Backstreet Boys, arena ticket holders face off

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Dec 26, 2099 Source: The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC) Submitted By: Stephanie RALEIGH -- On MTV, the Backstreet Boys seem to be such sweet, tender-hearted lads. But when they agreed to perform Feb. 18 in Raleigh's new Entertainment and Sports Arena, the squeal-inducing pop group struck a hard bargain. Some fans who thought they had guaranteed tickets found themselves having to scramble for seats. About 1,200 seats that had been promised to those who hold season tickets to Carolina Hurricanes games were instead offered for sale to the general public - at the insistence of the musical group's managers, according to arena officials. When some of these hockey fans said they wanted to exercise their rights to the concert tickets, arena officials had to find other seats to appease them. "Some of them are getting better seats, or at least as good seats, but they can't get their own seats, and it's a problem specific to the Backstreet tour," said Davin Olsen, arena director for Gale Force Holdings. Hockey fans who paid $3,895 apiece for club-level season tickets to Hurricanes hockey games had been promised the right to buy tickets to all other events in the arena except for N.C. State University basketball games. Their seats for concerts and other events are supposed to be sold to the public only after they have declined the opportunity to buy them. The pop group's management couldn't be reached for comment. Olsen said the group's management insisted that the seats go on sale to the general public to prevent any chance that they wind up in the hands of ticket scalpers. The group may be trying to avoid a repeat of an embarrassing ticket-scalping flap that surfaced recently in Denver. A former employee for a concert promoter there said she had been ordered to skim off hundreds of tickets to some of the best seats at a Backstreet Boys concert, which were then scalped at higher prices. But in trying to keep scalpers away from a sold-out show, the band went against a contractual agreement between Gale Force and those who bought club-level season tickets to Hurricanes games. Season-ticket holder Duane Reaugh, a technical support manager for DTS Software, tried last week to buy the Backstreet Boys concert tickets that were supposed to be his. Though he is not a fan, his 13-year-old granddaughter, Tiffany, is. But arena officials told him he couldn't hold his seats, and they weren't sure he could get any tickets at all. "After I yelled at the guy, he said, 'No, no, you're going to get seats,' " Reaugh said. "Basically, they screwed up. The contract [with the Backstreet Boys] should have said we get the right to buy our seats." Reaugh said he is satisfied with the way Gale Force resolved the situation for him and his granddaughter. It found him seats on the first level, which is below the club level. Olsen wouldn't explain how the arena was able to provide better seats to club-level ticket holders. Given that ticket scalping was the issue that created the problem, Olsen wouldn't say why other choice seats had been withheld from the public. Tickets went on sale Saturday, and the show sold out in an hour. Olsen said he didn't know how many club-level ticket holders had sought tickets for the Backstreet Boys concert. The Hurricanes haven't been an easy sell in Raleigh, with roughly 6,000 season tickets purchased in an arena that seats 18,700 for hockey. Reaugh said his company might not have purchased four club-level seats if it weren't for the access to other shows. "If they mess around with that, they're not going to sell 6,000 season tickets next year," he said. "They're going to see a big drop. We'd think long and hard if it happened again." But Olsen promised it won't. Season-ticket holders will come first. "If some acts want to pass us based on that, then that's business," he said. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnansaz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Submitted by: johnansaz http://t-links.org/EZjAi12N real sex dating near you! Submitted by: Visit This Link ihh4U7 of course, research is paying off. I enjoy you sharing your point of view.. Great thoughts you have here.. I value you discussing your point of view.. Submitted by: gordon KrIlEx http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Submitted by: gordon nlcGaB http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Submitted by: matt 44TbMS http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Submitted by: chaba uQfrRU http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Submitted by: chaba SmdmBd http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Submitted by: matt Y9UPns http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com Click here to see more comments. Comment on this item. Next Item: The Top 10 of Everything 2000 Prev Item: Teen People '99 Poll Results