It seems that every person who wants to see their favorite artist live must prepare for the battle that is the Ticketmaster queue. As you get in line and see that 2,000-plus people are in front of you, you see your dream slip away. Unfortunately, Ticketmaster seems to not be improving, despite the lawsuits from Taylor Swift’s fans, according to Rolling Stone. So, if you can’t beat the system, you will have to survive it. I would say that I have a fair amount of experience buying concert tickets and fortunately, I don’t gatekeep. Here are a few tips that could help secure your favorite artists’ tickets next time they come to town.
Sign up for the artist’s mailing list before the ticket sale.
If the artist you plan to see is having a fan pre-sale or that pre-sale requires a code, sign up for the mailing list. You can sign up on their official website, and this allows you to see any updates and codes that could be helpful to get tickets. Last month, I saw Sabrina Carpenter live in St. Petersburg after being unable to get tickets for the first leg of her tour. I was able to get tickets in pre-sale because I was on her mailing list and got sent a code.
Sign up for every pre-sale that you can.
If you are tasked with getting the tickets for the friend group, have everyone in the friend group also sign up for the presale because this increases your chances of getting a code. If your artist is using Ticketmaster, although it is randomly selected, have you and your friends sign up for Verified Fan Pre-Sale because if you don’t get chosen, your friend may. You could also sign up for pre-sale under different emails to increase your chances, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Log into your account and save your card information beforehand.
I recommend downloading the app if there is one. Right before entering the queue, make sure you are logged into your account on the ticketing site. This way, under your account, you can save your card information and select which card you want to use to buy the tickets beforehand. This makes for an easier, faster, and less stressful buying experience, especially if your checkout is timed.
Have every friend get in the queue.
The day that Taylor Swift’s concert tickets went on sale was one of the most anxious days of my life, but I didn’t do it alone. My two friends and I waited in the ticket queue for hours, and whoever was further ahead got the tickets. This is also good to do in case your sale is unable to process, and your friend is there behind you waiting to get the tickets you missed. Make sure that you do this on separate computers because if you use different tabs on the same computer, the ticketing system will kick you off the server.
Look at the seating map beforehand and plan where you want to sit.
Always have a first, second, and third choice when it comes to where you want to sit. If the seating map is available to look at beforehand, write down what section you would want to sit in. There are multiple ways to find tickets once you are in the process of selecting. One way is clicking on the section and finding empty seats, then clicking on them. I heard from some people this is a slower way of selecting them, but this is my chosen method since I run into trouble the other way.
Have your price range planned and use the filters to sort the available tickets.
Pricing is one of the biggest issues with trying to buy concert tickets. I am usually not as flexible with how much I’m willing to pay so I only look at the top sections. If you are flexible with pricing, use the price range filter that is available when you are selecting tickets because this narrows down the tickets that are shown to you. I know many people’s chosen method in selecting tickets, once they are next in the queue, is to choose their price range right away and then click show best seats. This allows you to see the available tickets that are in your price range and are considered to have a good view of the stage. Beware, whenever I try this method, I go to add the seats to my cart, it tells me that someone already chose those seats. That’s why I’m recommending the next tip.
Practice with the ticketing system beforehand.
I know this may seem extra, but the faster you are in selecting your seats and adding them to your cart, the better your chances are to get them. I recommend practicing using the filters if you haven’t before and also choosing seats by section. You can do this with concerts that are currently selling tickets. Bonus if it is at the same venue so you can understand the venue seating layout.
Well, these are a few tips and tricks that I have picked up from my and others’ experiences as a fan. Lastly, if you run into a problem during your ticket-buying process, check stan Twitter, they will most likely have the answer first.