A ticket-buying tale of frenzy and frustation for Jack White show in Asheville

Share
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

Tickets to the Jack White and Alabama Shakes concert at The Orange Peel in May went on sale at Friday at 1 p.m. What ensued was simply a ticket-buying frenzy, with 10,000 people vying for 1,000 tickets. At about 1:30, the Peel announced tickets were officially sold out. The unlucky ones vented their frustration online. Here’s a quick look at some comments from the Orange Peel’s page on Facebook:

The Orange Peel
Congratulations to all of you who got Jack White tickets. With over 10 thousand people trying to get 1050 tickets we could not accommodate everyone. Thank you for your patience and please keep an eye out for upcoming shows at www.theorangepeel.net.

Brenna McCallum
I’m just gonna put this out there… I don’t think eTix was well equipped to deal with this rush but I don’t blame OP. I will tell you who makes me furious… these third parties like Stub Hub that snap up tickets before music loving concert goers can, and then prey on the desperation of said passionate music lovers and charge outrageous prices. How is this any different from scalping????

Nathan Vella
been a supporter of the peel for years, but you guys are slowly turning into a joke. etix is horrible, and could never handle what you unleashed with all your hype for the jack white show

James Fuller
This is crazy… I guess if you work then you have to spend more money to see Jack White… I was on at 1 to get tickets then it just keep processing then I see people at 1:25 get tickets… I if your server cant handle the rush then have it to where you can only get the tickets at the box office… I am so happy that if I want to see the show I have to line someone elses pocket… Such Bull Shit

Steven Lundy
how about using a real ticket ordering system that doesn’t lag out when you have a decent show.

Billy Earnest
Dear Orange Peel, Your online ticketing system is a joke….unprofessional…..frustrating. You expect to be taken seriously? Have you not learned from the past? Apparently not. PATHETIC!!! I just thought I ‘got in’ to the system about 3 times…..to only be kicked out with nothing. Then finally the ‘sold out’. YOU SUCK!!!

Ed McDonald
Is there a difference between “no inventory currently available” and “sold out?”

Tags::
Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

You Might also Like

9 Comments

  1. mat catastrophe March 28, 2012

    Buying tickets online for a club show is pretty lazy. On everyone’s part.

    Reply
  2. Shawnshank March 26, 2012

    Unfortunately not everyone can go to a concert where only 1000 tickets are sold and there will obviously be some frustration and finger pointing over the process. Personally, I am 2 for 2 for getting these and the Beastie Boys tickets, both online. I used 2 computers with 6 different browsers and I followed the simple directions and automated the process of clearing out my browser cache data and loading the ticket page automatically when I open the browser. I was also very persistent for 15 minutes until I was able to add 2 tix to the cart after I had several quantity not found messages when searching for 4 tickets. Sorry for those of you who couldn’t figure out the website.

    Reply
  3. Lovethebard March 26, 2012

    I have never successfully purchased tickets for a major OP show. I went throught the same infuriating technical issues with the Jack White tickets that I did with Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys. Ridiculous. It is my hope that Jack White will reconsider and move to Thomas Wolfe.

    Reply
  4. Nate March 24, 2012

    If there are really 10,000 people who want to see Jack White play in Asheville, he should obviously be playing at the Civic Center rather than the Orange Peel. This kind of nonsense happens everywhere, every time ticket demand outstrips the supply sufficiently, it’s hardly unique to the Peel or their (thankfully) non-Ticketmaster ticket service.

    Reply
  5. Holly March 23, 2012

    I had the same experience and it was frustrating. And, in the end, I couldn’t get any tickets. I love the Peel – they get a ton of my money and I get to enjoy live music, but I think there needs to be a better way to procure tickets. Bummer on this one.

    Reply
  6. Bfbthree March 23, 2012

    My boyfriend and I were online at 1245 to get tix for Jack White and also simulaneously on the phone trying for etix……we thought we were IN right at 1pm only to be kicked back out of the ticketing system….this happened several times until 130 when the SOLD OUT was displayed. THIS IS A VERY FRUSTRATING PROCESS! We really want to see Jack, but like others who have commented, we dont look forward to lining the pockets of some asshole via stub hub ( who doesnt even care about seeing Jack) Some of these assholes are going so far as to ask $999 for the same tickets The Orange Peel had for $40!! Please Mr. White, pls consider adding more shows in NC or surrounding areas.

    Reply
    1. AD March 23, 2012

      Honestly with the number of people simultaneously trying for tix it is not suprise that the system crapped out. The only real way to have gotten tix is to have camped out at the Orange Peel, which if any of your complainers had cared enough, you would have been there. Jack White sucks anyways.

      Reply
  7. JML March 23, 2012

    Should’ve played a bigger gig. Saw The stripes a few times over the years. Best was Bowery Ballroom back before they were famous. I was front row left side with tons of room and comfortable. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Stories