Yesterday was Carlen Kovacs' first time visiting Moncton. She was among the small crowd gathered bright and early at the Moncton Coliseum to purchase tickets to this summer's Magnetic Hill Music Festival, starring U2.
The next time Kovacs drops by, she'll be among 100,000 music fans at the July 30 U2 concert, which will also feature indie stars Arcade Fire and up-and-comers Carney.
Organizers said yesterday that ticket sales were "fantastic" and a check online last night indicated that many of the reserved grandstand seats were sold out.
It was fairly quiet at the Coliseum yesterday morning, with only about 30 people lined up as the ticket windows opened at 10 a.m. It's expected that online ticket sales via Ticketmaster.ca pulled in the bulk of sales, and fans could also purchase tickets at Needs convenience stores in the area.
Kovacs, a Toronto native now living in Parrsboro, N.S., braved a three-hour drive on slippery roads yesterday morning to be among the first to purchase tickets.
"Big time. One-hundred per cent big time," was her response when asked if she was excited for the summer concert at Magnetic Hill.
But Kovacs admits she's also "petrified." If you can believe it, the Toronto gal has never been to a concert, let alone an outdoor show with a potential crowd of 100,000.
"I don't do big events," she said, but she'll make an exception for U2.
Kovacs says U2's music, along with lead singer Bono's social and political interests, have made her a big fan.
"And he's drop-dead gorgeous!" a fan next to Kovacs, who wished not to be named, exclaimed.
Wendy Vecchio, a British Columbia native currently living in Sussex, is also eager to see Bono and the boys up front and in person.
"I'm excited about it," she said. "I haven't been to any of the big shows."
Cecil Hannah of Oxford, N.S., was the first to arrive at the Moncton Coliseum around 6 a.m. yesterday, and he was hoping to get red zone tickets right next to the stage, but they were sold out, likely during last week's sale exclusively to members of U2.com
Instead, Hannah picked up grandstand tickets.
"I got 'em!" he exclaimed as he walked away from the ticket window.
Hannah says he had someone at home trying to purchase tickets online too, so there was no way he'd miss out.
A representative with Donald K. Donald Events would only say yesterday that ticket sales were "fantastic," but wouldn't give specifics on how many tickets were sold.
Neither DKD nor fellow promoter Live Nation would comment on whether any particular sections of the Magnetic Hill Concert Site were sold out.
A search on Ticketmaster last night showed that tickets for the show's red zone areas, directly beside the stage, are sold out.
The $99.50 and $29.50 reserved grandstand tickets appeared to be sold out, however, there were still some $199.50 reserved grandstand tickets available in addition to general admission tickets, which are $65.
Shane Porter, the City of Moncton's director of festivals and special events, says from what the city is hearing, ticket sales are "very strong" and he urges people to not wait until the last minute to purchase tickets as they may wind up empty-handed. Ticket sales are capped at 100,000 for the concert.
Meanwhile, some fans yesterday were questioning the fees tacked on to ticket prices.
A $65 general admission ticket quickly added up to about $85 when you added a $5 facility charge and $14.50 convenience fee. Plus, there was a $4 order processing fee added to every order.
In addition, there appeared to be some hiccups for at least some fans trying to order tickets online through Ticketmaster.ca yesterday morning and there were reports the site wasn't accessible for some time. Some fans said they had to try repeatedly to be able to order tickets.
Promoters would not explain the breakdown of fees attached to the tickets or say where the money was going.
Event promoter DKD did not respond to questions regarding the ticket fees or problems ordering tickets online.
Requests sent to the City of Moncton were referred to the event promoter Live Nation, which released a statement saying ticket sales were "fantastic," but refusing to comment on anything else.
* General admission and reserved grandstand tickets for the July 30 Magnetic Hill Music Festival are available online at ticketmaster.ca, via the Moncton Coliseum Box Office or charge by phone at 1-888-720-5600.
source : http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/
The next time Kovacs drops by, she'll be among 100,000 music fans at the July 30 U2 concert, which will also feature indie stars Arcade Fire and up-and-comers Carney.
Organizers said yesterday that ticket sales were "fantastic" and a check online last night indicated that many of the reserved grandstand seats were sold out.
It was fairly quiet at the Coliseum yesterday morning, with only about 30 people lined up as the ticket windows opened at 10 a.m. It's expected that online ticket sales via Ticketmaster.ca pulled in the bulk of sales, and fans could also purchase tickets at Needs convenience stores in the area.
Kovacs, a Toronto native now living in Parrsboro, N.S., braved a three-hour drive on slippery roads yesterday morning to be among the first to purchase tickets.
"Big time. One-hundred per cent big time," was her response when asked if she was excited for the summer concert at Magnetic Hill.
But Kovacs admits she's also "petrified." If you can believe it, the Toronto gal has never been to a concert, let alone an outdoor show with a potential crowd of 100,000.
"I don't do big events," she said, but she'll make an exception for U2.
Kovacs says U2's music, along with lead singer Bono's social and political interests, have made her a big fan.
"And he's drop-dead gorgeous!" a fan next to Kovacs, who wished not to be named, exclaimed.
Wendy Vecchio, a British Columbia native currently living in Sussex, is also eager to see Bono and the boys up front and in person.
"I'm excited about it," she said. "I haven't been to any of the big shows."
Cecil Hannah of Oxford, N.S., was the first to arrive at the Moncton Coliseum around 6 a.m. yesterday, and he was hoping to get red zone tickets right next to the stage, but they were sold out, likely during last week's sale exclusively to members of U2.com
Instead, Hannah picked up grandstand tickets.
"I got 'em!" he exclaimed as he walked away from the ticket window.
Hannah says he had someone at home trying to purchase tickets online too, so there was no way he'd miss out.
A representative with Donald K. Donald Events would only say yesterday that ticket sales were "fantastic," but wouldn't give specifics on how many tickets were sold.
Neither DKD nor fellow promoter Live Nation would comment on whether any particular sections of the Magnetic Hill Concert Site were sold out.
A search on Ticketmaster last night showed that tickets for the show's red zone areas, directly beside the stage, are sold out.
The $99.50 and $29.50 reserved grandstand tickets appeared to be sold out, however, there were still some $199.50 reserved grandstand tickets available in addition to general admission tickets, which are $65.
Shane Porter, the City of Moncton's director of festivals and special events, says from what the city is hearing, ticket sales are "very strong" and he urges people to not wait until the last minute to purchase tickets as they may wind up empty-handed. Ticket sales are capped at 100,000 for the concert.
Meanwhile, some fans yesterday were questioning the fees tacked on to ticket prices.
A $65 general admission ticket quickly added up to about $85 when you added a $5 facility charge and $14.50 convenience fee. Plus, there was a $4 order processing fee added to every order.
In addition, there appeared to be some hiccups for at least some fans trying to order tickets online through Ticketmaster.ca yesterday morning and there were reports the site wasn't accessible for some time. Some fans said they had to try repeatedly to be able to order tickets.
Promoters would not explain the breakdown of fees attached to the tickets or say where the money was going.
Event promoter DKD did not respond to questions regarding the ticket fees or problems ordering tickets online.
Requests sent to the City of Moncton were referred to the event promoter Live Nation, which released a statement saying ticket sales were "fantastic," but refusing to comment on anything else.
* General admission and reserved grandstand tickets for the July 30 Magnetic Hill Music Festival are available online at ticketmaster.ca, via the Moncton Coliseum Box Office or charge by phone at 1-888-720-5600.
source : http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/
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