My DD's best friend's mom and I (follow all that?) decided we would surprise our girls w/ tickets to the Hannah Montana concert here in Charlotte in November (they're 7). Understand that they *LOVE* HM and watch the show faithfully, etc etc etc. My DH and I began trying at noon sharp - I was on the PC, he on the phone - and NEVER could get anything! I was trying to get 4 tickets, any price, anywhere, and NOTHING!!!!!!! Now I know the tickets had a pre-sale that started Tuesday, but this venue probably seats 20,000, and I find it D@MN hard to believe ALL those tix could have sold in 3 days! Especially when I did a Google search for Charlotte NC HM tickets and I got TONS of hits! From scalpers, liquidators... ALL a minimum of DOUBLE the face value of the tickets!!!! Whatever happened to the "good old days" when an average Joe - like me - had a FAIR SHOT of getting concert tickets???!?!? And come on - this is HM we're talking about, we're not talking about The Police, Rolling Stones.... This really upsets me. I'm glad I never told my DD what I was going to do, because she'd be absolutely devastated. I feel terrible enough just on my own.

Thanks for letting me vent about this. Since I'm unwilling to pay $175+ for $66 tickets, there's just no way she'll be going to the concert.

Suzanne

UPDATE at bottom of this thread

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

I tried this morning to get 4 tickets to HM for my kids and had no luck, either.

You'd think it was the freakin Beatles or something. This is crazy.

I'm sorry-I think it's rigged. We tried last year to get tix to an MLB baseball game played in our AAA field here. We had someone on the phone, one at the field box office, one on the computer, and one in line at the Ticketmaster outlet. NOTHING---everything gone in 17 minutes!!!!! Our friends had the same bad luck. Anymore, I think these tickets go to big corporations and scalpers.

I tried to get Hannah Montana tickets to the Target Center in Minnesota. And we had the presale code from the fan website.

Started looking for tickets the SECOND they went on the presale. NOTHING. I am not kidding. I tried every possible combination for over and hour and could not get anything. Then someone of the DIS boards said she was able to get ONE ticket. So I tried that, and I was offered ONE ticket in the far upper row of the balcony! Come on! This was one hour after they went on sale.

So anyway, I just wanted two tickets for my son and me and could not get anything during the presale. I tried again when the public sale started, and of course they were all sold out by then.

I then start looking on eBay. And there are sellers from ALL OVER THE COUNTRY who bought out these tickets in Minneapolis just for the purpose of reselling them! PISSES ME OFF! I know this is free enterprise, but dam*mit - I just wanted two tickets for this concert and because of all these people trying to make a fast buck, we won't be able to go.

I started messing around a little more on the 'net... Discovered that on Craigslist.com - people had started posting these tix for sale AUGUST 12th!!!!!!!!!!! A full MONTH before these went on sale! Now how the H*LL does that happen??!?!?!

And to add insult to injury - you can still BUY tickets to the Police here - IMO, a far bigger draw than HM. But - I don't want tix to the Police.. I only wanted to get tix for my DD and I, and her BF and mom, to see HM. It would have made these little girls' YEARS to do this.

This truly has ruined my weekend, and no, I don't feel I'm being ridiculous about this. And BTW - my DD is not spoiled at all. We've had a fairly rough year and this would have meant a lot to me to do this for her...

Suzanne

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

Just wanted to let you know--alot of times (for most of the concerts that I have been trying to get tickets to over the years) there are GOOD tickets available just days before they have the concert. "Back in the day" of N'Sync, we went to see them in Greensboro, NC and enjoyed the show, well...they did a second leg of the tour and came back around again (this time to Charlotte). I looked online three days before the concert and got 6th row floor seats!!! We could see them sweat!

Since then, just out of curiosity--I've checked for seat (and a couple of times, there were better seats available than what I got!). We just went and saw American Idol Live and they had some good seats left a day before (but....they were far from sold out the night of the concert!).

So--I KNOW the Hannah/Jonas Bros. concert will be packed at all venues, keep trying!! I bet they put more up (check everyday, if you can). Also...I know you want to get the seats together (DD and her friend w/the moms) but sometimes...it's MUCH easier to do two and two than four! You can hang out together right up until the show starts! It's not as much fun but.....

Hope you can find some tickets!! Good luck

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Mom to a beautiful 15 year old DD and my handsome little man who's 6!

~~~GO DALE JR!!~~~

Watch the newspaper as it gets closer to the date. Sometimes people aren't able to go. Also, check Ebay as tickets will end up there too. I've gotten tickets for less than I thought I would on Ebay for concerts. Supply and demand. Worth a try.

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Donna

I have always had luck going to a Ticketmaster located at a grocery store. It's been about 3 years since I went, but I'd get there about 30 mins before tix went on sale... the counter lady would ask what I what show I was looking for and she'd have it all ready to go when they did go on sale. I've gotten Madonna tix , Prince, and a lot of tickets for the various artists my dd's wanted to see... Wiggles, Aaron Carter, etc. They weren't always the best seats, but I got tickets none the less.

One time I went to a scalper for Prince tickets ( I saw him the first night and NEEDED to go back for round two the next night) and paid 3X face value only to find that the people sitting in front of me had just got tickets at the venue's box office right before the show for face value. So I'd definitely check with the Venue as well. Also, if you are willing to gamble on waiting, sometimes the scalpers get stuck with the tickets and let them go for face value or less at the last minute.... cause they need to get rid of it. It's a gamble though.

I find Ticketmaster's website a joke because I can NEVER get tickets through it - not for hot show, anyway.

Wow $66 is cheap, my friend called about tickets to take her DD and they were $125 apiece.

Yes, well, I can't begin to tell you where the $66 seats are... I was just going from the website which listed $66, 56, another amt and around $28 for lowest price.

IN MY OPINION, $66 should be for floor seats, $56 for lower level, the other amt for lower upper level and the $28 for nosebleed section. But hey, what do I know? I don't run a concert venue.

Thanks for the tips, guys. Although I will try your suggestions, I highly doubt I'll be able to get any tickets for this....

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

ahhh I remember my first concert
Duran Duran.
the tickets were about $15.00

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I have OCCD
Obsessive-Compulsive Coupon Disorder!!!

Ahhh Mama, no one thought that. Sorry this turned out to be such a bummer, I know you were excited to treat your sweet baby to an exciting event like that and feel like the scalpers/scammers ruined your chance.

But you know what, I think any thing that you plan for just you and her will be remembered. An afternoon of lunch and a movie and some Mama time might be better than Hannah Montana (whoever she is, my DD is only 5 mths, lol).

Chin up Mama, your DD knows you love her.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

HM is coming to KC in December. They did a bit on the news last night about this where the entire concert was sold out almost immediatly and you can find tickets online for $1200 each! BS - my kids love HM, but that isn't happening!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I highly recommend watching craigslist for your area for tickets. I was a dummy and did not get Lion King tickets when the show was here for about 6 weeks. I was able to get 2 2nd row tickets a week before the show. It worked out that someone who bought tix was not going to be able to use them and I got them for face value from her. She just wanted her money back. In fact I got the tix cheaper than if I had bought them...she charged me face for the tickets ($125 each) and did not ask for the service charge she had paid.

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TLJ ~ Women United in Spirit

This is true. A couple of years ago I wanted to see George Strait, however, hubby didn't. I checked and checked trying to find the ultimate seat in order to persuade him to go. When I first started looking, the pickins were slim. Closer to concert date better seats became available. I never did talk hubby into going. He loves George Strait music as much as I do, he just doesn't like the concert scene.

I, luckily enough, was able to get 3 tickets during the presale for the show. However, they were nosebleed seats and I paid....what I consider....a very expenisive price for seats that high. It ended up being close to $69.00 each with all the fees and such added. I was really mad because I thought with it being a presale that I would get fairly decent seats....wasn't expecting front row but I sure didn't think I'd be up that high. So I had it in my mind that come the weekend I would try again to see if I could possibly get better when they sold them to the general public. Now that was a joke....both my friend and I were on there the second they went on sale and could not get through. My friend had told me that she contacted Ticketmaster by phone a couple hours later and they told here they were sold out within 4 minutes. So now I am just thankful for the seats I got. I know that sometimes there is such a demand for the tickets that the venue will "release" more seats to go on sale closer to the concert so it's always a good idea to keep checking or even the radio stations will announce if they are putting more tickets on sale. Good luck to everyone with getting them!!!

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#1 Red Wings....Stanley Cup winners 2008

They have been having segments on the news every day about this! They now say that the Kansas City show sold out in 20 seconds. And, that's because all the brokers got them all. They're now online for up to $1800. The arena (the Sprint Center) she is performing in says it will investigate and go after unscrupulous brokers and the news channel is now asking for public opinion on whether the onling concert ticket sales system should be re-vamped. Ticketmaster says that they have not seen demand like this for a performance in years. My daughters would love to see her, but it's not happening here.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I sent an e-mail expressing my disappointment and frustration over how the ticket sales were supposedly handled Saturday AM. Here's his response:

Thank you for your interest in the Hannah Montana concert. Tickets for this event are completely sold out as you are aware of. This show is extremely popular around the country as many venues have sold out in a matter of minutes. The demand volume was simply much greater than the supply of tickets that were available. If you have any further questions please let me know.

Thank you,

Steve Young
Coordinator, Ticket Operations
Charlotte Bobcats Arena

*** This is such BS!! I basically told him that, but not in those words. If that were true, then HOW is it that there are a dozen sites full of HM tickets for sale, but all at MUCH MUCH more than face value?!?!? I responded to that e-mail by saying that I personally believed that most of the tickets were more than likely sold to brokers for further profit. I also told him that of the many friends, neighbors, acquaintances and family I have down here, I know of NOBODY that was able to purchase tickets for this event!

I'm still really furious over the whole thing. I understand people wanting to make a buck, but WHY for something like this, that's intended for 6-12 yr old kids???!?!?

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

Some people will make money anyway they can As some of the other posters stated you should just keep trying everyday because i've gotten tickets the morning of concerts..*shrug* don't know how to explain what they do ...

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"Never loan your car to someone you have given birth too"

Isn't this called "scalping" and isn't it against the law? If eBay is allowing it, wouldn't that be aiding and abetting a crime?

If you can get arrested for doing it outside a stadium, why can't one get arrested doing this online?

That's just SOOO wrong.

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It's illegal some places, some places it's not. I live in a suburb on the Kansas side of Kansas City, MO. In Missouri it's illegal but in Kansas it's not. Heck, in the mall there's a ticket store where everything is above face value. Depending on the event, they're outrageously above face value - totally legal here.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Event Ticket Resale Policy

eBay permits resale of tickets to entertainment events (including sporting events, concerts, and plays) to the fullest extent permitted by law. Ticket sellers are responsible for ensuring that transactions do not violate any applicable law. For information on specific state guidelines, please see "Additional Information" below.

So, unless the sellers location (state) is a state that it's illegal to scalp tickets (or sell above face value), you are out of luck. Even then, you would have to report the listings and keep reporting. If it's illegal to sell for more than face value, I do believe you can start a low bid and if the bid goes higher, then it's okay because you didn't *set* the price....the bidder did

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

OMG, what a loophole! More BS to inflame me! Thanks for posting that, sexysmurf, my anger is definitely not at you. I just really hate that this can be done AT ALL!

"Isn't this called "scalping" and isn't it against the law? If eBay is allowing it, wouldn't that be aiding and abetting a crime?

If you can get arrested for doing it outside a stadium, why can't one get arrested doing this online?

That's just SOOO wrong."

Yes, Ambrianna, that's what I wonder, too! In my youth, all my parents ever told me was about how you can get arrested for scalping tickets (we lived in OH - and I was not the one scalping, believe me, LOL). I just don't GET how these people can get away with this!!!!


Thanks to everyone who posted. I have taken your suggestions to heart, and - not to sound pessimistic - I will definitely keep trying, but I truly believe that I will wind up not getting these tickets. The bottom line is, even if others CAN and ARE WILLING to pay such astronomical, insanely high prices for HM tix, we just cannot afford it. And seriously, even if we could afford it... I just don't think I would fork over such money for the tix.

I'm just going to have to try and let all my frustration and disappointment over this go somehow...

Thanks, guys.
Suzanne

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

I too tried to get tickets to the Charlotte show. Tried at 12:00 noon when they went on sale and they said they were all sold out. An article in the Charlotte Observer yesterday said that some tickets are now selling for $2000 +

If people would not shell out these enormous amounts of money for the tickets than these "scalpers" would not have a job. I too am hoping to get tickets for my dd but will not pay above the ticket face value. If more people just would not pay the hight prices than there would be no money to be made. Wouldn't it be nice if someone got stuck with the hundreds of tickets they buy up so others can't.

It's really not eBay's fault. They aren't aiding and abetting.

Generally, if someone *owns* something, they have the right to do with it what they please. Destroy it, give it, sell it, paint it green.... and event tickets are no different. If someone owns one, and decide to sell it for whatever reason, they have that right.

eBay is a website whose business is based on people and businesses putting the items they own up for public sale, making them available to a much larger audience than a newspaper or radio. And while eBay does shut down auctions found to be illegal (if they know about them - there are millions of auctions at once, and eBay members generally self-police the site), they didn't knowingly assist an individual/business in attempting to sell something in an illegal manner themselves. They're just the venue.

I think the only ones really in a position to stop most of this is the concert venue that sells the tickets, and even then, they would have to WANT to. They'd have to find a way to limit the number of tickets any individual could purchase. That would have its pitfalls if a large group wanted to attend the function, especially if they wanted to sit together.

The thing is, though, that they probably like being able to say something sold out so quickly. It makes the venue look like the popular place to be. It gives the artist a big publicity boost to be able to say they sold out in 20 seconds.

It's a good thing none of us NEEDS to see a particular show or artist, since the few who are willing to pay so much for the limited opportunities that exist do prevent the masses from having that same level of access.

I thought event tickets WERE different. Am I crazy or can you get arrested for selling tickets to events outside stadiums/concert halls, etc?

If that's not scalping, then what is it?

v. scalped, scalp·ing, scalps

v. tr.

To cut or tear the scalp from.
To deprive of top growth or a top layer: land scalped by strip miners.
To resell at a price higher than the established value: scalping tickets to the baseball game.
To buy and sell (securities or commodities) in order to make small quick profits.

If what's going on at eBay isn't illegal, it SHOULD be. I don't have a daughter, but my heart goes out to these girls and mothers just HONESTLY trying to get tickets for themselves and maybe a friend or two! And to have these tickets going for over 2 grand? That's beyond horrible!

I really hope some organization steps in someday to STOP this.

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I found this on ticket resale: Information and Much More from Answers.com

In the United States, ticket resale on the premises of the event (including adjacent parking lots that are officially part of the facility) may be prohibited by law, although these laws vary from state to state and the majority of U.S. statehoods do not have laws in place to limit the value placed on the resale amount of event tickets or where and how these tickets should be sold. Ticket resellers may conduct business on nearby sidewalks, or advertise through newspaper ads or ticket brokers. Some U.S. states and venues encourage a designated area for resellers to stand in, on, or near the premises, while other states and venues prohibit ticket resale altogether. Resale laws, policies and practices are generally decided, practiced and governed at the local or even venue level in the U.S. and such laws and or interpretations are not currently generalized at a national level.

Another issue in the United States is that since ticketing laws vary by state to state, many ticket resellers use a loophole and sell their tickets outside of the state of an event. Therefore, a ticket reseller who is reselling tickets to an event at New York's Madison Square Garden is not subject to New York State's markup laws as long as the sale takes place outside of New York. The majority of ticket brokers in the New York metropolitan area have their offices in bordering states New Jersey and Connecticut for this reason.

Depending on the Ticketing body's conditions of sale, tickets may be cancelled, or the ticket holder refused admission, if tickets are resold at a premium (for a profit). This is so with Ticketek tickets (Ticketek is an Australian based ticketing company).

Online auction sites like eBay only enforce state ticketing laws if either the buyer and/or seller resides in the state where the event is taking place. Otherwise, there is no resell limit for tickets. This is unfortunate, as there are situations where tickets are sold on ebay for large amounts of money, and then the original owner of the tickets claims they were lost or stolen. The tickets are usually replaced, and the ebay bidder pays money for tickets that are now worthless.


I DO know that scalpers sell tickets for Rockies games (I live near Denver) ACROSS the street from the stadium in clear view of police so I am assuming they can do that in CO. Sounds like you just can't be on the site of the event and sell them

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

This was posted in the Kansas City Star today:

Ticket brokers break hearts in KC
By MONICA WATROUS
The Kansas City Star

You might have heard the collective breaking of some thousand prepubescent hearts this week.

If you don’t know why, grab the nearest tween and ask who Hannah Montana is. And be prepared to offer a tissue.

The Disney Channel pop star (real name: Miley Cyrus) sold out her nationwide tour in minutes Saturday morning, including her Dec. 3 stop at the Sprint Center. Now, hundreds of local disgruntled parents are stuck gently breaking the news (and, in some cases, a promise) to their kids. Many are not willing to drop serious cash for resale tickets, which originally sold for $26 to $56.

Denise Soliz of North Kansas City even considered traveling to Illinois, Oklahoma or St. Louis so her 10-year-old daughter could attend a concert. But she couldn’t grab a ticket to those shows, either.

Soliz said her daughter “was still talking about it last night. She said, ‘Mom, we got all excited. We were so happy we would get a chance to go, and it’s not fair.’ ”

The City Council received so many complaints about Sprint Center’s first two shows selling out that it is bringing in reps from Ticketmaster and the arena on Thursday and demanding an explanation at a public meeting.

The “Hannah” sellout happened in cities nationwide, but it is especially infuriating to Kansas Citians, who went through this last month with Elton John tickets.

But instead of Ticketmaster, many blame a faceless, omnipotent category: brokers.

Web sites such as stubhub. com and ticketsnow.com, as well as local businesses such as Tickets for Less and Ticket Solutions, resell tickets at inflated prices to turn a profit.

(This time around, Tickets for Less says it is not selling.

“We usually sell tickets above face value, but for a kids’ show, we feel people should be able to take their family at a decent price, so we didn’t even buy some,” said Nate Lennard, ticket sales manager.)

For the Hannah Montana show, brokers have posted tickets priced from $200 to more than $2,100 — each.

Typically, most brokers who advertise tickets before and shortly after they go on sale don’t have them in hand. They’re relying on fans who will buy as many seats as they can from Ticketmaster and sell a few — or all of them — to a broker for a higher price.

“When consumers see tickets advertised on resale sites the same day of sale, that doesn’t mean (the brokers) have those tickets,” said Bonnie Poindexter, spokeswoman for Ticketmaster.

Janet Hartsock of Overland Park, who tried to score tickets for her granddaughter, said her concern wasn’t over brokers but over corporate folks who might have secured tickets through the venue:

“For the Sprint Center to be a venue to the masses, and then an elitist group of people are able to get tickets, that doesn’t seem right. I’m sure an awful lot of girls throughout Kansas City are heartbroken because it’s not a level playing field.”

Ticketmaster said it couldn’t reveal how many Hannah tickets were held back for promotion and for suite owners. The Sprint Center also said it did not have that number.

“Only the show’s promoter can say how many tickets were allocated and sold,” said Shani Tate Ross, director of communications and marketing for the arena. The Star was unable to reach the “Hannah Montana” promoter, AEG Live.

Kansas City Councilman Terry Riley said Tuesday that he and other council members had received calls from frustrated constituents. He said the council has scheduled a public meeting about the matter at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

Ross said she would attend with Brenda Tinnen, Sprint Center’s general manager.

Some folks also suspect brokers also scored tickets through presales, available exclusively through the Hannah Montana fan club.

“They have to be able to do something to keep these brokers out of there,” Soliz said.

Ticketmaster maintains that unscrupulous buyers could not have snatched up all the seats within minutes.

Rather, Poindexter said, it is possible for a show to sell out quickly, simply through phone, Internet and ticket outlets.

As Ross from the Sprint Center put it: “Tickets went on sale, and then people bought them.”

The demand was really high! I can tell you that HM did have a pre-sale and if you really really wanted tickets, that was the way to get them, however, you had to pay a $30 membership fee for the code and there was a 4 ticket limit (that is the only way scalpers probably could have gotten them).

I know my daughter will get over it, it's not the end of the world - life will go on.

Guess we'll just stick to watching her on TV

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It's interesting you bring up the HM pre-sale.. I have two friends that were still unable to make a purchase doing the pre-sale. They figured they'd just try again on Saturday when tix went on sale to the public. I'm sure you know how that ended: neither of them got tix.

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Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. - Lemony Snicket

Here's a follow up from that article:
www.kansascity.com | 09/20/2007 | Ticket officials defend Hannah Montana sellout

Ticket officials defend Hannah Montana sellout

Sprint Center general manager Brenda Tinnen and Joseph Freeman, vice president and assistant general counsel for Ticketmaster, spoke at Thursday's City Council meeting.
Video from Thursday's City Council meeting on the Hannah Montana ticket furor
Have you worked in the ticket broker biz? Email us
Disgruntled Kansas City Council members demanded Thursday that Ticketmaster and Sprint Center officials fix problems leading to quick sellouts and heartbroken would-be concert goers.

Ticketmaster and arena officials said little could be done other than crack down on scalpers and “cheaters” who exploit the system. That didn’t satisfy council members who said they’ve faced constituents’ wrath this week while at the grocery store and restaurants.

“We are getting beat up everywhere,” Councilman Terry Riley said.

Anger over the quick sellout for Sprint Center’s inaugural show, Elton John, escalated this week as thousands of parents and grandparents failed to deliver on their promise to teenagers and tweeners to buy tickets to the upcoming Hannah Montana show. Some of those parents showed up at the packed council work session.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office said it is reviewing up to 20 complaints the office has received from St. Louis and Kansas City-area residents upset over the Hannah Montana sellout.

But Joseph Freeman, vice president and assistant general counsel for Ticketmaster, said it is a matter of supply and demand. And he said the business has not seen such demand for a performer since Elvis Presley.

Freeman said promoters could have filled Kansas City’s new arena “multiple times over.”

“Hannah Montana is a phenomenon,” said Sprint Center general manager Brenda Tinnen. “This is happening across the country.”

Because of the stage configuration that the Disney star chose, only 11,000 tickets were available compared to 18,000 seats for a basketball game or 17,000 for the upcoming Elton John show. Also, the Jonas Brothers are the opening act and they are popular with teenage girls and boys.

Of the 11,000 tickets available for the Hannah Montana show, only 4,000 were made available to the general public when they went on sale Saturday, officials said. Another 4,000 were sold before that to fan club members, and the remaining 3,000 went to the performer, suite holders and others.

Ticketmaster maintains no tickets were set aside for brokers. There are problems with cheaters, Freeman said, such as brokers hacking the system to gain access to the special fan-club code. He said Ticketmaster works aggressively to stop its system from being hacked and works with law enforcement officials on the issue.

“We really have to figure out a way to deal with the problem,” Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs said.

Among the parents at the council meeting was Connie Cavaliere-Webb, who has two disappointed daughters who could not secure tickets through either the fan-club sale or the general public sale. She said promoters should schedule two Hannah Montana shows in Kansas City to meet the demand.

“They could do two nights or do it at Arrowhead,” she said. “At Arrowhead you would need binoculars but I am game for it.”

She said she is considering trying to get tickets to the San Diego show and flying out for that where she has relatives.

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