One of the best pieces I’ve read in years. Thank you Nathan Hubbard. Case and point — the US Open just released it’s Amex Presale. There were ZERO tickets available that were not in the upper tier. How on earth did every ticket go sold in the “better” seats? I also have this issue all the time with buying Dave Matthews Band tickets.

I liked your idea of using a screening system for a certain type of fan. Meaning, I was in Las Vegas for a DMB show (opener was The Fray) a few years ago and I’ve been to 100+ shows. The entire first few rows were either empty of filled sparsely with non-DMB fans — folks who were given free tickets by the casino probably because they were high rollers. I have to imagine that not having anyone enthusiastic and excited in the front rows hurts the band’s stage presence as there is no energy being fed back onto the stage. If someone could build a legit screening system, those tickets can go to the fans who really care about the band. I guess the question is whether the band cares about the fans?