The Changing World of Concerts

There are very few things that can get me out of bed early on a perfectly lazy Saturday morning, but a John Mayer concert is one of them. In this case, the event was not the actual concert, but the start of ticket sales for John's winter tour to promote "Battle Studies," his new album scheduled for release this coming Tuesday.

In some ways, the changes in the music industry in the last 5-10 years have been great. For instance, getting 12th row floor seats (which I did), used to require camping out all night outside a record store with a Ticketmaster vendor, or calling and waiting on eternal hold. The Internet has changed all that, and I was able to make my purchase in just a few minutes from the privacy of my home in the comfort of my PJ's. Of course, I had to pre-order the album through John's website to get the special code to give me access to buy tickets before they went on sale to the general public. This was no sacrifice since I would have purchased the album any way, and loyalty buys you insider access in today's music world.

But the newest evolution in the concert going experience is NOT one I like - PAPERLESS TICKETING. You heard me. I bought two tickets to John's show March 26th in San Jose, CA, but I will not receive any actual tickets. Huh?

Apparently the process works like this:

• You get an e-mail from the vendor confirming your purchase.
• You show up at the venue at the designated date and time, with the rest of your party.
• Your credit card gets swiped at the entrance to the venue, which accesses your purchase record.
• They let you in.
• You proceed to enjoy the show.

Yeah... So let's think through this and discuss the positives and negatives.

Reasons Paperless Ticketing Could Be Cool

• No worrying about getting all the way to the venue and realizing you left the tickets in your other purse at home.
• Great way to beat the scalpers!
• It's more environmentally friendly.
• Easier to scam open seats that are closer than yours since the ushers can't check your ticket and make sure you're in the right seat.

Reasons Paperless Ticketing Sucks Big Time

• See reason #3 above - how do I know some loser from the 300 level isn't gonna steal my seat and lie about it?
• If the other people in your party are stuck in traffic, running late, or just generally rude and not on time, you're stuck with the choice of waiting outside the venue and being a good friend, or ditching their butts so you don't miss the show and ruining a friendship.
• How secure is my credit card info? Do I want every minimum-wage usher with a scanner having access to me?
• What happens in the event of an emergency and I can't go to the show? I can't sell or give my ticket to someone else, so I just lost a not insignificant amount of money.
• What am I gonna put in my scrapbook? I have NO memento of the event! Which means I'll be spending MORE money at the merch stand for a t-shirt...

OK, I tried to be objective, but I don't think I'm gonna like this process. Come back in March and I'll let you know how it all turned out. John, it's a good thing I love you....