Bob Dylan concert tickets: Cash only
TEXT OF STORY
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: Bob Dylan plays San Francisco tonight,
at the city’s Warfield Theater. If you missed the online rush to buy tickets, it’s because there wasn’t one. Tickets are only available at the theater box office — and you can only pay with cash.
Is it a new model for selling concert tickets? Here’s reporter April Dembosky.
APRIL DEMBOSKY: Tickets go on sale tonight starting at 5:30. But theater staff are prepared for thousands of die-hard Dylan fans to set up their lawn chairs before noon.
House manager Larry Sykes hired security and armed his bar staff with water and Red Bull.
LARRY SYKES: I’ve rented porta-potties for Market Street, we’re gonna have street performers for the line, I have a food cart coming.
It’s a ticketing sales model from the old days and definitely a publicity stunt on one level. But analyst Matt Harrington says there are practical and altruistic motivations, too.
MATT HARRINGTON: It’s obviously to keep people from scalping tickets. And he’s trying to be a good guy. Bob Dylan’s just trying to make sure it’s not a matter of pricing some people in and pricing some people out.
But Ticketmaster have no fear. While fans will be spared hefty convenience charges this time around, analysts say the all-day camp out is an inconvenience that won’t catch on.
In San Francisco, I’m April Dembosky for Marketplace.
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