Just the messenger

Many readers sounded exasperated Friday, from the e-mails and phone messages I received from the masses trying to snag tickets to Bette Midler's Aug. 8 kick-off concert for Hammond Horseshoe Casino's new 2,400-seat entertainment arena The Venue.

Horseshoe publicist Leah Eisenstein said Friday that the Midler tickets, which went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster, sold out in just 4-1/2 minutes.

She also dispelled insinuations that the number of tickets made available for sale to the public were limited, due to the amount set aside for VIPs and high-rollers, emphasizing that disappointed fans need to remember that the "intimate" seating setting of the new entertainment complex can make securing tickets more challenging, compared to large venues like the United Center in Chicago.

If it's any consolation, tickets are even more in demand for other entertainers.

For a September 2007 concert by singer Bruce Springsteen, Ticketmaster reported a new all-time record with all 10,000 seats selling out in less than 8 minutes, equating to more than 20 tickets sold a second and more than 1,000 per minute.

When Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana came to Chicago's Allstate Arena in January, tickets for her 11,000-seat concert where gone in just 5 minutes. It was a similar story for pop music teen sensations Jonas Brothers.

Here are a couple of the missives I received from readers Friday:

Dear Mr. Potempa:

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment in obtaining tickets for the Bette Midler concert that was advertised in your column on Wednesday, July 9. I always enjoy reading your columns and was very excited about purchasing tickets for this concert. This morning the tickets went on sale per your article at 10 a.m. and per the Ticketmaster Web site. I had my credit card ready, logged into my Ticketmaster account and proceeded to purchase four tickets exactly at 10 a.m. To my surprise and extreme disappointment I was unable to purchase any tickets. I also previously and this morning went to the Web site www.thevenue~chicago.com and was not able to find "The Venue" listed.

I realize that this is not your fault, thus please do not take offense to this e-mail. I would just like to have some sort of an explanation as to how this could be advertised that tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. today and within seconds there were no tickets available. Any assistance or explanation would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

Marianne Malyj

Hi there!

As a long time fan of Bette Midler's (since the debut album) I was amazed to see the scarcity of tickets available online for the opening night gala. I had to settle for single seats but they are purchased and now en route, so what about the fact they are separated? We are all among friends! Anyway, the top price was $148 not $98 as you wrote for this performance. And there was an additional party fans could attend being offered for $200 extra (but not described as a meet and greet with Bette, by the looks of the way the offer was worded). Additionally, the scalpers already were hawking tickets for this event before it went on sale! So far, looks like a single ticket is going as high as $2,900 from some of these resale sites. Thanks for the article, and hope The Venue lives up to the expectations!

Mark Motyka

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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