwoods will cancel the scalper's ticket order and put the seats back on sale to the general public at face value: $300, $250 or $150. The casino has already voided more than a dozen orders, said Bruce Flax, director of ticketing at Foxwoods.
"We can't get them all, but this process has put most of the tickets in the hands of the fans," Flax said. "There's people who are coming back and saying, 'Oh, they're on eBay,' or whatever websites there are, but it's greatly reduced."
After scalpers snapped up an inordinate amount of tickets for Cyrus' tour last fall, sparking investigations in Missouri and Arkansas, Foxwoods and Cyrus' management were keen to avoid similar problems. Foxwoods' computerized ticketing system has a built-in feature, also used by the Sundance Film Festival, allowing the casino to require would-be purchasers to register online for a one-time use passcode they received in an e-mail assigning them a specific time to log on to buy tickets.
Some users praised the system in comments here.
"I think a pre-registration process is a very fair way for everyone to have a chance to see the concert," Patricia wrote when the ticketing procedure was announced.
A commenter named Michelle scored tickets just minutes before the show sold out.
"My daughter is thrilled and she was told this is her one and only birthday present this year," she wrote.
Flax said the system worked so well the casino would use it again for other high-demand concerts.
"It was a little convoluted for people, but the intent was to stop the scalpers from getting tickets," he said.
If you do buy tickets on eBay from a scalper, and you make it to the day of the show without the casino cancelling the scalper's order, you're probably home free, Flax said, due to the difficulty of determining on the spot whether the tickets were scalped or purchased as a gift.
"They're going to end up getting in," he said. "If I bought a ticket for my wife and two children and I used my credit card the day of to pick them, I want to give them to my wife and kids. We didn't want to get so stringent that people couldn't enjoy themselves."
If you're planning on bidding on eBay, check first to make sure the seller will refund your money if the tickets are voided.
Hannah Montana : Tickets for Miley Cyrus' performance Sept. 27 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods sold out within a few hours??
"We can't get them all, but this process has put most of the tickets in the hands of the fans," Flax said. "There's people who are coming back and saying, 'Oh, they're on eBay,' or whatever websites there are, but it's greatly reduced."
After scalpers snapped up an inordinate amount of tickets for Cyrus' tour last fall, sparking investigations in Missouri and Arkansas, Foxwoods and Cyrus' management were keen to avoid similar problems. Foxwoods' computerized ticketing system has a built-in feature, also used by the Sundance Film Festival, allowing the casino to require would-be purchasers to register online for a one-time use passcode they received in an e-mail assigning them a specific time to log on to buy tickets.
Some users praised the system in comments here.
"I think a pre-registration process is a very fair way for everyone to have a chance to see the concert," Patricia wrote when the ticketing procedure was announced.
A commenter named Michelle scored tickets just minutes before the show sold out.
"My daughter is thrilled and she was told this is her one and only birthday present this year," she wrote.
Flax said the system worked so well the casino would use it again for other high-demand concerts.
"It was a little convoluted for people, but the intent was to stop the scalpers from getting tickets," he said.
If you do buy tickets on eBay from a scalper, and you make it to the day of the show without the casino cancelling the scalper's order, you're probably home free, Flax said, due to the difficulty of determining on the spot whether the tickets were scalped or purchased as a gift.
"They're going to end up getting in," he said. "If I bought a ticket for my wife and two children and I used my credit card the day of to pick them, I want to give them to my wife and kids. We didn't want to get so stringent that people couldn't enjoy themselves."
If you're planning on bidding on eBay, check first to make sure the seller will refund your money if the tickets are voided.
Hannah Montana : Tickets for Miley Cyrus' performance Sept. 27 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods sold out within a few hours??
What can you expect? Its Hannah Montana, I bet you the tickets were all expensive as heck too.