I Was Wrong Wednesday: The Missing Concert Ticket Edition

You know, no one likes being wrong.

And yet ... even I don't know if that's completely true.  I'm sure there's someone out there that likes being wrong.  Maybe even just part of the time.

But I'm not one of those people.  And, while it pains me to admit (in this particular instance) that I'm wrong, I'm still going forward in doing so of my own volition.

So ... here's my tale.  Which concludes in the admission I was indeed and in fact wrong ...

On March 14th, 2023 I purchased tickets through Ticketmaster for a Sunday, May 21st Oakland, California concert featuring the band Love And Rockets.

Now, understand this is a band I've wanted to see since I first discovered them back in the 80s.  They've continually escaped my seeing them live over the many years with one small exception; their alter ego Tones On Tail - which featured 2/3 of the members of Love And Rockets - played in a small club in Hollywood years and years ago.  That show I did get to in the flesh ... and, while the band performed nary a tune from the L&R catalog, I was at least a bit satisfied I caught a derivation of a band I felt connected to.

So ... tickets acquired, I hurried up and waited to see a show still a couple months hence.

And then?  It was time.  That very morning I got on my computer and searched for the electronic tickets that would afford me entry into the show.  But it was to little avail as I couldn't find them to save my life.  

The account I had with Ticketmaster (where my electronic tickets were housed) wasn't cooperating and didn't let me access the tickets in question.  Tickets for another upcoming show - Tears For Fears - were handy and accessible but my Love And Rockets tickets were nowhere to be found.

Now, I had the foresight to print out a copy of my receipt for my purchase.  And that included the order number, the date, the amount paid for, the venue the seats ... just about everything that I needed.  But the receipt stated it could not be used to gain entry into the show.  So I went on a hunt to see how I could go about getting my tickets for the show later that evening.

The response I got back via e-mail was that someone from Ticketmaster would contact me within 24 to 48 hours with a response, zero help in that the show was a scant 10 hours away.  I did everything I took could to try to get in contact with Ticketmaster some other way but to zero avail.

Now?  I had a decision to make.  Do I drive 2 1/2 hours to Oakland and try to get into the show with the receipt I had in hand containing the very seat numbers printed in plain view as proof of my purchase, even though there's a statement on the receipt saying I couldn't use the receipt to gain entry into the show?  Did I commit to a 7 hour round trip to and from Oakland which might yield nothing for my efforts?  Or do I just admit defeat and see what I could do about getting reimbursed for the tickets?

I decided not to waste my time in going to Oakland. And I immediately began the process of trying to get a refund for the extenuating circumstances.

One of the first things I did was access my account that shows upcoming and past events on the Ticketmaster app.  Nowhere did it show there was anything to do with Love And Rockets.  That in itself was curious.  Additionally, I had the foresight to purchase insurance on the tickets should anything come up.  So I had that peace of mind going for me.  (Or so I thought.)

Little did I know months of reimbursement attempts would get me nowhere.

Round and round and round I went with Ticketmaster complaining I had no access to my electronic tickets.  The fact there was nothing on the Ticketmaster app saying I even had Love And Rockets tickets I felt was proof enough there were extenuating circumstances to the situation, proof I couldn't access my tickets.  But Ticketmaster wasn't budging.  They stated it wasn't their fault that I couldn't access my tickets.  I tried reasoning with them, I asked how I was supposed to access tickets that weren't there.  Weeks of attempts from different viewpoints led to one single conclusion: It was apparent I would need to hit up the insurance I'd purchased for the tickets to get reimbursement.

But even that wasn't a solution to the situation.  According to the details and fine print of the insurance, my particular situation wasn't one that culminated in reimbursement.

So almost three months after purchasing the tickets, I finally got access to speaking with an actual person at Ticketmaster as opposed to a chat session or e-mail.  The lady I spoke with was very attentive and understanding, acknowledging exactly where I was coming from with my explanation.  She took copious notes and told me it would be three to five days for a response to get back to me, which I was satisfied with.  I mean ... this is the furthest I'd gotten with Ticketmaster since the whole situation started.

But ... when I got the response, I was told my tickets were accessible and there would be no refund.

So back on the phone I got and spoke with another woman at Ticketmaster.  And this, in three months of attempts, was the first time I got some conclusive and definitive reasoning why I couldn't access my tickets. 

The woman had noted she could see my tickets in my past events.  So I asked her why I could not?  She asked me to verify my e-mail address and, when I did, she stated that wasn't the e-mail address used to access my Ticketmaster account where my Love And Rocket tickets were housed. The only other e-mail address I had I gave to her and she said that was the one where I could actually see my tickets.

So come to find out, months later, I had been working with an incorrect e-mail to access my Ticketmaster app.  At some point in the distant past I had to have purchased some tickets through my secondary e-mail and completely forgot I had done so. For whatever reason it was that e-mail I purchased the Love And Rockets show, thus my ultimate demise in not being able to access the tickets.

So, the insurance didn't help me get a refund, my many, many explanations through all forms of communication with Ticketmaster didn't help me get a refund. 

It was my own faulty blunder, plain and simple.

No refund, no satisfaction ... just the glaring realization I had to admit that, on this particular Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023, I was wrong.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

To Date, I Still Haven't Seen Love And Rockets Live ...

 

Well, I can't say I'm exactly happy at this particular moment.

As I begin to compose this, it's 12:50 p.m. Sunday, May 21st 2023.

Instead of not being happy right now I should be jumping in the shower in preparation of leaving for Oakland California's Fox Theater to catch a concert this evening by a band I've never before seen live: Love And Rockets.

But there are some challenges.  I'll break it down for you ...

First, I purchased tickets from Ticketmaster back in the early part of March for this show. Decent seats, not cheap, not too expensive, because I jumped at grabbing them the morning they went on sale.  I got an e-mail confirmation saying "You Got The Tickets!" for L&R along with an order number and all the particulars on the show.  I also accessed my Ticketmaster account and verified the show was on upcoming concert schedule.  Things were looking good and proper.

A few days later tickets went on sale for Tears For Fears. Ended up getting tickets for that concert as well and, again, received confirmation I had tickets for same. An e-mail confirmation of that show was on my account.

A couple concerts within a few months of each other. Places to go, performers to see.  And I was especially pumped for the L&R show as I've never seen the band live previously.

And then somebody came along and slapped me upside the head and back into reality.  I tried accessing my tickets this morning online so I could print them out or at least have them available on my phone; they didn't show up in my account.  So I started doing some digging.

I have my verifications.  They say I've got tickets for the show.  I've got an order number.  I've got a date, a time, a location, even my seat numbers.  I've got confirmation of payment.  I've got a transaction number, got a payment ID number, a number for this, a number for that, a verification over here, a confirmation over there.  I got the whole shebang.  But I still can't access my tickets and the receipt I have showing the majority of this information states:

"This is not a ticket. This cannot be used for entry."

 

No QR code to access, no barcode to scan.  Nada, nil, zilch.  So what to do?

Well, after 45 minutes of fruitless research and another 10 minutes or so speaking with Ticketmaster who couldn't locate my information I discovered it wasn't Ticketmaster after all I was talking to.  It was some third party ticket service. 

Another venture online with Ticketmaster (verifying it was indeed Ticketmaster I was actually volleying with this time) resulted in a query asking about my account to try and resolve the issue.  As noted previously, the problem was the Love And Rockets show wasn't on my account.  So I had to shimmy around Ticketmaster's system of e-mail queries to explaining what was going on.  The response I got back was that it would be 24 to 48 hours (possibly less) before I got a response. Well, that really isn't going to cut the mustard when the concert starts in 8 hours.

So what to do?  Well I had the foresight to purchase insurance on the tickets.  But, reading over the rules and regulations of the insurance, my situation isn't exactly covered.  Speaking to a live person, however, gave me hope that that doesn't mean I can't file a claim in light of the circumstances.

 

 

So ... the question is do I take my chances drive 2 1/2 hours to Oakland and show up the at the theater with all my verifications in tow hoping I can get in?  Because with all the rigamarole I've gone through thus far it doesn't look like I'd have much luck on that front.  Throw in a 5+ hour round trip, parking and incidentals and that's gonna aggravate me exponentially if I can't step foot in the theater. Or do I just throw up my hands admit to myself I'm not attending the concert this evening and save myself the grief? 

Also, do I risk not going to the show and finally getting some kind of response from Ticketmaster to which they very well could reply "Well, you really didn't make an effort to try to get into the show, did you?"  And my answer would have to be to agree with that sentiment.  But that doesn't discount the information I have backing me up my decision.

When it comes right down to it? I'm going to take my chances, save myself the wear and tear and probably engage in a little contest about getting my money back.

Stay tuned ...   
 

T-Shirt Collection: Lyle Lovett

It's well worn and relegated to the "yard work wear" collection of shirts but this faded, thread-bare black Tee brings fond memories of attending Lovett's Park City, Utah concert in the summer of 2001 on the ski slopes of Deer Valley Resort under the stars.

And if you haven't ever seen the man in concert, it's well worth your time to do so. Everyone I've recommended his concerts to has become a fan.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

Peg And Pete And Me

Something interesting happened at McCabe's Guitar Shop last Friday night.

It was the introduction of Stan Ridgway's new effort "Neon Mirage", run straight through from track #1 to track #12, the same sequence as the album.

100 of my 'closest friends' and I crowded into the small, intimate room that serves as McCabe's performance studio, a terrific little venue perfect for a cramped, personal performance like this.

I counted myself fortunate to sit vulnerably in the front row, a mere 8' from the band. Slightly amazed no one was sitting in the front rows, I positioned myself at an aisle seat and waited for someone to come shoe me away, stating my seat was reserved for some producer, family member or VIP. But, as the minutes went by, that call never came and the staff at McCabe's busily went about their pre-show preparations, never giving me a second look.

When Stan came out - backed by a 3-piece band which included wife and keyboardist Pietra Wexstun, percussionist extraordinaire Joe Berardi (rumor had it Stewart Copeland might appear, but that was the grandest of rumors as it turned out) and a serial-killerish looking guitarist who's name escaped me - he greeted the crowd with a few words of appreciation and admitted he was a little nervous to be on stage. Imagine! This veteran performer, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of shows beneath his belt, nervous and seemingly a bit twitchy at getting the show underway! I had a feeling the night would be more than just a simple telling of the new album.

"This is my period of dignity," Stan revealed to us. Another turn in his storied career. Four songs in, however, he would ceremoniously throw that proclamation out the window by flinging a couple expletives out in the midst of a tale and emphasize such by grabbing his crotch. You gotta love Stan.


I would like to say the performance of the entire album went off without a hitch ... but where would the fun be in that? Midway through the night, at "Like A Wandering Star", the band had to begin the song a second time. The timing didn't mesh during the intial performance. You could tell the band was out of sorts playing it. But they jumped back on the track once they got the thing going again.

Stan paused between songs to introduce Jackie "Teak" Lazar, his ever-present show-biz woodburner, manager, professed "Big Wheel" and foil. It was coming ... we all knew it. Jackie, after all, has been with Stan for years, asshat that the puny punk is.

A few more songs in, "Behind The Mask" began off key and out of sync. Whatever they did to try and correct their flubs at the start just moved them further into chaos. An entire 30 seconds into the song Stan cut the cord, stopped the music, bantered about the unprofessionalism in doing a new album and began again ... this time louder, with more punch and in perfect time. Warts and all, this is what an intimate performance is all about - seeing the true character of a performer come into play and watching how his reaction is handled, seeing how one accommodates a boner. Stan didn't disappoint. The apology he gave and banter resulting from the flub was nothing less than an added bonus to the song, making it more memorable.

With the conclusion of the final song "Day Up In The Sun", Stan thanked the audience for the privilege of having us attend, then launched into an old favorite, "Lonely Town". Some doofus chick behind me annoyingly kept calling out for "Lost Weekend", probably wishing to relive some alcohol-fueled end-of-week jaunt of her past. I heard her 'hurmph' and reposition herself in her chair as "Lonely Town" began.



Stan and band next performed "Mission In Life" and I sat there mesmerized, watching him tell the song's tale without blinking.

An encore saw fan favorites "Call Of The West" and "Ring Of Fire" (complete with acoustical distortion) sonically thrust upon a giddy crowd.

All in all, an absolutely outstanding show, warts and all. Those warts (few that there were) are what made the evening however ...

................... Ruprecht ( STOP )