Essays - Three Tips for Concertgoers

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How to get in a concert for free

This one is for students and really broke people ONLY because those who can be supportive, should.

When going to a concert to which you have, or can possibly afford no ticket, a desperate and fun measure is as follows:

Generally the artist or conductor or whoever leaves a ticket or more under his or her name, for friends, at the „willcall" of the box office. A good idea is to get there a little earlier than the artists' friends and ask for the ticket under the artist's name. Like: „There should be a ticket for me under the name 'Muti'". Or perhaps, "I think Josh left me a ticket. Can you check under 'Bell'?" If there is not one, feign puzzlement and outrage, at which point the ticket guy will probably assume it to be an oversight and give you one anyway. If all else fails, announce huffily that you will check backstage and then go and have a drink.


How to get in at intermission with no ticket

If it is a winter month - pack up your coat and put it in a bag. When the ushers ask for your ticket, say that you just went out for a ciggy and that your ticket is in your coat, which is in the hall. If it is a summer month, try to get a program from someone who is leaving, and then conveniently not be able to find your ticket. Generally if you are holding a program they will let you "back in".

If you are a girl, say that your husband has it and that he went back in without you, or vice-versa for a guy. If that doesn't work, look upset and feign marital problems. "We just had a fight and I didn't realize he had my ticket still!!"

A good thing in these cases, is to somewhat know the lay of the hall. "I was sitting in 34F in the orchestra section!" If it is a high hall like Carnegie, make sure to say it is like the balcony or family circle because they are just not going to follow you up all those stairs.


How to get backstage if there are snotty ushers

A good move is to say that you are a relative. Depending on your age or the age of the artist/conductor, you can be an aunt, sister, son, daughter, uncle, whatever. The name won't matter if you think fast and say that your folks, or someone, was divorced and names got changed - if they ask. This will of course not work if you look like, say; me, and are trying to see Yo-Yo Ma or similar. In this case the in-law idea is generally pretty good, and if all else fails, I have found that the lost nanny thing (this being you, if you are a girl) is foolproof. No usher wants unattended kids in the backstage area. It is best to affect a foreign accent of some sort, and seem really distressed. Of course if there are people whom you actually know who are waiting to get backstage or anywhere near, this is a very foolish idea, unless you do it with such panache that all will be amazed.

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