I bought fake tickets to the Elton John concert
It's the final Elton John tour. At least, that's what he says. I tend to be a little skeptical about these things. Cynic, yeah, that's me.
But, what if it really is his last round-up? Wouldn't you want to be there, if it was possible? Of course you would.
His final two local shows were this weekend, in Rosemont. I tried to get tickets the traditional way. I was at Bob Seger's goodbye tour, final local concert, in Rosemont, last December. I stopped at the box office that night to check on tickets for Elton.
The only ones left were either to the side of the stage or cost more money than I wanted to spend. With more than two months left until the show date, I decided to pass. I figured I'd deal with this as we got closer to the concert. I assumed I could find a deal. You know what happens when you assume.
About a month ago, I started to search for tickets again. Every few days, I'd go to VividSeats or Stubhub to see what was available. Lots of overpriced tickets. People who either couldn't attend or had extra tickets and were trying to make a profit off of Elton. I'm not blaming them; I'd probably do the same thing. I wasn't biting.
Sorry Elton...thanks for the years of great tune, but I'm not spending $400-1,000 to say so long. You'll have to go down that yellow brick road without me.
That brings us to last Wednesday. I decided to check out Craigslist. Again there were a lot of overpriced tickets, however one ad caught my eye. Five tickets for $89/each. The seats were located up high in the arena but in a location where you could see the stage. Hmmm....that could work. I sent an email saying I was interested. Could I buy two of the five tickets?
The next morning I received a return email. Two tickets were mine. We just needed to figure out a way for me to get them. We exchanged cell numbers. There were a few texts. That was followed by a couple of calls. We decided to meet at a Starbucks, in Old Town. Thursday at 2:30 pm. I'll be the dude in the red hoodie.
I get there about an hour early. I figured I could get a drink, plus work on a scene for a new play. I'm doing both when my ticket supplier enters. She spots me immediately. It's the red hoodie.
We make some small talk. She asks what I'm writing? I tell her about the play. She's more impressed than she should be. She then hands me the tickets. I check them out. They're on the aisle. Great...more leg room. I hand her the cash. One hundred seventy bucks. The entire transaction takes less than five minutes. She leaves. I gather up my stuff and head out. YEAH....We're going to say goodbye to Elton!
NOT SO FAST!!!!!!!!!
Here's where the story takes off. Here's where it gets interesting....very interesting!!
It's Friday night. Showtime is at 8. We arrive at 6:30. We beat the horrible traffic that always occurs at Allstate Arena events. We get in line, pass through security, time to scan the tickets. BUZZ!!!!!!
The ticket taker looks at me sadly and says, "You have fake tickets. Did you get them from Craigslist?"
In the back of my head, I knew this a possibility. I know someone who bought fake Cubs-Dodgers 2016 playoff tickets from Craigslist. Those cost more than a thousand dollars and she ended up watching the historic pennant winning game from a bar in Wrigleyville. Yikes!
Our options were a lot better.
I did try the fake tickets again at another entrance. Another BUZZ!!!!! It was off to the box office.
Remember those tickets that were at the side of the stage? The ones I passed on two months earlier? They were still for sale. Same price, too! DONE!! So instead of spending $59/ticket, it was $144/ticket. It's only money, right? UGH! But, even though we had a restricted view of the stage, we could still see Elton's piano. That's where all the action would be, right? Lesson learned, bring on the show, end of story?
Uh uh!! Nope! No way! There's more!
We're sitting in our seats, way up high. It's about ten minutes until showtime. An usher comes up to us and asks if it's just the two of us. When we say yes, she hands us two floor seats and says enjoy the concert. She has no idea we I bought fake tickets. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I've heard of this happening, but never to me. The lights on the arena are turned down. Elton and the band is onstage. The music is starting. We make it downstairs, find an usher to help us find the section and we're seated before the end of "Benny and the Jets." I never liked that song, anyway.
We were able to say goodbye to Norma Jean from the middle of the 29th row. Yep, she was more than just Marilyn Monroe.
So all's well that ends well, I guess. Great concert. Great seats. Great night. I won't even complain about the ridiculous traffic jam leaving the parking lot, which Rosemont and the Arena has had decades to address and fix, but hasn't. What's up with that?
I was also told that I could go to my local police station and file a report about the fake tickets. Hmmm....I still have the seller's cell phone number. I wonder if it's from a fake burner phone, too? I'll probably let it go.
There is a lesson to be learned from this. Be careful when buying anything from Craiglist. Use it for what it's meant for....cheap, somewhat confidential hook-ups...at least that's what I've been told. But, Fleetwood Mac is coming to the United Center next week. Tickets are pricey. You think there are any deals anywhere?
Related Post: Elton John at Rosemont-The tour that never ends
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