Ticket to Ride:
My Quest to See Paul McCartney (Again)
“The excitement of seeing Paul McCartney live again was overwhelming, but little did I know that the journey to secure a ticket would be trickier than any ticket purchase I had imagined.”
To listen to this post, please click on the play button below:
🎶 The Call to See Paul Again
For me, the moment I heard Paul McCartney was touring the US in the fall, I knew I wanted to see him. As I've written previously, I saw Paul on his Paul Is Live tour many years ago, and it was a magical night. Since then, he hadn't toured close enough to attend, or I had heard about it too late to get tickets. But this time, I had two choices within a reasonable range—Palm Desert, California, or Las Vegas, Nevada.
At first, I thought Palm Desert, the first tour stop, might be easier to manage. Being at an ice hockey arena meant a smaller venue than the Allegiant in Vegas. However, it turned out the ticket pricing was significantly higher at the arena. So, I pivoted to Vegas.
The excitement of seeing Paul McCartney live again was overwhelming, but little did I know that the journey to secure a ticket would be trickier than any ticket purchase I had imagined. Usually, my Ticketmaster experience was for Broadway shows, which are smaller theaters with less demand for tickets, plus multiple nights to choose from. A major concert is a whole different story.
🎟️ The Ticketmaster Tango
I planned out the ticketing process ahead of time, making sure my credit card was up to date on PayPal, which is Ticketmaster's preferred payment option, and that it had a backup payment option. I scoped out the seating map ahead of time and knew which sections had the optimal view from one of the higher levels. I don't do floor seating. Only did it once for a Josh Groban concert and couldn't see the stage through most of the show because people were on their feet and waving arms around. I watched McCartney's tour videos and that's exactly what they do at them. Even some of the first level seats at the low range are bad because you still can't see through the I-can't-stay-in-my-seat crowd.
I chose the third level, easy to see the stage and that giant video screen, and in the price range I was willing to pay.
The purchase day was planned out. I had the fan club code (and also any other VIP groups) to allow purchase on the VIP day. I logged into Ticketmaster at 09:30 a.m. with the tickets going on sale at 10:00 a.m. in my time zone. At a quarter to magic hour, the waiting room became available. I'm not quite sure how they work it, but you don't get in on a first-come, first-serve basis.
From the waiting room you move into the queue, and I believe that is where you enter your purchase code to allow you to advance to the last stage to select your seat(s) and buy. When I entered the queue, I was informed about 40,000 people were ahead of me. Holy moly! The stadium, at maximum, seats about 75,000. With butterflies kicking a football around in my stomach, I waited as the number worked its way downward. Every few minutes, another group would be allowed in, so the number descended steadily. At about 30 minutes in, I finally entered the stadium purchase! A cheer of success!
But then, I had to select the tickets. I found my section, but so many sections were already whited out, which I presumed to mean not available. I clicked on the blue section and nothing happened. I had hoped to claim an ADA seat at the top of the zone , but when I put two seats in the filter, I was told none were available. So, I fell back to trying to see which seats were unclaimed with the software not able to bring it up quickly. Instead, I began searching for the listed seats on the right-side scroll. Twice, I found two seats in one of the sections I wanted, but by the time I clicked on the seats and almost got to the purchase, they were already claimed! Third time was a charm, and I nailed a pair in section 310 on the third row. They were a little higher-priced than I'd hoped, but still within range. Victory! The rest of the process went smoothly. Paid for the tickets and jumped over the offers for hotels. I'd worry about that later.
✈️ Flying (Almost) First Class
Later I looked at the various hotels in the area. Word was out that McCartney was playing, so even hotels that are reasonably priced doubled their rates. To be fair, this is common in Las Vegas and other big cities. Weekend rates are higher since that's when people most want hotel rooms. I put that off for the moment to concentrate on getting the flight tickets.
The best airline from Reno to Las Vegas is Southwest and they have several flights a day non-stop. They also have some with stops, but who wants to fly to San Diego or Phoenix to get to Las Vegas? I picked the second of the early flights, which had a lower price tag than the later morning ones. Return was essentially the same, but even at that, the cost per ticket was close to $450 to fly 346 miles. Luckily, I had some points and cut that cost down considerably. Travel arrangements secured, I went back to the hotel issue.
🏨 Hotel Havoc
I waited two days before tackling the hotel. The Allegiant Stadium is on the north side of the freeway from the Strip. I almost got a decently priced room at a hotel I'd used before, but the software hung up and didn't book it. When I started to try again, I got an email from the person going with me suggesting a hotel on the north side, which was only a half mile from the Stadium. I checked it out and it sounded okay. Using a travel service that will remain nameless, I got the hotel up and found it. I put in my booking dates and picked a room. So far, so good. I paid for it and exited. Then I received an email saying my hotel was booked for the next day!
Somewhere between when I entered my dates and the checkout, the date had reverted to the default, which was the next day. I tried to cancel the booking, but if it's less than 24 hours, you can't cancel unless the hotel policy allows it. I spent 45 minutes on hold to explain the situation to the hotel only to be told, they couldn't cancel. The booking company had to do it. So, I spent another 15 minutes talking to someone who couldn't do anything about it except to refer it to her manager in the morning. I had no response from them, so out $240 on that. When I tried to rebook the room to the correct date, the price had doubled. I contacted my travel partner to see if it was okay and when I went back, it had gone up another $100 and only a handicapped room was left. Tough lesson that.
I went back to the Ticketmaster site and found another hotel right next door to the one I inadvertently booked for the wrong date, and the price was similar with the walk to the stadium about the same distance. I tried to book it and my credit card was rejected. Huh? I tried a different one and that didn't go through either. I exited the program, came in again, and finally got it to accept my card.
🌟 Why It’s All Worth It
Finally, I had all the pieces in place for the planned weekend in Las Vegas. The air and hotel cost us almost as much as the concert. Despite all the hurdles, the anticipation of seeing Paul McCartney live kept me going. The journey to get there was filled with frustration and challenges, but I knew it would all be worth it once I was in the audience, experiencing the magic of his performance once again.
What I Learned From This
Check your information in your account to be sure it is up to date.
Get online early so you’re have a better chance to get into the queue early. No. Guarantees.
Study the stadium or other venue layout before you get into the purchase zone. Know which seats you’re aiming for and be ready with alternate choices.
Use the filters to quickly find or eliminate options.
Click fast when you find your seats.
Get your hotel lined up as soon as possible after buying the tickets. Prices go up as demand goes up.
Check the dates you’re requesting your room for at each step of the checkout process, so you know you have the right date before you buy.
Purchase your transportation early as well and allow time for delays in travel.
💰 The Price of Nostalgia
One thing I'd like to add as I've seen many people complaining about the high cost of the show. As noted when I logged into Ticketmaster, the tour priced the show tickets, but they add their own fees on top. Plus, third party ticket sellers are also competing for the tickets, and they are adding fees on top of that. For the Vegas show, seats started at about $36 for the bad view seats and went up to $1700. I didn't even look at the VIP packages that included the soundcheck and/or the Meet and Greet.
I understand the fans’ frustration with these prices. But it isn't Paul being greedy. It's the cost of touring. Not long ago, the Who said they wouldn't be doing any more American tours because it cost too much. You have to take in consideration what the tour entails: musicians (8 or 9 with Paul), the stage set up crew, the lighting and sound person, and the venue costs. Then you have the semi-trucks and drivers to transport all the equipment across the country and the air fare for the performers. Yes, it's a lot more expensive now than it was fifteen years ago, but Paul McCartney always gives you a great show and you leave feeling euphoric.
Costs of a Major Tour Like McCartney’s
How expensive is it to mount a tour like Paul’s or other bands? The chart below shows the current estimates of costs and the amount in 2000. This is per each performance.
Have you ever chased down tickets for a dream concert? I’d love to hear your war stories.