Never in my wildest dreams did I actually think this was a real thing that could be won. I thought it had to be a scam because it seemed too good to be true. Like really, to get $100-$200 seats for practically free, how in the world? Thankfully, I was wrong.
I was talking with some friends one day and they said there was this Hamilton app that gives away free tickets. I knew my boyfriend was really into Hamilton so I figured I would give it a go and maybe be able to push it off as a birthday present or something. Good or bad girlfriend moment? I checked online and they said that it really is all random chance. Starting mid-May, I entered every day for any showtime whether I thought I could attend or not in order to increase my chances of being selected.
Every morning, I would see a notification on my phone saying, “better luck next time” and that I didn’t win. I got so used to it, the Hamilton notifications didn’t even phase me anymore. I highly recommend making it part of your daily routine to enter every single day and have the app notifications on so you never miss a beat.
Just the other day, at the beginning of September, I had totally missed checking my phone most of the day. It wasn’t until I was sitting down in band rehearsal that I happened to scroll through my notifications and see something that seemed a little out of the ordinary. I figured it couldn’t be, so I opened the app and sure enough this is what I saw:
I saw this message at 4:25pm and didn’t have much time to make a decision. My friends immediately talked me into it and I mean, how could I say no to this. My best advice to you: drop everything and go have this once in a lifetime opportunity if you win!
Once I decided to purchase the tickets (each one $10 aka $20 for a pair), I was super stoked and couldn’t wait to get this show on the road, or more like on the road to the show! Less than 24 hours later I was on my way to Chicago to see Hamilton! The only catch so far was that we had to get there 2 hours before curtain to pick up the tickets, aka 5:30, aka missing a couple classes – oops!
We got to the box office a few minutes in advance. I casually walked in and said, “I won the Hamilton lottery,” and he asked for my name and gave me my tickets. Easy as pie, I couldn’t believe it. But, make sure you have your ID with you and your confirmation email receipt so they can verify you won.
Even though it was stressful getting there early, it was nice because it had given us time to find parking in the city and get some dinner. Even though the tickets were cheap, budget $50 for Chicago parking plus some dinner money.
We came back for the show and walking into this place was unreal – it was gorgeous and super classy. Pro tip: DRESS UP; I’m glad I did! This is a broadway musical so dress the part. Also, the tickets we got were no joke. They tell you they may be partial view and possibly not be together as a disclaimer. Our seats, however, were on the right side on the floor, next to each other and had a full view of the stage. These were awesome and looking around, I felt so lucky to be alive right now.
I’ll admit, I was not a super fan of the show like most people are going in, but I sure was when I left! It was quite the production. The presence on stage was phenomenal, costumes were outstanding and the revolving stage added so much to the visual effect – oh and the king is absolutely hysterical!
I left this show loving it and I swear my jaw was dropped for at least the first two songs. The pit sounded so clean and together that I was sure it was a recording, but at the end of the show I walked up and saw that they were actually all tuckered underneath the stage. They had a super cool set up under there, but all you could see from a distance was the tip of the directors head peeking out every once in a while.
Bottom line, this was an amazing experience and I want everyone to have this. You WILL be satisfied! My advice is to enter the lottery everyday even when you can’t make it because that is the only way to increase your chances of winning. I didn’t expect to win on a Wednesday night, but then again, I also didn’t expect to ever win at all. Once you do win, make the time for it and make it work. Even if you never win, just splurge and go see it – you won’t regret it and you don’t want to throw away your shot!