Here's something you might be interested in.
I have a friend. I won't say her name, in case she reads this. But, it rhymes with Ronnie.
So often we plan to go to concerts, and she flakes out on me. Often times, it's not a big deal, because I have other friends going, too.
I hate nothing more than having one friend, who wants to meet at the venue, and they don't show up. My buddy Dave does this often. And, once somebody does that a few times, you're an idiot to count on them (like George W. Bush said...."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.....We won't get fooled again! No, no....")
I often get free concert tickets. So, I had a pair to see Ben Jelen at Brick by Brick last night. A great singer/songwriter, who has been working with Linda Perry (former 4 Non Blondes singer, who writes songs for everyone now, like James Blunt and Pink...although, she's now suing for $4 million dollars, for money she's owed from Blunts record label).
So, I get a pair of tickets to see Jelen. My friend "Ronnie" wants to go, and asks if I could score another pair of tickets. I email the record label. Which, already I hate doing. For a couple reasons. First, I seem like one of these weasley writers, that just wants free stuff. In fact, the label already knows, I'm not even going to be covering the event for the Reader.
Second, the cover was only $10. But, I sent the email, got the extra pair of tickets, and then "Ronnie" decides she can't go.
My sister is in town from Northern California. She then expressed interest. But, her new boyfriend got poked by a rose bush, and they think it got infected, and they spent the evening in an emergency room.
Whatever.
I remember getting four free tickets to a big concert about 8 months ago. I knew I was taking a date, and so I called everyone of my friends, and offered them the second pair of tickets. Of course, every friend wanted them. And I told each friend, "Well....sometimes you flake out. So....on the day of the show, if you're good to go, they're yours. But, I told other people, too."
And, sure enough...the day of the show...one friend has a wife that doesn't want to go. Another friend can't find a babysitter for his kids, but he really wants to go. A divorced friend tells me it's his weekend with his kids. Someone else tells me they have car problems.
But, since I had told so many people, I did have one set of friends that were able to make it, and were stoked about the tickets.
And, this made me realize, that when movie studios do those film previews, this is why they overbook.
I went to a screening of Juno that the Reader had, and someone in line told me that a week or two earlier, there was a screening for some Will Smith film, that people were turned away from, since so many showed up. But...it's because, if they just give out the amount of free tickets that they have seats for, 20 people will show up. They feel, and I now agree, that if they give 100 more than they have seats for....it'll be about right.
I have a friend. I won't say her name, in case she reads this. But, it rhymes with Ronnie.
So often we plan to go to concerts, and she flakes out on me. Often times, it's not a big deal, because I have other friends going, too.
I hate nothing more than having one friend, who wants to meet at the venue, and they don't show up. My buddy Dave does this often. And, once somebody does that a few times, you're an idiot to count on them (like George W. Bush said...."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.....We won't get fooled again! No, no....")
I often get free concert tickets. So, I had a pair to see Ben Jelen at Brick by Brick last night. A great singer/songwriter, who has been working with Linda Perry (former 4 Non Blondes singer, who writes songs for everyone now, like James Blunt and Pink...although, she's now suing for $4 million dollars, for money she's owed from Blunts record label).
So, I get a pair of tickets to see Jelen. My friend "Ronnie" wants to go, and asks if I could score another pair of tickets. I email the record label. Which, already I hate doing. For a couple reasons. First, I seem like one of these weasley writers, that just wants free stuff. In fact, the label already knows, I'm not even going to be covering the event for the Reader.
Second, the cover was only $10. But, I sent the email, got the extra pair of tickets, and then "Ronnie" decides she can't go.
My sister is in town from Northern California. She then expressed interest. But, her new boyfriend got poked by a rose bush, and they think it got infected, and they spent the evening in an emergency room.
Whatever.
I remember getting four free tickets to a big concert about 8 months ago. I knew I was taking a date, and so I called everyone of my friends, and offered them the second pair of tickets. Of course, every friend wanted them. And I told each friend, "Well....sometimes you flake out. So....on the day of the show, if you're good to go, they're yours. But, I told other people, too."
And, sure enough...the day of the show...one friend has a wife that doesn't want to go. Another friend can't find a babysitter for his kids, but he really wants to go. A divorced friend tells me it's his weekend with his kids. Someone else tells me they have car problems.
But, since I had told so many people, I did have one set of friends that were able to make it, and were stoked about the tickets.
And, this made me realize, that when movie studios do those film previews, this is why they overbook.
I went to a screening of Juno that the Reader had, and someone in line told me that a week or two earlier, there was a screening for some Will Smith film, that people were turned away from, since so many showed up. But...it's because, if they just give out the amount of free tickets that they have seats for, 20 people will show up. They feel, and I now agree, that if they give 100 more than they have seats for....it'll be about right.