Second Elton John show sells out in 90 minutes
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-07-29/article-2683674/Second-Elton-John-show-sells-out-in-90-minutes-/1
Stephen Brun/Journal Pioneer Those waiting to purchase Elton John tickets Friday at Credit Union Place weren't banking solely on their place in the box office lineup. Nicole Leblanc of Moncton, N.B., employed two cell phones while waiting to move to the front of the line, while...
SUMMERSIDE - Not many were "still standing" in line at Credit Union Place by the time Elton John's second Summerside performance sold out yesterday morning.
The show sold out 91 minutes after tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, and only 11 people were left disappointed in the box office lineup.
While several began camping out at the arena Wednesday to secure their spot in line, some like Amanda MacLeod arrived about 10 minutes before tickets went on sale Friday.
"I have no hopes, I'm just going to see how it turns out," said the Cape Breton native, who was the 145th person in the lineup.
"I tried the online thing (for the Cape Breton show last week) and I lost my faith in technology."
Many others were disappointed one week ago when the 5,400 tickets for the Sept. 14 show sold out in less than two hours.
Credit Union Place staff worked throughout the week to improve the city's Internet servers after numerous complaints about the online box office.
Event development officer JP Desrosiers said the ticketing website saw a peak of 23,000 hits yesterday.
"Our system is designed more for 8,000 to 10,000 (visitors), so anything beyond that and people were getting page errors," Desrosiers said. "So I understand people's frustrations with the 'page can not be displayed' messages, but if you appreciate the sheer volume of people trying to get tickets, we're quite pleased with how it went."
The 11 people left in the box office lineup who didn't secure tickets were put on a list, along with some 400 others from last week, in the event additional tickets become available.
Desrosiers said those extra seats can come from areas called "technical kills," which are marked off for the concert promoter's audio and video equipment.
While the mood at the box office last week was mostly festive, it seemed people on Friday were more aware of the purchasing difficulties.
Gail Feehan of Charlottetown was number 148 in the lineup last week. This time, she arrived at the venue Wednesday evening and was number 17.
"People were more tense this time. I think they knew last week that the tickets sold out around the 100 mark, so they were quite anxious as to where they were in the line," Feehan said, clutching her eight tickets. "I can not believe it. When I see (the tickets) it makes me cry."
Desrosiers suspected that some may have encountered the same online or telephone problems Friday as they did last week, but he said the purchasing system seemed to work slightly better on all fronts.
"It's pretty amazing that in Summerside, P.E.I., we're doing Elton John twice," he said. "We have the facility that can manage it and we hope to do more events similar in size to this one."
As for MacLeod, who was wary about her 145th placement in the lineup at 10 a.m., she did manage to walk away with her tickets.
"Thank God," she said. "Now I just have to drive back to Cape Breton."
sbrun@journalpioneer.com
The show sold out 91 minutes after tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, and only 11 people were left disappointed in the box office lineup.
While several began camping out at the arena Wednesday to secure their spot in line, some like Amanda MacLeod arrived about 10 minutes before tickets went on sale Friday.
"I have no hopes, I'm just going to see how it turns out," said the Cape Breton native, who was the 145th person in the lineup.
"I tried the online thing (for the Cape Breton show last week) and I lost my faith in technology."
Many others were disappointed one week ago when the 5,400 tickets for the Sept. 14 show sold out in less than two hours.
Credit Union Place staff worked throughout the week to improve the city's Internet servers after numerous complaints about the online box office.
Event development officer JP Desrosiers said the ticketing website saw a peak of 23,000 hits yesterday.
"Our system is designed more for 8,000 to 10,000 (visitors), so anything beyond that and people were getting page errors," Desrosiers said. "So I understand people's frustrations with the 'page can not be displayed' messages, but if you appreciate the sheer volume of people trying to get tickets, we're quite pleased with how it went."
The 11 people left in the box office lineup who didn't secure tickets were put on a list, along with some 400 others from last week, in the event additional tickets become available.
Desrosiers said those extra seats can come from areas called "technical kills," which are marked off for the concert promoter's audio and video equipment.
While the mood at the box office last week was mostly festive, it seemed people on Friday were more aware of the purchasing difficulties.
Gail Feehan of Charlottetown was number 148 in the lineup last week. This time, she arrived at the venue Wednesday evening and was number 17.
"People were more tense this time. I think they knew last week that the tickets sold out around the 100 mark, so they were quite anxious as to where they were in the line," Feehan said, clutching her eight tickets. "I can not believe it. When I see (the tickets) it makes me cry."
Desrosiers suspected that some may have encountered the same online or telephone problems Friday as they did last week, but he said the purchasing system seemed to work slightly better on all fronts.
"It's pretty amazing that in Summerside, P.E.I., we're doing Elton John twice," he said. "We have the facility that can manage it and we hope to do more events similar in size to this one."
As for MacLeod, who was wary about her 145th placement in the lineup at 10 a.m., she did manage to walk away with her tickets.
"Thank God," she said. "Now I just have to drive back to Cape Breton."
sbrun@journalpioneer.com
2nd Elton John show sells out
Posted: Jul 29, 2011 2:53 PM AT
Last Updated: Jul 29, 2011 2:53 PM AT
Elton John's second Summerside, P.E.I., show sold out in about 90 minutes. Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
There were familiar complaints from ticket buyers who tried to buy online, similar to those who tried to purchase tickets for the Sept. 14 show.
The previous Friday, the system was overwhelmed by more than 20,000 people vying for 5,400 seats at once.
Officials from Credit Union Place expected issues again.
Many people didn't take any chances with the internet. They were already lined up last night. At least two sisters in the line-up had been camped out since Wednesday. About 140 of those in line did get tickets.
Some buyers said the website appeared so overwhelmed it would boot them off in the middle of their purchase.
Event manager J.P. Desrosiers said software experts worked all week to try to ensure the credit cards of unsuccessful buyers wouldn't be charged, but he could not make a personal guarantee. A third-party company manages the ticket system.
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