Redemption song
In which HP’s ongoing Out A Tout campaign produces some interesting results.
Kevin Sheeky, 16 Aug 2007
It always feels nice to bring someone in from the cold, to save a wayward soul, to drag someone back from the dark side. Or, as was the case here, to help a practising ticket tout see the error of his ways.
As part of the on-going Out-A-Tout campaign, Hot Press has been getting in contact with those selling tickets over their face value on eBay through our username ‘outatout’.
The questions vary, depending on our mood. “Where do you get your tickets from?” “How can you justify asking so much for a single ticket?” And so on...
The latter question was a particular favourite to ask touts selling tickets for Justin Timberlake’s ill-fated late-night gig in Vicar Street for two reasons.
First, on average tickets were being offered at the extortionate price of €200; and, secondly, the question contains a pun that amused us greatly (we’re easily amused).
As you might expect, responses were few and far between. But one particular email exchange proved to be very interesting.
‘Horseballs22’, as he is know on eBay, was selling two standing tickets to Justin Timberlake’s The Show After The Show (which was ultimately cancelled) at a starting bid of €380 (the original combined face value was €162.50 for the pair).
He was asked to justify the price – and whether he knew that selling tickets above face value is in breach of Ticketmaster’s terms and conditions, which might see the tickets being voided on any unfortunate purchaser.
‘Horseballs22’ responded: “Life’s a bitch. And to add insult to injury, I found out about the gig from Stuart Clarke from hotpress. Hahaha!!!”
Presuming this cheeky response was a reference to Stuart's appearance on Matt Cooper's The Last Word, I thought I'd have a bit of fun back. "Anyone charging that much for a ticket cannot be a real music fan," I said. "You are quite simply an opportunist of the worst kind. However, if you’d like to send me your name and phone number I’d love to talk some more about the subject.”
Page 1/3 <Previous 1 2 3 Next>
©Hot Press 2012. Why be a member? | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | About Us Jobs @ Hot Press