Backstreet Boys prices zoom

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Sep 12, 2099 Source: The Tacoma News Tribune Submitted By: Sarah H Tacoma Dome tickets offered on Internet for up to $550 a pair Stephanie Simons; The News Tribune Officially, tickets to the Oct. 26 Backstreet Boys concert in the Tacoma Dome sold out a half hour after they went on sale Aug. 14. But if you're willing to pay as much as $550 for a pair of tickets that originally sold for as little as $30 apiece, well, you still can get into the show. Internet auction site eBay (www.ebay.com) has a half-dozen pairs of tickets still available at prices ranging from $100 to $550. Already, more than 30 pairs have been sold at prices ranging from $170 to $660. A pair of eighth-row Tacoma seats listed at $800 went unsold, but fans paid more than $2,025 for front-row tickets to a Philadelphia show by the hot young pop group. Representatives of the U.S. attorney's office and the state attorney general said they weren't aware of any laws against selling tickets for more than their list price, via the Internet or otherwise. In Tacoma, it's a misdemeanor to sell a ticket for more than face value, said Robin Jenkinson, city attorney (and mother of two Backstreet Boys fans). But the city has not addressed the issue of Internet-brokered sales. Legality aside, there are other risks. "Whenever you buy a ticket from anything other than the licensed agency that is contracted to sell tickets ... you're putting yourself in serious risk of buying a counterfeit," said Tim McGrath, spokesman for Universal Concerts, which is promoting the show. Universal recently dealt with a spate of fakes at the Gorge, which it runs. "The duplication quality is incredible, and it's something the untrained eye can't see," McGrath said. Melissa Pancner of Spokane had the high bid - $550 - on a pair of second-row tickets Friday afternoon. She's not a fan, but her 8-year-old daughter is. "I am not worried that the tickets may be fake," she said via e-mail. "I have purchased items on eBay before and frequently sell items there. From time to time I have had minor problems with people on eBay, but I can usually judge a transaction by the feedback of the buyer or seller." And in the case of the tickets, her seller has a gold star, an eBay icon that means reliability. Pacific Northwest Ticket Service is among the brokers advertising Backstreet Boys tickets for sale in The News Tribune. The owner refused to comment about, well, anything. But their prices ranged from $85 to $400 per ticket. "The demand for the Backstreet Boys is phenomenal," McGrath said. He compared it to Bruce Springsteen, who recently embarked on a long-awaited reunion tour with the E Street Band (but has yet to announce a show in the Northwest). Tickets to Springsteen shows in cities like Chicago, Boston, Detroit and Philadelphia went for closer to $100 and $200. 'N Sync, a group that has battled the Backstreet Boys for heartthrob honors, had tickets that went unsold at $50. The Tacoma show comes in the middle of the Backstreet Boys' 41-city tour, which wraps up Dec. 2 in Tampa, Fla. McGrath said it was unlikely the Boys would add another Tacoma show to their tour itinerary, a sentiment echoed by a Maggie Wang, an LA-based spokeswoman for the band. "They can only do so many shows," she said. © The News Tribune 09/11/1999 Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnanz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: Rock Stars, Celebrities Clash On Ropes Outside MTV Video Awards Prev Item: EYC Confirmed as an opening act for the "Into The Millennium" tour