chaingunsofdoom

OK, so I have a few mins to post about the VIP "experience". First, yeah... it was around C$400 each. So LiveNation sent an email last week about going to their merch store, entering a code and then they will send us each a shirt and poster. OK. Only problem: no details on which shirt or poster. Ugh. Then late last week, we got the instruction email from them that Tiffany would be the VIP host, and directions on parking and ticket pickup. So it's now Wednesday and we are supposed to be there between 4:30 and 5. Get to the Dome and the parking is close and free (it would probably be around $20 for being that close). We go into the ticket pickup area and there are around 75 people waiting. By my count afterwards there were around 50 VIP ticket people total. We pickup the VIP lanyard, special souvenir ticket, TM ticket (which is scanned for entry), bracelet and green VIP bracelet. Wait for 5PM. They open up and after the briefest of purse/bag checks and no other security checks, we go to the Avison club (it is suite level for Hockey games so really swanky), lead presumably by Tiffany and a security guy. We can hear them sound-checking. But that's it. We get to the club area, and there's a mural setup for photos, and 2 buffet food lines. We pick a table and with the 4 free drink coupons order drinks. So all this time, no one has told us anything. At all. We eventually ask the waitress, and she says to help ourselves to the food (lasagna, penne, Caesar salad... it was good). OK, no problem. We finish eating, and have desert. Eventually Tiffany, I guess(?) comes around. We are told at 6 PM the general public can enter, but we can stay in the Avison area until 7PM. That's it. We go to buy some merch, trying to guess what they might have shipped-us, so we stick to 1 tee each. At around 6:30, we then decide to go to our seats on the floor. We get another wristband for floor access. We head to Row 4. Hmm, no one is in the first 3 rows. OK, weird. Some people start excitedly entering the first 3 rows. We hear from the ticket escort security guy that they are all transplants. From the boonies like 210, 208, etc. Someone was walking around and trading tickets. No idea who, or if this is done constantly, but they are mostly younger high-school aged kids/girls, so they were stoked. Insert amazing concert recap here. :) Hopefully this wasn't too boring to read. One last thing... the live effect of being 3 feet from the walkway and 10 feet from the stage all night is indescribable. The pictures however are mostly horrible. Why? The floor lighting. Every picture of CM has a white overexposed face unless the lights were low/off. I didn't even know what the stage floor looked until viewing the videos here, because we were below it. So would I do the VIP thing again? Sure, I think we got our money's worth, but only if they give more info up front next time.

Yay, tickets acquired at 10am this morning. :)

Finally got tickets yesterday. Had to use an online ticket service ($$$), but it was worth it for the second row.

Keiko... I got on to TM seconds after 10 AM. Best 2 available were in the 200's and way up in the back. Garbage. I gave them up to try different ones a few times and got nothin'.