Grateful Dead

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Nothing wrong with sticking to your guns. If this doesn't work out, something will. It's still 3 1/2 months till they trot on stage and open with Caution Jam>Jack Straw.

"I can afford to pay 1000-1200 for a floor ticket, but I absolutely refuse to do so. I saw the dead in 89-90-91 and got a full dose of what the real deal is. There is no reason to pay these prices other than to support the scalpers and empty our wallets and bank accounts. Keep the prices real folks!!!!" don't pay the crazy prices. advocate advocate advocate for a national simulcast at outdoor showings from sea to shining sea.

My wife is almost at the point of buying me a scalped ticket just to get me to STFU about this whole thing. I got all wound up again today, going in I had no idea what he had or what his story was either. My best case was to tell him that the money would not ease his pain of not going. Had to do the whole conversation via text. I tried to call him but he said he could take not take a call at that time. Maybe his other bidders were there. No decision tonight. Hopefully he makes the right decision, either goes or sells me his ticket. Back on the Klimbo bus for now...

Hey now ASL - check your PM please.

Yesterday I wrote a post about a three-pack of club seats I grossly under-bid on eBay. I bid $275 per ticket on an asking price of $2,250 per ticket. These are the nice club seats of Bears season ticket holders with PSL's. Not to my surprise, I received their pinkie saying no go. Actually, here's what they said - warning, you better be sitting down when you read this.... "I don't have the money to pay for my season tickets unless I sell these tickets. I'm at risk of losing my seats that we're relying on for retirement. Please have the compassion to pay my asking price and help secure our retirement. Thank YOU." ARE YOU F***ING KIDDING ME !!!!!!!!!

This is way, way cool featuring some incredibly gifted and talented deadheads. Have a little fun and fill out your bracket - my winner? I picked "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" performed by The Lower Companions. Some great ones to pick through - who's yours? http://www.dead.net/bracket/?eml=dn/031915/left-image#

This is worth a read (you'll have to scroll down on his site to find it); it's all of witty, sharp-tongued and true. The particular article on scalping is relevant to the ongoing comments posted here. His articles run together on his site so scroll down and look for the one that starts: In two days that sent shockwaves through the spine of what’s now become the biggest event of the year,... www.gratefuldean.com It's too long to cut and paste here.

So, I understandably, see a lot of comments about the Bears season ticket holders. Please don't blame the Bears, or the majority of their fans, of which I am one. I really don't care for sports all that much, but my dad used to take me to games when the Bears were playing at Wrigley Field back in the day when Gale Sayers was running back.The Bears games were the one day I could spend hanging out with my dad and I suppose that is why I still love them, even though, right now, they suck. Blame the fans who get a shot at every concert or event at Soldier Field. It is their right to purchase tickets. It is your right (almost duty I would say) to NOT buy tickets at scalper prices. These people will eventually have to eat or sell their tickets at or below face. We are talking about a concert that is OVER three months away for god sake. What's the rush? Deadheads will eventually get tickets, not dickheads. Be patient. 99% of tickets haven't even been issued/printed yet. The lot will be fun, the weather should be perfect, Chicago is an awesome city in the summer, the music should be great, the vibes will be positive, and scalpers will HAVE to sell their tickets at cost or below if we ALL just be patient. As a life long Dead fan all I can say is if you really want to go, you will get tickets. I remember driving all the way out to Oxford Plains, Maine in the summer of '88 without tickets to either show.....those were two of the best Dead shows I ever saw, maybe because the band talked a lot, played great songs, and I had some delicious lobster in the lot, or maybe because I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years after being in the lot for five minutes, and he handed me his extras, but never the less, just ignore the scalpers, you have plenty of time.

One hell of a post, Frontrow Joe - kudos brother !!

I love the optimism posted here but I can't share it in good conscience. I live in the area and know a lot (A LOT) of people who are completely shut out like many on this board; mail order, CID, TM. Many of them know Bears season ticket holders and still can't get tickets. Many of the PSL holders are, believe it or not, fans to one degree or another and planning to go. Or they have family members, close friends, etc. who want to go. Far fewer bought them purely for the purpose of scalping at outrageous markups. It just seems to be clear that there's a crazy unfulfilled demand for tickets that will keep prices high (supply and demand is a time-proven dynamic). The demand is coming from a really broad demographic (new to long-time fans) and a broad geography (everywhere) and 3 shows of capacity for a show now billed as a last chance to celebrate the music that is at the core of so many of us has cemented the significance of the event. So while prices may drift down a bit as we get closer to July, the notion that tickets will sell at face-value or below is unrealistic and ignores the realities of supply and demand. IMHO. Peace.

For me, coming from CA, there is a rush to get a ticket. I need to book a plane and feel very nervous doing so without a ticket. So the sooner the better for me to get a ticket so I move forward with planning my trip. Stuck in my own sort of limbo until then. Not paying scalper prices, but trying like hell to secure an entrance into the venue. If I wait until June to book a flight the price may be way higher or the times I want may be gone. So the sense of urgency is very real...

Just because you want tickets (and we all do), doesn't mean you will get them. We are in completely uncharted territory this time around. It has never been like this for dead show, so to say we will all get tickets is just an untrue statement. I agree patience is a virtue, but too much patience will get you a ticket to your own couch for reruns of Seinfeld July 4 weekend.

Bears fan using dead tickets to fund their retirement or pay for future PSL rights... ...is TOTAL BS!!!!!!

Check your PM dude - thanks.

Thanks for the grateful dean link. The wait and see manifesto is ballsy: and I agree somewhat on the premise that one has to stick to their guns, but each person has to decide what bed to sleep in. On the economics of supply and demand: the way I look at it: if the tour bus kept chugging the out of pocket expenses would be in the 1000s to keep on seeing shows (unless I was an enterprising burrito bastard) so if 20 years later I scrape a couple 1000 I can count myself on the lucky side of the equation. I guess that's my rationale.and I will have to live with it.

I'm not sure if you mean me but, I am a taper, just got back from Port Chester Monday night show, I have recording in DSD format, only 3 other tapers there, good set list, but vocals are buried a little,but still an ok tape. I went for taper tix for FTW but got my pinkie after being in limbo till 3-9, so if anyone has taper tix and can't attend I will make the best recording I can make, for you!

http://www.dead.net/bracket/?eml=dn/031915/left-image# Tfronts. awesome! i just watched the 10 year old play Scarlet. the kid is awesome.

To the fellow who posted about a hotel in Wrigleyville/Lincoln Park areas: that should work fine and Wrigleyville is a nice little neighborhood. Lots of bars, little restaurants, etc.... And it is next to the EL, so getting downtown will be a snap. I hate to make this recommendation because it is a place dear to my heart and I like to keep it a bit under the radar, but if you like Middle Eastern food Sayat Nova just off the Magnificent Mile on Ohio is great food at a nice price (especially lunch). They also have a hookah bar for late nights-- never done it, but it exists. The Bears PSL thing-- that guy can think he is going to fund his retirement with this, but he isn't getting it. Anyone can ask what they want for tickets, but whether they get it is another story. As a Packers fan, I am in the unique situation of having scored tickets via the Bears PSL presale, so I can't badmouth Bears fans for a little while. I got lucky by having a friend who works for a company that had the Club Level PSL. I am in all three nights, but have another friend who wants to go and he will get my Friday ticket if we have no lot success. I like Frontrow Joe's optimism, but I think DevilsFriend is right-- this is a unique supply/demand set of shows. Scoring a ticket to these shows is not like scoring tickets in the lot in the late 80s and early 90s. The paucity of shows means that the demand and price is going to remain elevated until showtime. I believe today's asking prices will not be achieved, but they will continue to sell above face.

Still awaiting return info from a few peeps: DevilsFriend, sam3b, Totem, hawk62 & DeadGeek - please check your PM's. For those in the dark (pun intended) I'm compiling a simple list of brothers & sisters here who've shown an interest in a Grant Park get-together of sorts (date/time is TBD) while in Chicago. If interested, drop me a PM with the following info please: First name Screen name on dead.net City/State email addy Cell # I'll create a distribution email list and send out the spreadsheet (and subsequent iterations I'm sure) once the first version is compiled and finished. I may even add a column or two like "has tix," "needs tix," "hotel," who knows... Thanks !

Look, Klang, and the rest of you, I totally understand how you feel, especially with the hype this show is getting. Can't wait a month or two? Go ahead, buy those tickets for two, three, five, twenty times their face value, but that is only going to drive the rest of the scalpers to increase their prices. I understand you are coming from far away. I also understand looking for lot tickets is a challenge most of us don't want to face, but I say, think positive. Klang, you already said you have a room out by the airport, so go ahead, book a flight. If you've never been to Chicago, trust me, you'll have a great time even if you are just hanging out in the lot, of which there are many. Three shows, with the amount of tickets on Scalper sites, at the prices they are at, and not selling.....you will get tickets. I honestly think at this stage of the game, buying over priced tickets shouldn't be an option.

Keeping the faith when you already have tickets. Oh man I love you guys but stop with "itll be okay, keep a positive attitude" when you're a person who has tickets and is already in the running with extras or multiple nights. Keep the faith, I am, but I too am getting a little tired and stressed of all the people on here who have gotten their butts in a seat telling all those that got shut out to remain positive and telling me I'll get in. Easy for you to say!! :) Now does anyone have an extra for cash or trade so I can be one of those helping others keep the faith! Cheers! :0) And unfortunately I will buy a ticket from a scalper if I have to hit the panic button. If no one ends up hooking me up with an extra I'll have no other choice. Where any other Dead show my principles would win out, sadly this one goes beyond principles and I will have to choke on ticket from a scalper! And I've got a friend with cheap hotel reservations and i have an apartment rented, and friends who live right next to the shows so if that's some kind of incentive let me know!!

Thanks, estimated-eyes. It turns out the Lincoln Park hotel was a website glitch. It was listed as $147/night, which would have been a steal for that location. The dilemma I'm having is that downtown hotels would allow for no car travel and maximum fun time within the show orbit, but they are minimum $400+/night with taxes at this point. If I invest $1,200+ in hotel I'm afraid I will become weak and buy scalped tickets because I'm so invested. Damn first world problems, lol. If anyone else has recommendations, let me know. Right now, I'm thinking about Skokie/Evanston, but not too excited about car travel or long train rides. Klang, are you hooked up at O'Hare area when you get a ticket? (See what I did there?) Maybe I should look at the airport. Are you planning on driving or using the L? Sorry, I know this is a tedious topic but any thoughts are appreciated. I'm excited cuz I'm on the meetup list so I gotta find a place to crash. Onward, ho.

Chicago's train system is pretty solid. One can get out to some far locales and still get a Metra train ride of an hour or less. Even from O'Hare the train ride is about an hour. A lot of O'Hare area hotels offer shuttle service to/from O'Hare, too. You would have to check on each hotel's details on that, though, to see when they run. Though one could certainly get a cab once dropped off at O'Hare after the show. Here is some information on trains from O'Hare: http://www.transitchicago.com/airports/

OK, I'll expand my horizons and look on the perimeter as well. Appreciate it.

The scalp tix are selling very slowly, but they are selling. The way I see it is that tickets will not drop more than 50% from where they are now. So that's still $500 for GA Field. If they dropped to $500 overnight right now, every ticket would sell. I think the hope is that people will lose interest and that more tickets will flood the market in June. I'm certain more tickets will hit the market in June. But it won't be a flood. So many people got shut out of mail order that the mail order extras will be going to friends. TM scalper tix are already for sale. We will see more once the tix are in hand from people who have extras, but most TM scalp tix are already listed. A scalper isn't going to wait to list their tickets given that the best prices are right after the GA sale. So I don't think there is going to be a supply bump that drives prices anywhere near face. As for losing interest, I'm not seeing it. There is a huge body of people waiting for things to settle down. It's the 4th of July. It's the last shows. Too many people, who hung their hat up 20 years ago, want closure, to be with friends, or want that trip down memory lane.

hate to admit it, but I really agree with you. I certainly do not believe interest will wane...au contraire...I believe it will settle in for many of the peripheral and/or more casual fans, that this is the LAST CHANCE, which would work to prop up these ticket prices.

There are Blue Line stops at O'Hare and Rosemont that will drop you off at State & Lake, which is right in the middle of stuff. There are several hotels by the airport proper and out in Rosemont. I would not recommend accommodations out by Midway.

Not sure about the airplane ticket yet, but I am thinking about it. @Bears fans: for the record I don't hate all Bears fans, just pointing fingers at the ones who are trying to take advantage and screw us. Right or wrong, I know a lot of us are bitter than PSL owners got tickets and we didn't, so we are already jealous of them. Then they pull this shit. They are not making friends with us.

Shouldn't need take a cab from ohare to hotel as long as the EL is still running after the show. If not, my trip back to hotel could get expensive.

I suspect that the human wave will carry folks from Soldier Field all the way out to the Blue Line. You won't be alone. Just make sure that you buy and update your fare cards well in advance. It's a new system since I last took the EL into the city.

FTW = ... How come there are all these festivals (in addition to Chicago)but NOTHING on the west coast. What did we do to deserve being passed over? Lockn, Dear Jerry and this Peach festival, but nothing out west. If any of the band members or their people are listening, why can't we have a festival out here???? Remember, you guys are from here!!!! Come on , man!

Thanks, Kristine. I've scratched Midway off the list even though I'm flying in there. Looking at O'Hare, but it might be a tight shuffle if I get a ticket to Friday's show. Midway>O'Hare>Soldier>Fun

That might help, if I make it there...

So, how do you think the TM 3-day passes are going to be issued? There is disagreement in our household. Will they be three separate tickets or a single 3-day pass that will have to be used all three nights? Spouse says say's 3 separate tickets, I say single pass. Why would they sell us something that can be so easily divided and resold? I think they are going to make it tough to share. What say you?

I have 3 hotels booked with 2 rooms each, each with 2 double beds. I booked them based on either car or plane travel. Most likely the 3rd one just to be closer even though the most expensive. Nice drive along the water to and from the city. Maybe take #2 if fly to O'Hare, and #3 if drive from Toronto. If we can get tickets it looks like will only be using 1 room of the 6. I don't know how to go about transferring these to anyone but would like to help out some heads here if you need a room. The first is dirt cheap by O'Hare Airport. Second is south of Chicago. PM if interested and we can exchange emails. Distance and time is to Soldier Field. 1 Red Roof RRI02 – Airport – 27 miles – 38 minutes $47 22 East Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL, United States 2 Red Roof RRI078 – South – 23.7 miles – 26 minutes $77 2450 East 173rd Street | Lansing | IL | 60438 3 Day8 Hotel – North – 11.2 miles – 21 minutes - $184 7300 North Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626, U.S.

Hey now, KristineD - I'd siding with your spouse. Wrist bands and a "three day pass" just doesn't seem logical to me. TM allows you to transfer tickets also (I believe that's true). I'm thinking three tickets, one for each show date.

I might be persuaded to share Friday with a friend that got shut out.

"Tickets on the secondary market are prone to the same volatility that plagues options contracts. For tickets that aren't seeing large demand, the upside is limited. According to Will Flaherty, SeatGeek's director of growth and communications, prices fall about 40 percent on average leading up to the date of an event. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, like the Super Bowl, or the popular Coachella concert." Here's the full article: http://www.cnbc.com/id/102504158 So the AVERAGE event has an after-market price drop of 40% leading up to the date of the event. FTW is not your average event...And that's not 40% off of face value; it's 40% off of the after-market peak pricing. I'm sharing this because before I got lucky I was planning to be unlucky. I had already decided to forego my principles for the sake of getting a seat to an event I could not stomach missing. Those of you wrestling with that dilemma should know the facts.

I think the purpose of the 3 day pass (assuming you got the MO) would be to get you three separate tickets since you get the commemorative art on them...makes sense to me; and honestly, there will be a lot of really p-o'd people who bought tickets from someone who got MO and is funding their trip with either their extras or a single day, only to find that they have to sell the whole kit-n-caboodle in one shot - so in the case of EBay, $7.5k or nuttin'

We were shut out of mail-order (first time, ever I think). We did score Ticketmaster 3-day no-view nosebleeds (I mean waaaay up there!), but we're grateful to be inside.

I think they will be issuing separate tickets for each night, too. I might be issuing my Friday night ticket to a good friend in need as well, Kristine-- but we are going to try the lot first.

I just tried to bid on a set of 2, GA 3 day passes on Ebay and either someone has set their bid fairly high and it automatically outbids me. I wonder if this is an actual buyer who set a high price - say $1000 and is legitimately outbidding me or if it is something else. Also, less of a conspiracy theory than the last comment, but wouldn't this open the whole process to driving up prices artificially if someone were to open say a false account and keep probing to find out what someone's maximum was? Understand that they may outbid that person, but if the increase is only $10 at a time, then the leader would obviously try to beat that...I would totally buy the tix for the price they are at - but that won't last - Klanger, wanna team up and go for these ;) Would our $2000 combined be too much for 3 floor tix each? (I am getting close to caving to the 'man') http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fare-Thee-Well-Grateful-Dead-2-3-Day-Passes-VIP…?

Said friend would be over the moon for a miracle. It would be lovely to be able to surprise him.

You can just bid a high number as a max and ebay will bid a small amount over the current bid and automatically rebid for you up to that maximum.

I haven't used this Ebay thing for a long time - just no real need since the last stuff I bought were text books that I just bought outright...they were at least fairly priced. Again though, is this not prone to more nefarious usage of the system to force up the current high bid's payment? I mean I just forced some poor sap up another $100 without flinching Feeling bad about considering scalpers, but to offer them something that is (to me at least) reasonable - I would totally go $1000 for floor for all 3 nights, that is a 3x markup so ok, they got lucky, I didn't but they are sharing (sort of)...so not as evil as their minimum bid of $7,500

I would stay away from any VIP/CID tickets that you did not personally purchase from CID when they went on sale. CID does not have to honor any requests for transfer of tickets from one person to another. From what I heard, if and when they do allow a transfer,which is at their discretion, they require the transferee to have a copy of the original purchasers drivers license, both sides of the credit card that was originally used to purchase the tickets, and a hand written letter from the original purchaser stating why they are making the transfer. I believe CID dislikes scalpers, eBay sellers, StubHub game players, hoodlums, ne'er-do-wells and people who pull cat's tails. A big buyer beware...ok rant and lesson over. g

Please check your PM...thanks

I thought GA floor was MO? Or are those only the pit...yeah they were only the pit weren't they? Damn...never mind then! Thanks for the heads up! Yeah just checking back again - totally were CID (especially with hotel included - so I was actually bidding BELOW face...damn, I am a jerk)

...that's what makes me hesitate to tell my friend that we'll give him Friday. If there is a chance that even the ticketmaster-noview-nosebleed-3-days are a single pass, I can't take the chance of letting the creds leave my grubby little paws.

That's a very gracious post. I may be interested so I will PM you later after I've had a chance to check out those locations. OK, back to work....