Natalia Chi
Ashley Manson said she’s not a big fan of public events and big crowds, but she couldn’t resist the allure of Beyoncé’s concert at Soldier Field this summer.
Half a day after the singer became the all-time Grammy winner with 32 awards, Manson could get tickets to Beyoncé’s highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour at Soldier Field for two days in July. I was one of the lucky fans to have.
Ticket sales for Beyoncé’s first tour in six years were hotly debated on social media, with seats sold out in Chicago, the UK, Sweden and other venues.
To get tickets into the hands of fans rather than middlemen, ticket seekers had to pre-register for the lottery system on verified fan websites, a process that ended last week.
“I signed up last weekend and didn’t give it a second thought,” said Manson of Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood. “I’m like, maybe I get it. Maybe I don’t.”
Over the weekend, those who registered waited to be notified that they had been selected. For Manson, that moment came at 2:30 pm on Monday when he received a text saying he could buy tickets to the singer’s concert on July 22nd.
Bearing in mind the Ticketmaster debacle involving Taylor Swift last November, when fans were unable to purchase tickets on the website, and online complaints from ticket-seekers about problems logging in on their smartphones, Manson picked up his laptop and said what he had purchased. Her tickets to the concert were the most expensive she had ever purchased.
“I jumped on my computer, picked a seat, and called it a day,” said Manson, 31, who works on community engagement and government affairs for the Obama Foundation. “It was a bit of a shock.
Last week, Ticketmaster Registration process for ordering tickets with warning In cities where tours are scheduled, “fan demand has already exceeded the number of tickets available, based on registrations, by more than 800%.”
If access to tour tickets was one hot topic, the price of the tickets themselves was another. Ticket brokers began selling tickets between $875 and $7,000 near the stage. City radio stations such as Power 106.3-FM were talking about ticket prices. On air and on sites such as her Twitter and Facebook, fans lamented not being selected and discussed the ridiculous cost of tickets.
Manson didn’t say exactly how much he spent on the tickets, but said it was nowhere near the high estimates provided by the ticket companies. “I have definitely paid for his travels and vacations, as he has (traveled) abroad more than once. is.”
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The Wall Street Journal suggested that the Ticketmaster incident involving Swift likely inspired Beyoncé’s most hardcore fans, known as the “Bay Hive.”
Once the tickets went on sale, many social media users started selling them at a higher price. Manson said there was a moment when he considered selling his own tickets for a profit, but that idea soon faded for him.
“We’ll only sell if something of a higher priority comes up. And I really don’t like big crowds,” she said. increase.”
Manson said he won’t be part of Beyonce’s “Hive,” but he feels honored to see one of his favorite singers at the peak of his career.
“I think Beyoncé’s last album was great. I’m not a Bey Hiver, but I know literally all of Beyoncé’s songs, so I don’t know what that makes of me.”
wlee@chicagoribune.com
twitter @Midnoircowboy
