The Radiohead concert scheduled for Oct. 2 at the UNO Lakefront Arena sold out long ago, but fans still have ticket options – if they are desperate.
Tickets for the much-anticipated show went on sale July 18 for $38.50 apiece and were gone in a matter of days.
Now, fans could face admission prices in the realm of half a month’s rent.
Online marketplaces such as eBay have tickets for sale from $75 to $100, while ticket brokers are offering tickets for up to nearly $200, depending on the seating position.
Even Radiohead fan Web sites with ticket-trading capabilities are experiencing heavier-than-normal traffic, with rabid fans scrambling for tickets anywhere on Radiohead’s North American tour.
At www.ateaseweb.com, some posters are banking on Ticketmaster to release a few handicapped and obstructed-view seats two weeks before the show.
Otherwise, most fans seem to be leaning toward the eBay route, where telling the difference between a fan or a broker should be easy depending on the tickets’ price.
Tickets were available at all Ticketmaster locations, such as Major Video on Perkins Road. But by Aug. 8, the show that was more than two months away was sold out.
“The last time Radiohead was in Louisiana, they opened for REM at the assembly center at LSU,” said Steven Keeton, assistant manager at Major Video. “Because of that I’m not surprised it sold out so fast.”
The Sept. 13, 1995 concert at the PMAC was the only time Radiohead ever has performed in the state.
The Oct. 2 concert in New Orleans will be the band’s first appearance in the city.
Keeton also said for certain concerts, Ticketmaster will hold tickets back and release more as the show gets closer. But, for this event, all the tickets were released.
“Radio spots were on pre-sale, but since then I haven’t heard them,” he said. “This show was not heavily promoted.”
Steve Massengale, a political science junior and employee of Major Video, said that the only reason he knew the tickets were going on sale was because of his job.
Melinda Johnston, box office manager for the UNO Lakefront Arena, said fans always should check back for availability because more tickets may be released.
But Johnston said it’s never a guarantee.
Johnston said state laws prohibit scalpers from selling tickets for more than the price printed on the ticket.
She also said security will be on hand at the concert to curb scalping among other things.
“For this kind of show I think to get tickets from a scalper is a long shot,” Massengale said.
He said the kind of person that scalps needs to get rid of the tickets quickly, but will only sell them at the highest price possible in order to make a substantial profit.