Local folk group Menage recently sounded off on their Web site about their disappointment from being bumped off the Orange Peel’s schedule to make room for the nine-day “residency” by the reunited Smashing Pumpkins. The group had been slated to hold a “double CD-release party” with local dark-pop group Stephanie’s Id, only to have the concert canceled to make room for Billy Corgan and company.
“We had a tough decision to make,” Orange Peel owner Pat Whalen explained to Xpress today. “The Smashing Pumpkins residency is only taking place at one location on the east coast, and by the time it was offered to us, we already had shows booked for those dates. We could have bands like Stephanie’s Id and Menage play for one night, or have the Smashing Pumpkins play almost two weeks’ worth of sold-out shows.”
Whalen insisted that the Orange Peel would make a sincere effort to make the lost concert up to the un-booked bands, adding that at least two of the other bumped acts — Railroad Earth and a reunited Squirrel Nut Zippers — have already rescheduled for later dates. “We definitely didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I do understand that this has happened. I’d like to make it up to them, and we’re ready to offer those bands other dates to perform on. So far, we haven’t heard back from either band.”
If ticking off some local talent wasn’t enough, though, the Orange Peel has also had to deal with another unexpected consequence of booking such a massive show. Their online ticket-selling agency, TicketWeb, crashed yesterday due to the overwhelming demand.
“The demand for tickets was huge,” said Whalen. “We’ve heard from people as far away as Europe looking to catch one of these shows. Unfortunately, TicketWeb’s servers weren’t up to the demand, so we had to suspend sales while we worked out a new arrangement.” According to Whalen, tickets will be available TicketMaster starting at 7 p.m. tonight.
“I’d get those tickets soon,” said Whalen. “They will probably be sold out in the first five minutes.”
— Steve Shanafelt
UPDATE: According to a phone conversation with Pat Whalen shortly after 7 p.m., all nine of the Smashing Pumpkins residency shows sold out in just over one minute.—S.S.
Well… I was on the site at 7 p.m. and still lost out.
I’m a little pissed right now.
Well, now, when Menage can sell out nines nights in “over one minute” then they won’t have to worry about getting bumped… ’til then… move over… I’m looking for tickets to the Smashing Pumpkins show.
Tickets are gonna be hard to exchange, OP went this route:
This event is a “WILL CALL ONLY” event. You will need to bring your government issued photo ID to the box office window on the day of the show to retrieve these tickets. Once your order is picked up you must directly enter the venue. Alternate names for will call will not be allowed.
Yep, I was online at 6:59 and clicked right away for tickets. Didn’t get any. Really upset that The Orange Peel didn’t set aside tickets for the locals. I’ve lived here for 10 years, I think I should get a ticket. Everyone in Asheville will be sitting on the curb. Thanks.
Thanks Orange Peel, your the best! Ya’ bunch jerks.
Here are two Youtube video responses to the debacle sellingthose smashing Pumpkins tickets. i m with avani. orange peel screwed us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ct29fp_gg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8WUIYdTb1U
The Orange Peel is a business. They are in the business of making money. I’m sure this will end up being a big money maker for them. They’ve never been an overly “local” club. They’re booked by an out-of-state company. They have not worked with local promoters. There’s never a local DJ spinning when you walk in the club. And if there is a local band on stage, it’s usually due to a personal connection the band has with the venue or booking agency. This is why I am not suprised that they neglected to include a clause in this contract that called for a set number of tickets to be reserved for an Asheville in-person, pre-sale event. Peace.
You guys want to know where all the tickets went?
How bout here:
http://www.bestdarnseats.com/ResultsGeneral.aspx?stype=0&kwds=smashing%20pumpkins
or here
http://www.rockntickets.com/ResultsGeneral.aspx?stype=0&kwds=Smashing+Pumpkins
hey, how about here
http://www.ticketliquidator.com/tix/smashing-pumpkins-tickets.aspx
Maybe these are all the same tickets, but this is just asinine.
The Orange Peel isn’t that great of a venue anyway.
hoopefully er’body remembers this the next time the orange peel tries to pull some ‘we support asheville’ crap.
support our truly local clubs. the orange peel are musical carpetbaggars.
Maybe I’m a bit out of the loop, but I don’t know of many venues anywhere in the country that make a practice of reserving tickets just for the locals. Some venues reserve a handful of cash-only tickets until the day of the show (sometimes as a publicity event for the club), but it seems like adding an ID-check to the process would be a nightmare. Can anyone think of an example when this HAS happened before? I’d like to know the details.
What many groups do is release a set number of tickets to a certain group (such as a fan club) to be purchased in advance of the tickets going on sale to the general, online public. The Orange Peel (or AC Entertainment) could have included a clause in the Smashing Pumpkins contract which called for 2000 tickets to be sold at The Orange Peel, in-person, beginning 1 hour prior to the online sales. Is this regular practice? No, not by venues. But, it is something show promoters and artists will do, and it would have given these shows a local presence.
Timothy: Thanks, that clears things up for me. So, really what we’re talking about is the Orange Peel not reserving any last-minute tickets which COULD be bought by locals, or by someone who bothered to drive to the venue from, say, Florida, in hopes of landing one.
mannydh2007: Brilliant. The second one was a bit on the childish side, but still brilliant.
All: Has anyone heard from anyone local who DID get tickets through TicketMaster? Surely, there were a few who did.
The half dozen local people, myself excluded, that I know who planned to purchase tickets were unable to secure them. Anyone score tickets?
OK– Menage/Stephanies Id. Both of these bands are putting efforts forth to become part of the music business, keyword= business. Again, it would appear that they are concerned with the music business beyond the local scene, which means big business. The catalyst for business is money, if there was a stronger, higher dollar interest in local music, this might not have happened. Such is the music business on that level, it could care less about a band in a “scene.” Anybody seasoned to this would get over it (quickly) and book another date. Besides, who really cares? Is there any local who is a huge fan of the Peel? No seats, no lounge, disgruntled staff, and a poorly selected sound system. The Peel should change its name to 4:45, for it is half of a 9:30 club.
In fairness to Menage, I think they’re a much better fit to the Grey Eagle than the Orange Peel.
Absolutely. Truthfully, as both a fan and a player, I consider the Grey Eagle to be a far superior venue. Great sound, courteous staff, lots of comfortable spots, great restaurant …. a no brainer.
In the rush to get tickets, I was able to get 1. I asked for 2 tickets twice and was told that they were already sold out. I tried once more just for fun, asked for 1 ticket only, and was able to get one. Honestly, I don’t know what night it is for, it happened so fast.
I paid 20 bucks and I am going to see the show…no 1000 dollar resale here. Who are these nut jobs paying that kind of money to see half of an original band play a bunch of their old hits? Lets all break out the flannel shirts….
On an OP note, I am also in a performance group here in town. The OP approached US about doing a show, we had a sit down, talked about dates, and then got totally snubbed!! Looking back, they had plenty of open slots that were never filled.
You dodged a bullet. Steve– here is an interesting segway for you as a writer– perhaps a comprehensive look at some local, local friendly venues, booking information, styles booked, etc …
A primer, if you will, for those new to all of this.
In response to mandoman….we have played the Grey Eagle many times…it is not the perfect venue in town for us, but the true hospitality that we feel is worth it. The local theater houses here have also been tricky. After doing a sold out show, they hike the rental fees up so high, that we have to go else where for the next one. All they see is $$$. We have almost run out of options at this point.
Youbettie: Flannel shirts, indeed! And don’t forget your thermals and your Docs!
I do think it’s rather telling of our generation that a substantial portion of us can now justify $1000 scalped tickets to see a band that — culturally speaking — hasn’t been particularly relevant in the last decade.
Still, for $20 it’d be a good time.
Mandoman: I’ll certainly mention it that idea to the A&E editor, although I’m not sure how much the local venues would want to play along. Honestly, it’d probably turn into a nightmare of spin, and no matter what you did with it, someone would feel like they’d been snubbed.
Ahhh yes, yet another topic, what I call the Asheville problem, a lack of substantial venues. Substantial meaning designed to be a venue, with in place sound, primarily. I’m sorry to hear that, youbettie. Asheville seems to reshape an artist, as opposed to artists reshaping Asheville. Otherwise a band has to move to a more metropolitan scene, or get out on the road, or both. Rigs get smaller to accomodate the stages and the need to bring a PA, sounds perhaps change to get gigs. etc… but I don’t want to rant. It takes more than the stray dreadlock, or some great musicians, to make a music town.
UPDATE: Menage recently pulled down their announcement about a CD release at the Grey Eagle from their MySpace page, and instead posted a Thursday, July 19, gig at the Grassroots Festival in Trumansberg, NY. So, still no local CD release just yet.
@Coffee House Junkie … in response to your question about locals and tickets. I am local – I am *gasp* a native of Asheville (although I must admit I did live else where before returning to where I belong LOL) – I’m very thankful that I scored tickets to the first night 6/23. I’m sure it’s just pure luck, I am thankful none the less.
The Orange Peel is way too far over-hyped.what a joke they are.They only opened up so that they could monopolize the Asheville music scene.The place is not that great ! I really still do not understand why the smashing Pumpkins picked Asheville of all places.I can honestly think of a lot better places for them to play.The orange peel is nothing but a big Gymnasium with a somewhat o.k. sound system,serving beer and wine in PLASTIC cups.ooooh they just got two big screen televisions for the stage area,oooh how exciting !
…What’s a venue to do? Who knows, maybe since they are playing again (the band) maybe they’ll do a US tour, they’ll probably swing through again, if all goes well this time around. That’s a fairly optimistic second best I realize, but it’s likely.
…On mandoman’s comment seven posts back, I did kinda the same thing for Spartanburg, SC on a myspace page (mainly bookng info) and I think it’d be great if someone did the same for Ashville. If so, add me:
http://www.myspace.com/spartangigs
Dankster: Deep. Tell me, do you have any other uninformed opinions you’d like to share? No? Then allow me to rebut.
The Peel opened specifically to provide a quality, sizable venue to downtown and make a good use out of a beautiful, neglected building. Far from “monopolizing” the scene, the actually brought many national acts to town for (gasp!) the locals to enjoy. They still do this today.
An okay sound system? Do you know of a better one in the area? I don’t.
Stop beating up on the Peel for just a second and realize — I know it’s tough — but really understand what they’ve done. They’ve convinced a big name act to come to Asheville for nine shows. That means that there will probably be a really good chance for people to actually meet the band, and for a lot of new faces in the music industry to check out our local acts while they’re here.
In closing, stop hating and doomsaying. This is cool! (And I didn’t even get tickets.)
I definitely get the sense that people are being a little harsh on the Peel because of the tickets. Calm down guys.
I got tickets for 1 night, Im local, Im lucky. I dislike the OP (which for some is short for Orange Peel, for me it is short for Over Priced) and never go there. But for this I will be there as I truly love the Pumpkins. The OP didn’t bring the Pumpkins here either folks. AC Entertainment did. So the OP will get this $20 from me, but for the other 100+ shows I attend this year they will be mostly at the Grey Eagle for shows in this area. The Grey Eagle is the best venue in town to see music, no question. Locally owned by really nice folks who heavily support the local music scene, and they even serve their beers in nice glass pint glasses. Imagine that.
There seems to be the impression by some of the folks leaving comments that the Orange Peel isn’t “local enough.” Why is that?
The reason I ask is because the Orange Peel is locally owned, locally managed, staffed by locals, and books local bands not infrequently.
Is it the fact that they work with AC Entertainment, who isn’t local (based in Knoxville), that causes them to see non-local? Or is it something else that I’m not seeing?
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is a Great Venue ,i would much rather see the Smashing Pumpkins play that venue for 9 sold out shows. Instead of the OP gobbling up the revenue. But then again at 20$ dollars a ticket I can hardly see the OP making allot of money off these shows.The Smashing Pumpkins do not play for cheap I’m sure. –
Well maybe it’s AC’s fault, not OP’s, or maybe most of the time OP is “local enough,” but here’s a case where an out-of-state company brings an internationally known band for an unprecedented 9 shows and doesn’t even reserve a portion of tickets, let alone an entire show, for the locals who support the club the rest of the year. The fact the venue bumped some local bands to accomodate this steamroller just adds insult to injury. Last year Thomas Wolfe Auditorium sold out tickets for Tom Waits in 15 minutes; they sold out online while I was holding on the phone for Ticketmaster. This time I was online at 1 pm Sunday and then again 7 pm Monday but still came up empty. 8500 tickets sold in one minute? Crazy!
How do we know that that the OP didn’t reserve a small number of tickets for each show?
Lesse..
Fire capacity of the OP is 942 (without furniture).
Let’s assume for a moment that OP sold 942 tickets for nine nights.
9 x 942 = 8478 tickets.
8478 tickets divided by 60 seconds = 141.3 tickets sold per second.
That’s insane.
YUP – Insane and kinda strange.
Having had mixed pro bands at a jillion venues and studios, and having performed at another jillion places, I do know of a local sound system better than the OP, that would be the Grey Eagle. A far better sounding club. It takes more than huge speakers pointed in a room to generate “good” sound. The OPs sound is very directional, it makes my head rattle. They also need to acoustically insulate the ceiling area. I like full sound, but I dont sit as close as I can between my stereo speakers at full blast. That club makes my head, my ears, my back and my wallet ache. The OP is not a premier club. Just because it is the only venue of that size in our area doesn’t make it premier, either. Default doesn’t fly. The Grey Eagle is, without a doubt, the best club in our area. The OP is what it is, it serves its purpose well as a circuit club for regional and national acts.
Look, for my point of view, enough bashing, it does not change any facts…The Facts: of all the previous posts, and of all the people I know in town (quite a few), I can only see or only know of 2, count them two (2) people locally that got tickets (of course, I realize, surely some others did too). The point is this, LOCALS GOT SCREWED, PERIOD!!! Someone did drop the ball and as consumers, pick your poison about how to vent or demonstrate your ire…I for one, won’t go there for awhile, except Ben Harper of course :)
8478 tickets sold = a lot of happy concert goers who will bring a lot of business to the Asheville community.
A % may dislike plastic cups but appreciate the lack of broken glass and flying bottles.
A % may dislike the sound system but many more will appreciate the intimate setting the venue provides.
A % may be unhappy with OP ticket prices but most of those who were able to get a $20 SP ticket will be satisfied.
A % will be disgruntled by a % of the staff who may be disgruntled with harsh attitudes of a % of disgruntled patrons.
All in all, Asheville is a better place with what the OP offers. Until the perfect venue, with the perfect acoustics and perfect sound system attracts the perfect concert-goer under perfect conditions becomes available…
The OP will continue to provide many good events that will off-set a small % off bad events that may occur…as all the local music venues strive to do.
@Mandoman: I hear what you’re saying, but I think that depends entirely on what kind of music you’re listening to. Big rock bands sound awful in the Grey Eagle. It’s like screaming in someone’s living room. Don’t get me wrong, I love the place, but it’s true. Great for acoustic shows, but for loud rock I’ll take the Peel every time.
you know i agree with the guy who said that they should have put aside ticketts for the locals…im a native in asheville ive lived here for 21 years im not trying to be whiney about it but it really sucks when theres an awesome band playing in your home town for almost two weeks and we cant even get ticketts for it…it just doesnt seem like there was proper planing for the tickett sales and its crap.
AVL FRK said…”All in all, Asheville is a better place with what the OP offers. Until the perfect venue, with the perfect acoustics and perfect sound system attracts the perfect concert-goer under perfect conditions becomes available…”
Well unfortunatley there was a club that was trying to do just that. It was a 600 seat venue with a sound system that would rival the OP’s. However they got tied up in permits and I think they just said screw it, as I havent heard anything else about them. The place had real potential…..
http://therocketclub.net
The website hasnt been updated in months. I do know that I went by there last september and construction was in full swing. Anyone who knows anything about sound systems go peek at the “technical” page. I wish the club had opened.
also AVL FRK, I have been to clubs the same size as the OP all over the country. Many of which serve their beer in glass pint glasses. I have never seen one go flying and that is not the reason that the OP doesnt serve in them anyway. It is because it is cheaper (and more wasteful and detrimental to the environment) for them to serve it in those and then throw it all away then it is to do as the Grey Eagle does and serve in glasses that they have to take the time to wash.
The Rocket Bar is definitely opening. They got their permits a couple of months ago and I think will be up and running by the end of the summer.
Quit whining about the OP. I’ll never see another acoustic act there again (too much crowd noise) but without them I would have never seen Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Gomez, Wolfmother, The Cramps and Steve Winwood in Asheville. Like em or not they have done more to raise awareness of the live scene in town than any other club, and I believe other venues have benefited in kind. The Grey Eagle has had two or three sold out shows a week at times now, and this didn’t happen five years ago. Sure I prefer my beer in a bottle and the sound is great only in the back 2/3 of the hall, but I am glad that they are here.
This Smashing Pumpkins gig could open the doors for other residences from BIG artists. Imagine Elton John at the OP for 10 nights with just his piano. Or REM. Or Pearl Jam. This gig will attract a different type of tourist than the ones we’re used to (old people). The type that could actually appreciate the funkier parts of Asheville.
I didn’t get Kings of Leon tickets. Can we bitch about that?
marc
“I didn’t get Kings of Leon tickets. Can we bitch about that”
Nope, for that you should be grateful ;^p .
Here’s hoping that the Rocket Club does open, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The increase in sold out shows at teh Eagle can far more likely be attributed to the fact that Asheville is growing like crazy (particularely over the last 5 years) than to any type of impact the OP has had. It doesnt really matter to me honestly. I went to exactly 2 shows at the OP last year, strictly because I do not want to give them my $$$. I went to dozens of shows at the Grey Eagle, and caught artists that played the OP in other towns instead(Charlotte, Atlanta, Raliegh, Knoxville) when I could. I should actually thank the OP as it being here gives me a good excuse to travel to these out of town shows to see friends in those areas that I dont get to see much otherwise.
There’s many factors to the Grey Eagle’s success… the two new owners play a huge part of that. I still stand by my statement that the OP has raised the bar however. It has been mentioned as one of the best clubs in the nation and at least one publication if not more.
For those of us who can’t get out of town that much (thanks a lot, kids), I have been able to see bands play here that would normally play a town 10 times this size. For the style of music that I like (“indie,” or whatever we’re calling it now), it was a long dry spell between the Jon Spencer show at Be Here Now (1997) and the White Stripes show at Vincent’s Ear (2000). Remember those days?
marc
Yes, the new owners of the Eagle (Brian and Jeff) have done alot for the place. Improving the sound system (new soundboard, new mics and most recently a new rack of amps to drive the speakers) and will continue to do more as money allows. If Indie rock is what your looking for than you are looking at the wrong place. The Grey Eagle has been bringing much more cutting edge stuff than the OP since Brian and Jeff took over. They have been trying to bring bands in that normally would play Atlanta then skip us completely and head on to Carrboro. Recent shows include national touring bands like The Black Angels (stellar!), Ted Leo, Explosions In The Sky (which was off the hook), Deerhoof, They brought Band of Horses here before the OP had ever heard of them (which subsequently lead to Band of Horses coming to Asheville’s own Echo Mountain to record their latest album, which led to one of Asheville’s own, Bill Reynolds, being picked by them to be their new bass player. Congrats Bill!). They have The Hold Steady coming up soon (a band which proves rock & roll is not dead yet!). They seem to take bigger chances on bringing great new bands to town, which may or may not bring a turnout. The Orange Peel is offering a bunch of ho-hum jamband music, and besides the Pumpkins the only thing worthwhile coming up on the calendar so far are The Fiery Furnaces. But you can go watch Carolina Star. I guess that is kind of supporting local….errrr, well I cant say it’s quite talent, but it is local something.
The Orange Peel does have it’s place, and the Smashing Pumpkins’ gigs are perfect for it. I’m happy they got those shows. There is a place like the Peel in every big city, and I’m glad it is here. Although I laughed at Steve Albini’s comment RE: the OP at the Shellac show (Thanks Grey Eagle!) last August, I have to disagree. We need the 1000 seat venue in town, just forgive me if I don’t go there much, I like to sit down.
But The Rocket Club is in full construction mode, we haven’t updated our website because we are too busy. We are expect to open in mid-late June, but as so many say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
I promise that we’ll do our best to serve all of our beer in glasses, keep the prices reasonable and remember that the locals are our life blood, both on and off the stage.
Hope to see you soon!
Ken
Serve a drink in under 10 minutes and West Asheville will come beating at your door!
marc
Great news regarding the Rocket Club Ken! So glad that things are moving forward. I look forward to hearing music there soon!
As the drummer for Menage, I can tell you that we hold no grudges against The Orange Peel. It’s just buisness. But the least they could do is offer us tickets! Playing @ Westville Pub will be great and you should come out and see us. July 1st – 9pm.
Peace!
we got tickets for SP, but im not all that excited its at OP. the sound system does suck if you stand in teh middle of the club, some moron must have put that system together. definately not a “premiere club” in the nation… and only the largest in asheville, definately not the best. ween at TWA was INCREDIBLE show, but the sound sucks there too. wish they would do something about that [there are things called bass traps that could make that place sound far better]. but i avoid OP if at all possible. i did catch part of a sonic youth show there until i went out for a smoke and ended up hanging out with too many friends out there.
anyway… there are better places for locals to play here over OP. no need to get panties in wads over being bumped for a band that can sell out 9 shows in less than a minute.
Those of you who are upset you didn’t get tickets, be glad you saved $20. I saw the Smashing Pumpkins at Lollapalooza and they were truly awful.
You can bet that at the heart of the matter, this playing 9 shows at two venues thing is all about Billy Corgan’s ego.
Re: Menage getting dumped: Yea, that sucks, and they totally deserve another booking at the Peel soon. But it’s to be expected once in a while, and life will go on. Consider this: if you were scheduled to host a party at your house for your nearby friend, but then a couple months out had the opportunity for a rare lucrative job that occupied your time for a 9-day stretch that included that date, would you not tell her/him you had to reschedule?
Re: Locals not getting a guaranteed # of tickets: Show me the rulebook that says we are entitled to that. Some forgotten city bylaw or something? Sure, it’s a neat idea that’s worth trying sometimes; but until you’ve experienced all that’s involved in booking a nationally-known band doing just 2 or 3 cities this year at your venue, don’t assume that’s easily done with the snap of a finger. Bottom line is, 1. it’s hard enough keeping a locally-owned biz of ANY kind alive; let’s not condemn them when they seize an opportunity that benefits many. 2. I can see the next argument that would come up: “Hey, I’m more local than you are!” 3. I bet you’d be bummed if the band you wanted to see in Knoxville was sold out only because they had X# of tickets for locals only.
Re: The OP not booking enough local bands: Again, show me the Official Quota that venues are supposed to adhere to. Gee, we should call Homeland Security on the Diana Wortham and the Civic Center for hardly EVER booking locals! Or is it that since the Orange Peel SOMETIMES books local acts, they should therefore book them some minimum # of times per week? Write City Council!
Re: the sound system and beer in plastic cups: Well, they’re pretty off-subject from the Smashing Orange Peel Debate, but, yes, I agree the sound isn’t great for acoustic acts there, and yes, they should definitely switch to glasses!
I have never liked the Orange Peel, bad set-up, bad sound, bum’s rush, etc. I long for the good old days when Be Here Now (Saw one of the best shows ever there–Cracker) was going along with a thousand other things…
Hey Y’all…wow, had no idea that being bummed about the bump would cause such a stir. We do understand that this is the BUSINESS and we are moving on and we are going to have a great show at the Westville Pub on July 1st. Things happen for a reason.
Sarah
Menage
I personally am looking forward to the venue the GARAGE AT BILTMORE that Chris Hart is putting together down next to the French Broad Brewery. Chris will undoubtedly be giving the Orange Peel and Greyu Eagle a run for their money. I have had terrible xperiences with the bouncers at OP and the GE seems to be only interested in making money these days via their hipster dufus booking schedule. I feel AVL still really lacks the musicians’ stage we are all looking for, and i think the Garage is what we are looking for. I will add that I have really enjoyed the professionalism at Thomas Wolfe auditorium which GE and OP sorely lack.
I have had disappoingitng experiences at both the Grey Eagle and Orange Peel. Orange Peel to me seems to have no interest in serving the community, and Grey eagle seems only interested in cornering their hipster dufus booking market. CHRIS HART is opening a seeminglly great new venue called the GARAGE at BILTMORE which should give both OP and GE a real challenge. Plus, Chris is a greta guy along with the good people and music that is always around their neighbor the French Broad Brewery. This should be an awesome place to see music. I’d like to add that Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is a place I love to see music for the professionalism of the staff and the support it gives to the local community.
i think there is a certain amount of “local pride” in asheville not present in other cities- and it’s one of the things i love about this town. we want to protect our locally owned businesses and unique downtown from big box stores and corporate chains.
it is the “locals” who make this place interesting- full of art, music and creative culture. we are at once both the patrons and proprieters- and so while we may not be entitled to tix, we are entitled to feel that we are. we make this place cool. together.
ps- i heard from an inside source that billy feels really bad about all of this, and he has been out supporting local businesses and out and about enjoying downtown- i think it is awesome- we have a lot to share. the OP could have created a lot of local love for themselves by thinking ahead…could have been a really good opportunity to improve their PR around here.
How could the OP have looked ahead? Name one venue in the entire nation that would set aside tickets for locals? What could they have done. TicketWeb is a national company that couldn’t handle the demands. From my vantage point, the outcry looks less like local pride and more like a bunch of people who have never been told “no” in their lives whining about not being able to do whatever they like.
But hey, if it’s local pride to allow people to whine and cry, then by all means do it. You are all special delicate little snowflakes.
i think pat whalen and the good folks at the orange peel – who are clearly taking the security at shows at least three steps too far – should explain why so many locals were shut out of tickets and that none would be held, only to find out that billy has 40-something tickets to each show and pat is personally calling local businesses with offers from a separate set of tickets…
I am really not concerned about missing the SP shows, but here is your one club– the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Big shows that they know will sell out fast– which they have quite a few of– they allocate tickets for sale at the box office specifically. 9:30, before it relocated to a new, much larger venue in the Jazz District in DC, was a much smaller club that was completely made by locals and centered around a local rock scene. They never forgot this. For whatever it is worth, I consider 9:30 to be a model of a fine venue. Many moons ago, I worked for the Flood Zone in Richmond, Va. We would allocate so many tickets for sale through a local record store, Plan 9 records. These really are not uncommon practices. Cheers.
Talk about not getting tickets… we had 2 tickets and were having a great time but the security there are a**holes and when some d*ck started shoving us, WE got kicked out “to avoid any fights”. So even if you got tickets, don’t count on seeing the entire show. I will never waste another dollar on the Orange Peel, they’re a joke of a club anyway. But the concert really was pretty good until I got drug out by some ego maniacal bouncer with something to prove. Good luck to everyone.
Happened to find this video on YouTube while searching for something completely unrelated to the Pumpkins. It’s from ten years ago, before internet access became widespread, but it shows back then for a small venue the Pumpkins were willing to limit tickets sales to cash-only, in-person with-ID, as a way to avoid both Ticketmaster and scalpers:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=HBni6CEk1Pg
feel entiteled and you shall receive- one of my clients scored tix from billy himself- and gave me two- still had to pay for ’em-
in response to brian, maybe they’re trying to make it right.
ps- me and my friends at static age are putting together a bunch of cd’s from local bands to give to the pumpkins to say thanks.
Seriously. Stop whining about not getting tickets… 20% of the tickets went to locals…50% of the tickets went to people living in NC…GET OVER IT. The whole Asheville mentality of local worship is really freakin annoying… So what if you’re local, that doesn’t mean that you are different than any other Smashing Pumpkins fan…it doesn’t mean that you’re any more deserving of tickets.
Anyone who missed out on tickets might want to consider seeing the Pumpkins at the “Fabulous Fox Theater” in Atlanta October 30 or 31st. Tickets for the 31st (Halloween) are already on sale according to the band’s website:
http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/tour