Who's Selling U2 Concert Tickets?
Thursday, April 21, 2005

THE ISSUE
Ticketmaster is not handling ticket sales to the general public for the Dec. 12 concert by rock superstars U2 at the new uptown Charlotte arena. What gives?

WE INVESTIGATE
The Charlotte Bobcats organization is handling ticket sales for all events at the new arena, which is scheduled to open in time for the start of the pro basketball season in the fall. Other area venues including the Charlotte Coliseum and Cricket Arena sell tickets through Ticketmaster, the nation's largest ticketing company.

The Bobcats were allowed to pursue their own ticket-selling arrangements as part of the agreement to run the new publicly funded arena, said Chris Weiller, the organization's executive vice president for marketing and communications.

The Bobcats are working with Paciolan, a California company that provides ticket services and software to dozens of colleges, theaters and pro teams. Paciolan's clients include UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, Duke University and the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

U2 tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Fans can get tickets on the Web at www.newcharlottearena.com, over the phone at (800) 495-2295 or at the Blumenthal box office at Tryon and Fifth streets. Tickets cost $49.50-$160.

(A limited number of tickets went on sale this week to members of U2's fan club who paid a $40 annual fee. Those tickets were sold through a pre-existing deal with Ticketmaster.)

The Bobcats will charge an added fee on each ticket. "We have the same back-end costs as Ticketmaster," Weiller said. But he promised the fees, which differ depending on ticket price and how they are purchased, should be less than Ticketmaster.

The Bobcats' online fee to buy U2's mid-priced tickets at $95 (yes, that's mid-priced) is $8.

Ticketmaster is charging an $8.25 online fee on the same ticket for the Seattle show, $9.05 in St. Louis and $12.25 in Denver. Ticketmaster is adding a $9.45 fee on $63.25 tickets to see Alan Jackson next month at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte.

Ticketmaster also sometimes charges an additional processing fee, such as $4.35 for Alan Jackson in Charlotte and $3.50 for U2 in St. Louis. The Bobcats aren't charging a second additional fee.

The Bobcats are using Blumenthal because the new arena box office is not open, Weiller said. The organization plans on selling tickets to future arena events at other undisclosed locations around Charlotte.

-- ANDREW SHAIN

Originally published in the Charlotte Observer