How do I maximize my chances of getting Replacements tickets?

February 20, 2015 5:51 AM

Tickets for the Replacements' Chicago shows go on sale at 10 AM CST. I'll be pounding away at my keyboard, but are there any tips or tricks to maximizing my chances to get tickets before they sell out?
posted by bdk3clash to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Not really unfortunately (afaik). You could possibly increase chances by having multiple devices and Browsers (phone/tablet/laptop/desktop) primed at 10am. then start clicking those buttons. At least hopefully 4 times the chance (unless they only allow a single request per IP at a time, but doubt that).. good luck, very jealous if you get them, wish they'd come over to Ireland!!
posted by twistedonion at 6:14 AM on February 20, 2015

If you can show up to the Riviera in person (maybe a little early), you're more likely to get tickets. Nobody really camps out anymore, but they keep tickets on hand. Otherwise, multiple devices and hope.
posted by dinty_moore at 6:27 AM on February 20, 2015

An auto-refresh add-on for your browser, which refreshes the page at user-determined time intervals, might be helpful.

You might also like to use an app like the Bandsintown app, which I believe can be configured to give sound notifications when tickets go on sale. Certainly when I clicked on the 'Tickets' link on the website you linked in the FPP, I was taken to the app's page in the Google Play store. So: worth looking into.
posted by Quilford at 6:33 AM on February 20, 2015

Yeah, multiple devices/browsers is a good way to go. If you can get any friends to sit on the phone with you while working their own multiple devices/browsers (so you don't accidentally both buy tickets and end up with twice what you need), so much the better. Toughest ticket I ever scored was Tom Waits at the Beacon Theater in New York and we had three agents in three different time zones hammering Ticketmaster at the same time. One of us got in and the other two came up empty.

I haven't bought tickets at the venue in years, but if Dinty Moore is right, that might be something to consider--all the better if you have a remote helper who can try online ticketing if you come up empty in person for some reason.
posted by Mothlight at 7:10 AM on February 20, 2015

Response by poster: If you can show up to the Riviera in person (maybe a little early), you're more likely to get tickets. Nobody really camps out anymore, but they keep tickets on hand. Otherwise, multiple devices and hope.

Stupid job ruining everything again.
posted by bdk3clash at 7:24 AM on February 20, 2015

Multiple devices/browsers and, if you have any friends who can also try, have them try. We saw them in St Paul last year and they did multiple pre-sales. Each one sold out in a matter of minutes. That show was at a baseball stadium. I hope you're on right now hitting refresh because you won't be able to get any tickets if you're not on right at ten. Good luck!
posted by whatideserve at 7:59 AM on February 20, 2015

The whole ticketing system is rigged against you. Most tickets are already allocated before you even think about purchasing online or even in person. I would try to get them right at 10, but be prepared to have to buy them from a broker or secondhand on StubHub or something after the fact.
posted by cecic at 9:19 AM on February 20, 2015

If all else fails, make sure you latch onto the Replacements' social media presences. I was able to defeat the odds and get a last-minute ticket for my wife (a friend who was plugged into early ticket sales through a local radio station had already hooked me up) to their St. Paul show by looking at Twitter at exactly the right time to see that they'd released an extra block of tickets two days before the show.
posted by the phlegmatic king at 9:37 AM on February 20, 2015

Response by poster: Tickets were insta-sold-out, but I ended up buying tickets for their show on Saturday, May 2nd in Milwaukee.

Thanks for all the tips!
posted by bdk3clash at 12:43 PM on February 20, 2015

Hi, I am a little late on this, but while I was sweating in line (online) to get tickets for their SF show (got 'em!) my friend sailed right to the front with the LiveNation app. A little advice for next time!
posted by Duffington at 12:51 PM on February 20, 2015