Friday, September 10, 2004

London Apollo sold out

And pretty quick too.

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could not get through to either the Apollo or Stargreen on the phone. The online ticket agencies are selling tickets from £200 - £400!!! This must be the hottest ticket of the year.

Anonymous said...

same here, no luck with getting through to Stargreen or Apollo. Damn...Any news/rumours of possible extra dates to be added in London?

Anonymous said...

Same, Same.

Absolutley Gutted.

Maybe he'll read this and add more dates?

If not I'm trying for Antwerp. Anyone know of the ticket agencies for there?

Anonymous said...

Tickets on sale at 9am. Sold-out and on e-bay for £250 by 10am. Something stinks. Extra dates MUST be added if only to bankrupt these touting swine.

Anonymous said...

I got mine on ticketmaster website. Just lucky I suppose

Anonymous said...

got mine from ticketmaster.co.uk, £55 each. must have been lucky, very lucky! can't wait.

Anonymous said...

this really stinks... virtually zero chance of getting a ticket.

tried phoning from 8.30 and got through to precisely nobody over the 2-3 hours.
Hammersmith & Stargreen were completely swamped - phones jammed due to this and another gig announced for the same day.

Ticketmaster had their tickets online for sale at 10am, but they changed to sold out immediately - probably didn't have any left and had been selling them by phone from 9am.

just wait and see the masses of tickets on Ebay for £500+ ($900 upwards), touts will be making a fortune off this gig.
god knows what price these will end up - £1000 a pair or more I'd expect... even more.

if anyone in Tom Waits' organisation sees this, have some sense and do a few more gigs in the UK around the country.. Manchester, Edinburgh and maybe Newcastle.

otherwise just offend your long term fans and make obscene amounts of money off them.
MC

Anonymous said...

I also managed to get 1 ticket online from Ticketmaster at 9.30am - it's right at the back corner of the dress circle - £65 plus booking fee. BUT when I managed to get back on the ticketmaster website 5 mins later to check what availability there still was, a message came up saying that they were not selling tom waits tickets online and requested that you phone your local ticketmaster office....? I hope my online purchase remains valid!

Anonymous said...

COuldn't get any tickets, was up at 8:30 this morn and on the phones/internet. Everywhere engaged, no-one selling online until 9am. Went to Stargreen's site from 8:50 onwards. They stated they weren;t selling until 9am so I refreshed and refreshed...
At 9am, nothing changed. At 9:01, nada.
At 9:02, something changed: there was a message stating that there was one ticket left!

How?

I reckon most of the tickets were somehow presold to those with influence (just *think* of how many celebs, musicians with pull, etc. will be there on the night).

I'm not paying £200+ for a ticket at the back. No way.

Is anyone here selling on ebay?
Ody

Anonymous said...

One simple word sums this up. BUGGER!

Anonymous said...

I was very very lucky. Phoned ticketmaster 8.50am - got thru to an operator at 9.02am & got 1 ticket for row F seat twentysomething. I think I'm looking at center stage 6 rows from the front.

No I'm not selling!!

Anonymous said...

What pisses me off is that whilst the majority of people were trying to get through to the Apollo or Stargreen only to be met with a brick wall, Ticketmaster were selling tickets!! If I had known about Ticketmaster selling tickets as well I might have tried them sooner instead of wasting time on engaged phone calls to Stargreen & Hammersmith!

blackrider23 said...

And so it begins.
This is not that uncommon for TW (or other huge underground musicians). I am sorry for those who were not able to get a ticket. Congrats to those who were!
I think im going to get an enterage together when he announces dates close enough to me. Looks like the only way to go.

Anonymous said...

So buy on E Bay if its your only chance. Do you want to see a living legeng or not.
I got two tickets by signing up to ticketmasters priority booking service; It cost me £20 quid extra but then I got straight through to an agent and in for two tickets. 8 rows into the balcony and right on the side> But Hey I am in there.
P.S. I wore my fingers to the bone before hitting on that one. If another show is announced go for it.

Miffy (Coventry)

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth:

- the stargreen website and phone wervice were hopeless from 10.01 am, indeed.

-ticketmaster displayed odd messages (too busy, please phone, etc.), the booking engine actually crashed twice just before the final step, but after retrying a couple of times a bit later one was able to get through. I was able to buy a 65£ ticket close to 10 am English time.

I'm not selling but I may swap for an Antwerp ticket.

W.

Anonymous said...

At 8.55 a.m. this morning I was completely certain I was going to see Tom Waits live in November. By 10.30 I was certain of the opposite. I re-dialled a million times; and then I eventually heard voice telling me that the tickets had sold out. To say I'm gutted would be a little bit of an understatement. Please, please tell me an extra date will be added.

Anonymous said...

I was lucky enough to get 2 pretty crappy seats at the back of the circle via ticketmaster on the web at about 9:30am. Cost me £143 total which is a major rip off if you ask me but I guess not as bad as eBay prices.

On the flip side, you can download the whole of the new album 'Real Gone' in mp3 by using KazaaLite. Just search google for KazaaLite download.

Anonymous said...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

Tom Waits -- London show
sells out in just 30 minutes


All 3400 tickets for Tom Waits' London show were sold in just 30 minutes of the box-office opening this morning (Friday 10th September) -- one of the fastest concert sell-outs in UK music history.

"This was a phenomenal reaction from the fans," says Paul Charles of Asgard, the promoters of the event. "Indeed, we were inundated with so many applications that it would take a month of concerts to satisfy the demand we've had this morning."

The show -- part of Waits' eight-date Real Gone European tour -- is at London's Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday 23rd November. It is Waits' first UK appearance since he played at the same theatre almost exactly 17 years before, on 22nd November 1987.

The Apollo concert follows the release of Tom Waits' new album, Real Gone, which is in stores on Monday 4th October.

His new touring band features Marc Ribot (guitar), Larry Taylor (bass) and Brain (drums), the same musicians who also appear on Real Gone, which has been written and produced by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, his longtime collaborator.

The 15-track CD unveils Waits' new musical hybrid, crafted from primal blues, Jamaican rock-steady grooves, African and Latin rhythms and melodies and what Waits calls "cubist funk". The album is released on Anti Records.

The Real Gone tour also includes dates in Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.


www.anti.com
10.09.04

Anonymous said...

Recently posted NME news story says that the Apollo tickets I (just like many, many others who use this fine site) was desperately trying to get hold of went in 30 mins. So that's 5,000 or so tickets, 2 per person max, sold via phone in 2 ticket agencies (or at least Stargreen and Apollo were the only ones listed in adverts for the gig)in 30 MINS! Either that's the new world record, or there was something not quite right here.
And yes, of course I want to see this living legend in action but simply can't afford the inflated E Bay tout prices. And even if I could, I definitely don't want to give any money to the greedy swine ripping off genuine T.W. fans...
Oh well, maybe there'll be extra shows!

The Eyeball Kid said...

If I remember correctly, the capacity is 3.500.
Tickets were sold on line as well.

Anonymous said...

Well, I planned to go all the way from Hungary, but couldn't get a ticket. Stargreen simply didn't work one minute after 9am, etc. I had to teach a class, furthermore, so I couldn't even try phoning and phoning. This is absolutely disappointing--I might still try one of the Amsterdam shows, but hey, I wanted London, I know noone in Amsterdam. Those who got their tickets, have a really good time!

Anonymous said...

i got up at 6am on thursday went to work then travelled to london for 4 hours on the train, got to stargreen about 6.30pm thursday & they told me that the amount of people that had inquired about tickets could sell the apollo out for a week.so i returned to stargreen at 5am this morning after sitting in an all night cafe, to queue for tickets , 5 people had arrived already & by 8.30 the queue was stretching around the block,apparently ticketmaster got the lions share of tickets,but i got my 2 tickets & am very happy, cant believe he is doing 3 shows in amsterdam & 3 in berlin but only 1 in the uk,i am also going to the first night of the tour in berlin 2nd row seats £80 each cant wait! good luck to all who are trying to get tickets from other resources

Anonymous said...

think i was lucky got two tickets and my girlfriend another two! Used the net and Macintoshes :-)

Anonymous said...

Tried the lines this morning like most on this site, no joy. As angry as everyone at the number of tickets on sale on e-bay and at the huge mark up on the face prices.

I was looking forward to seeing tw again (saw him in the early eighties).Gutted.
So booze is the only way out.
"Bartender I'd like a Manhatten please".

Anonymous said...

I'm one of the lucky ones, I managed to get 2 tickets through Ticketmaster Priority, it cost an extra £20 but what the hell. There's a site called double8tickets.com offering tickets at £395, £295 and £195 if anyone's interested. I haven't been any further into the site but it'll probably be cheaper than ebay.

Anonymous said...

Wow there's a first. A Mac came in usefull!

Anonymous said...

Hello to Tom Waits Fans,

Beware of buying your tickets on eBay... at the concert you may be asked to prove that you bought that ticket, and "SHOW THE CREDIT CARD YOU USED", when you bought it! This is no different than when you pick up your ticket at the box office.
Also some ticket can be printed on home computer...how many could be duplicates, and only ONE upc will scan in as a good usable ticket.

So as much as you love Tom Waits, beware of the scum out there trying to make big bucks onn the sale of his show tickets.



Just a word of caution.... and may the greedy people get stuck with

The Eyeball Kid said...

FYI: this blog is published from a Mac.

Anonymous said...

Tried to get tickets from 9 onwards, complete waste of time. Only one date though what a joke!!! You would think after all this time the English are worth more than that but there you go.

Anonymous said...

Current count is 54 tickets on ebay. If I'm not mistaken, that's easily enough to satisfy all of the people, like me, who have posted here and not been able to get tickets. The practice of touting has gotten too out of hand. Something must be done. If they add extra dates, the same thing will happen. Ticketmaster, Stargreen, and the theater box office should specify that all tickets are venue pickup with the origional credit card in hand. They should specify this before tickets even go on sale, because now if they impliment this practice, real fans who really got gouged on ebay will be screwed too. The problem is that ticket services have nothing to lose by having more than ten percent of tickets for a show on ebay before three hours have passed. Now I've got to get from Glasgow (where I'll be in school, I'm an American) to either Belgium or Amsterdam, and neither is going to be easy. More London dates would be beautiful, but I think we can rest assured that this will be the only one.

Anonymous said...

I've been fortunate to get tickets but friends haven't been so lucky.

This fast sell-out is great publicity for the new album and I'm in no doubt that at least one extra show was always planned. This is what happened when Tom sold out two nights in Paris in 1999.

Anonymous said...

Step right up...bargains galore....you too can be the proud owner of pair of TW tickets for the suckiest venue in town for the knock-down, bargain price of £699 on e-bay...for that price they better remove unwanted stains from contour sheets...fuck it, I'm going to the 'dam, get me some killer chronic and hang for a weekend with the black rider!

We'll have a gay old time.....

Anonymous said...

Aye. It is very upsetting. I really wasnt well prepared because I thought theyd be selling the tickets through the wayahead servers (on Aloud.com and SeeTickets.com etc..) then I checked Ticketmaster at few mins past ten and they were all gone, even though they had apparantly only been up since ten.

It's crazy. I really hope an extra date is added. If so, I would have thought we would have heard something by now. Best keep our ears open anyway.

Anonymous said...

There are still tickets for the Berlin shows going at considerably better prices on ebay than the shambles of the Hammersmith Apollo. I got two for £200 and managed to get cheap flights for £60 return from Liverpool and a hotel in Berlin for £40. It still works out cheaper than the touts charging £500 plus for the London gig, plus its a better venue and Berlin has better beer.

Anonymous said...

i've still got the dialing tone stuck in my head. oh well. i'm going to start saving for the next london show now, see you all in 2021.

Anonymous said...

I was trying all sources, internet & phone for 45 minutes, then finally, someone at ticketmaster answered my call. I was really relieved. Being objective about it though, I would remain sanguine that he will add one more Appollo date. I'd put money on it. Maybe he wanted to guage the fan response in the UK to one date, and now that he sees all the love from us limeys, he should add another (unless he has a heart of stone). I'm looking forward to 'Who Are You?' and 'Tango' the most. Though I seldom hope for certain tunes, these two are real favourites. Maybe he won't play them-fair do's. I'm 21, and have only been into Tom Waits for a year and a half, but own 11 albums, such is the fervour his music has gripped me with. Fingers crossed you get as lucky as me, and he announces another date.

Anonymous said...

Damn, sorry to hear all you guys missed out :( What's up with the US tour? I thought dates were supposed to be announced on the 7th??

Benas Plentas said...

Hey people,

i'm really sorry for those who couldn't get tickets for a concert. As I understand, tha only one chance now for you is to buy on e-bay. But, hey guys, try Berlin shows - those prices on e-bay are little bit lower.

I got my tickets in a very interesting way, actually - when i phoned to a company that was selling tickets to Berlin shows they were already sold out...

Then I wrote couple of mails to that company asking directly if they still have some RESERVED tickets and they said to me that yes. I gave them my mobile phone number and they even called me. Of course, i reacted very fast after tickets were sold. Now I have my ticket for the 17th of november gig and hope that it will be a great experience.

and one more thing - they sold me a ticket for a real price, without making additional profit - i've payed 110.50 eur for that seat that costed 110.50 :)

Meet you in concert!

Anonymous said...

I was soooo lucky, rang thru just before 9 by the time it had taken to get thru the automated voice it was bang on 9am got front row ticket, cant believe it, so sorry for all those true fans that have missed out to the ticket touts.

Anonymous said...

its bad new that people did not get tickets but dont call Tom Waits a legend. he is just a god song writer. Dylan and Elvis are legends but putting Waits in the same category is way too much for a guy that just writes good songs.


my guess is that many tickets went to VIPs. Waits should learn from performers like Dylan. Doing many excellent shows and tour a lot with cheap prices. paying 70 for tickets is just plain arrogance.

Anonymous said...

its bad new that people did not get tickets but dont call Tom Waits a legend. he is just a god song writer. Dylan and Elvis are legends but putting Waits in the same category is way too much for a guy that just writes good songs.


my guess is that many tickets went to VIPs. Waits should learn from performers like Dylan. Doing many excellent shows and tour a lot with cheap prices. requiring 70 for tickets is just plain arrogance. but hey i did buy but only for one show

Anonymous said...

Tom's up there with the greats, thats a fact. He's already part of music history, and one of the few real lengends still writing. Know wonder everyone wants to see what could be his last performance in the uk. I got tickets for the apollo and would not sell them at any price, shame on anyone who does.

www.nathan-stone.co.uk

Anonymous said...

I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but I really doubt another show will be added.

Look at the European tour schedule.

13th - Belgium
14th - travel day
15th, 16th, 17th - Berlin
18th - travel day
19th, 20th, 21st - Amsterdam
22nd - travel day
23rd - London
24th - travel day
25th - Thanksgiving (a major American holiday).

I kind of doubt he'd time a two-week tour just exactly so he would be traveling or out of town on Thanksgiving instead of home with the family, when the kids are all on holiday from school. I could be wrong, of course, but the timing is awfully convenient that way.

I'd start saving your pence for Amsterdam... I bet those will be much easier to get.

Anonymous said...

I'm kind of suprised that hardly anyone isn't more annoyed at the artist/management behind this. 17 years since the last show, and just one date! At such ridiculous prices!? His english fans have shown so much support, regularly pushing his albums to spectacular sales, for an artist of his ilk, and this is how they are repaid.
I agree with an above comment, why play at all if it's going to be a mess like this? It just creates a bad feeling, for me anyway. Why so many more gigs in europe? Does he genuinely dislike playing in the UK?
I'm lucky enough to have seen him, so that softens the blow. But to be honest, even besides the absurb ebay prices, I think £69.95 is very steep. You expect that from the Stones, The Eagles, Celine Dion, Streisland and the other rock n'roll Shylocks, but Waits?
I think I'll satisfy myself with the new album at home on the stereo, and spend the money on something else.

Written on a Mac, always and forever an infinitely superior machine.

Anonymous said...

I'm extremely happy at paying £65 for my ticket,
yes its a lot but this for me is probably a once in a lifetime experience. I'm on the front row ok, but that's just a bonus I got for pure determination in ringing through. Anyway it costs more than that for a decent meal out these days, and NO I wouldn't sell it, not at any price !

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know how to go about getting tickets for Amsterdam? Like everyone else i tried for London only to be told it had sold out after an hour, gutted. It doesn't seem that there's another gig in the U.K. for some reason, so have to try abroad. Damn it.

Anonymous said...

Waits Amsterdam: tickets can be booked on Oct. 2nd at:

+31 (0)900 25 25 255

Probably also via http://www.ticketmaster.nl

W.

Anonymous said...

I've lost a lot of respect for Waits due to this screw-up.

We (the fans) all knew this was going to sell out. You can bet his management did too. One gig, at at pretty rubbishy venue, with prices higher than any other gig I've been to. Higher than top price London theatre tickets. Its gouging the fans, pure and simple.

Screw you Tom, and screw your management. You've lost a fan here.

Anonymous said...

Ha ha ha... this is a good one... losing respect for Waits cause he doesn't gig.
Probably something you don't understand with Waits. He doesn't write nor tours nor lives for his fans. Lots of places he never went and never will. I really wish I could see him once in my life, but let's face it : chances are I never will.

It has its good sides. Dylan has toured so much he has distilled his inspiration and spontaneity.

Stop complaining and be happy he still makes damn good records while not thinking to his fans.

Anonymous said...

Let's get it straight, I still love Waits, as a man (as much as we are allowed to know of him anyway), and a musician, but.. the whole situation around this show stinks.
I don't think you can really say Dylan has blown himself out with the "constant tour", his last 2 albums have been his best in 20 years.
I don't expect Waits to approach anything like Dylan's schedule, but maybe 2 or 3 shows as opposed to 1 (as in Amsterdam). 3 shows in what, 17 years, I don't think he's going to suffer from exhaustion.

"Come down off the cross, we could use the wood."

Anonymous said...

if you think dylan is less inspired these days, you should go to a good show or get a boot, ill promise that you´ll be surprised who much energy and performance you will listen to, he is much better now than he has been for many years. His latest albums have been excellent piece of work.

But its bit off to discuss it like this. dylan is a true troubadour an artists constantly touring while Waits is a studio artists who makes music in studios to earn money feed and family. We are talking about two very different artists.

And...you always have a chance to see Dylan. He is for the people, his fans, tours a lot so the fans can catch his shows at decent prices frequently. He does not screw the fans like TW. I´ve lost a lot of respect for TW after this. i knew it the moment i saw the list of shows he was going to do. One show in england? the tickets would sell fast, the rich, the VIPs who mostly dont even listen to his music will sit there at good seats while the fans will have to read about the show in the press.

Screw you Tom! Learn from Dylan and man who knows how to be an artist.

The Eyeball Kid said...

I'm closing the comments on this message. Two reasons: this is not the place to discuss Dylan and the language in the previous comment.