Hey everyone, Just wondering if those of you buying tickets *not* through the fan club have had issues? Fortunately I did wind up with 2 tickets, but I am definitely fed up with the process. Here's my story: First, tickets for Chicago weren't even being sold through everybody's least-favorite ticket broker. I had to go to a different ticket web site. So I went to the web site at exactly 10AM, when tickets were to go on sale. In all my previous online ticket-buying experiences, I couldn't go to the ticket broker site in advance as tickets wouldn't go on sale even one second before sale time. So why would that be any different now, right? Wrong! It turns out this new ticket web site decided to have a "virtual waiting room" that apparently opened at 9:30 the day of ticket sales (that would be this morning). This was not announced on their web site in advance! So I only went to the web site at 10AM like a good little Police fan. Once on the web site, every 30 seconds, the browser would refresh to see *if* I should be given a chance to purchase tickets. I was apparently already in line behind thousands of other fans and it wasn't letting me past the "waiting room" page. Frustration ensued, especially considering that I only wanted two $50 tickets, not even the premium tickets! I also remembered hearing that there was a phone number I could call for tickets. I figured it couldn't hurt to try both methods. So I called the phone number. Busy.... Again, busy. I must have hit "redial" about a hundred times both on my cell phone and on my land line. Finally I got through on my cell phone around 10:15. The ticket web site, meanwhile, was still showing that I was "lost somewhere in a cyberspace line." But I left it open, fearing that until the phone transaction was complete and I had a confirmation number, nothing would be guaranteed. I proceeded to order on the automated phone system. When it first picked up, it gave me the chance to talk with a live rep, but I figured they would all be busy and I'd be back in another virtual queue. So I proceeded with the automated phone system. First, it took forever to even pull up two seats, even for just the nosebleeds! Finally after several minutes of silence, the automated voice told me about my two tickets: section, row, and seat numbers. Next, it asked me for credit card details, which it repeated back to me correctly. It let me choose how to ship tickets, and gave me the full price with all surcharges, etc, correctly added in. Several more minutes of deafening silence ensued. Meanwhile, the ticket web site was still refreshing and I still couldn't try my luck online. Finally, the automated voice came back and asked me to record my name & address and said that I would be sent to a live rep to finish my transaction. It kept repeating this stupid phone loop about 5 or 6 times without giving me a chance to record; among other things, it said that when I finished recording that I should press the pound key! In frustration at being caught in this automated phone loop, I decided to push the pound key *before* entering my details hoping this would work and break the loop. Fortunately, I was right and I was able to record my name and address. Then, the automated system let me listen to and accept the recording of my name and address. It said "thank you" about 7 times in a row (another phone loop issue) and then transferred me to a live agent. What did the live agent say when she finally connected? She told me that the automated system had LOST ALL OF MY INFORMATION! Since it didn't give me a confirmation number, my seats were lost!!! Two stinking, stupid $50 tickets, lost! (Meanwhile, the web browser continued refreshing the virtual waiting room web page; I was still ineligible to order online). Fortunately there were still tickets available and I had to get 2 completely different tickets in a different section, etc. The live agent was able to successfully complete the transaction and gave me a confirmation number. I haven't even gone to the Wrigley Field web site to compare where the old seats were versus where the new ones were. I'm so jaded by this experience that I'm less excited than ever about the concert at the moment. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't join the fan club. To me, it wouldn't have been worth more than $100 per person (per $50 ticket) for seats that are guaranteed to be nosebleeds anyway (I'd rather not go at all in that case - just my own opinion). I suppose the fan club is great if you can afford the higher priced seats. I do consider myself lucky, however. At least I got through before it became a sell-out. I'm sure there are still some people online as I write this, waiting as their web browsers continue to refresh even an hour+ after tickets went on sale. I hope everyone else has better luck buying tickets. There seems to be no equitable way for them to sell tickets without stepping on lots of toes. End of rant; thanks for "listening"! :-) - Marisa http://www.stingetc.com --------------------------------- Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and always stay connected to friends.