Issue Date: July 29, 2001
Last-ditch tickets
When pop priestess Madonna announced plans for her first major tour in eight years, I just knew I had to be there. Only hitch? Tickets to summer's Drowned World Tour sold out faster than you can say "Material Girl." That's when Web-savvy fans got a taste of just how far we'd go to score seats: Tickets were being auctioned for hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on eBay and other ticket sites.
Because local laws against scalping often don't apply to the Internet, you can find plenty of tickets for sold-out shows at sites such as TicketTrader.com and AllSoldOut.com. The format: Individuals and ticket brokers peddle overpriced, tough-to-find seats in either an auction or a fixed-price sale.
Before you lay down last month's rent for an evening's entertainment, check several sites. Prices vary wildly on eBay and the dozens of fixed-price ticket exchanges out there.
Also keep these safety tips in mind, especially when buying from an individual: Get all the information about the seller you can, including name, street address and phone number. And consider using an escrow service, such as Tradenable.com, which will withhold payment until you receive your tickets.
For info and tickets, try these sites:
Pollstar.com The source for breaking concert news and the scoop on next season's shows.
OpenSeats.com Brokers offer tickets at often-inflated prices.
Mojam.com Information on both big acts (like the Backstreet Boys) and small-venue stars (like soul crooner Me'Shell Ndegeocello).
Ticketmaster.com Tickets straight from the source. Sign up for Ticket Alert to get news of upcoming shows in your inbox.
By Contributing Editor Rula Razek, editor of the Internet Cool Guide books
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