Hey, Everyone!
Concert season is finally upon us—Yay! I love seeing all the excitement and camaraderie as you make your plans to attend concerts in your areas. It’s what this website is about: sharing the love of life, friends and Il Volo. 😀
But, this time has also brought up lots of questions for everyone, and going through e-mails and reading the comments here have brought out a few trends that we’ve decided to try to tackle for you—a “How To” of concert going if you will. Hopefully, we can answer some of the most common questions in a way that is helpful for you.
Are there any exceptions to set rules/requirements re: buying tickets and Meet and Greet Passes?
Here, I have to refer you back to our post, “When it Comes to Tickets.” We are flattered that you have so much faith and trust in us and the information that we can provide, but there are some things that we can’t figure out either. What we can say is that from everything we’ve seen this year, it’s been a little bit haphazard in the way that things are handled. It seems like each venue is doing something a little different than another, and information as to how that has been decided or even where to find it has not been forthcoming.
Our best advise: call the venue of your choice and try to find out the information directly. If that doesn’t work well, public sales of tickets will be starting soon, and following Ticketmaster’s website will give you an idea when that is. Also check http://tix.concertmaps.com/ilvolo/ for requirements for Meet and Greet passes. It is a guess that PBS seemed to get first dibs on those, and their requirements and pricing levels are different as they try to raise money for their respective stations. Requirements tend to change for commercial buyers.
And continue to use each other for tips and information. Word of mouth from someone that’s been here and done this is the best way to navigate the uncharted territory.
I would like to meet up with other members of the crew and maybe share travel expenses. Is there a way that you can help facilitate that?
Honestly, we’ve gotten this suggestion more than once, and we can see the appeal of that. It is very appealing to be able to share the experience of an Il Volo concert with fellow Il Volo lovers who “get it” and not just people who are tolerating us good-naturedly, and if they can help off-set the expense, that’s even better. Oh yeah; we get it.
But in this online age, we have to consider the safety of such a proposition. In addition, we live in a very litigious society, so we have to consider the legal ramifications for us as a website if we actively endorsed and facilitated such ventures and things didn’t work out. When coupled together, we feel that the risk is too great for us as a website and individually as officers to set aside space here and to help facilitate partnerships between readers for this purpose.
If you still feel like this is a situation that you would like to try, that is a decision that you can certainly make for yourself. We have a different group of readers here than the average website, I know, but there are a few things I would like to caution you regarding if you choose to meet up with an online friend. This list is based solely on my personal experience and from hearing the experiences of friends who have met up with other online friends for trips, and is not meant to be exhaustive or to take the place of good sense and your own judgement regarding your safety.
1.) Get to know each other a little bit before meeting up. I know it seems like we’re one big happy family while we’re here on the website, but we are functioning in an online capacity, and that person with whom you have good chats here might not make a good roommate. Trust me; I found that out the hard way. Whether it be email, phone calls or something like Skype, use the modality you feel most comfortable using to take some time to get to know the other person outside of Il Volo.
Do they snore? Do they like to get up early and turn on all the lights and disrupt your sleep early in the morning? Maybe take 2 hours to get ready? A 30 minute shower? Do you have anything else in common? I know some of those sound funny, but they were things it would’ve been good for me to know about my roommate ahead of time. Basically, ask all the questions you need to ask of each other to feel safe and comfortable.
2.) Make all decisions together and get everything in writing. Email is key for my friends and I when we make plans. We discuss what the plan will be; who is responsible for which aspects of the trip; how it’s going to be paid for; when the deadlines for payments are; if we all like the same hotel; if everyone is comfortable with the costs and prices being proposed—anything and everything related to making the needed arrangements. Once all the plans are agreed upon, and the services are paid for and confirmed, everyone gets a copy of the confirmations as proof of the reservations and the final costs. And we save all of those e-mails to protect ourselves and–in my case–for information for my mother as well. It gives her great peace of mind to know where I’m going, who I’m going with, when I’m supposed to get there and how to get a hold of me if no one can get in touch with me on my cell phone.
3.) Be clear about money. We all know how money can mess up a good thing, so as uncomfortable as it is too talk about, make sure there are no questions from anyone going in. My friends and I like to pay for things up front versus waiting to exchange cash/checks/money orders later, but protecting banking information is very important online. We like to use Paypal for monetary transactions, as they serve as a “middle man” so that no banking information has to be exchanged between parties.
4.) Listen to your gut. Like I said, I know we have a very level-headed group of people here, so I’m sure this point is a given, but it bears saying anyway. If at any point, something inside you says, “This isn’t safe,” or “I’m not comfortable with this,” run with it.
OK. One more item…
We need a badge or a name tag so we know when we’re meeting another member of the crew.
Well, you guys are in luck! We heard you, and Marie designed a badge that we are offering for free just in time for this year’s concerts. Look for “Flight Crew Badge” on the left side of your screen.
Has this been helpful? Let us know in the comments below. 🙂
~~ Kelly
EDIT: JUST RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM ILVOLOMUSIC.COM!! Thank you, Michelle, for sharing it!
Hello fans,
Il Volo will be touring the United States and Canada during the month of June! As an Il Volo subscriber, you have the opportunity to be the first to find out about pre-sale tickets and Meet & Greet Packages for Il Volo’s upcoming shows!
For the dates listed below VIP Meet & Greet Packages will be available to you before tickets go on sale to the public here:
6/6 Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery Coming Soon
6/7 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre VIP sales begin 3/26 at 10am
6/9 San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s VIP sales begin 4/1 at 10am
6/11 Buffalo, NY – Kleinhans Music Hall VIP sales begin 4/2 at 10am
6/13 Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap VIP Sales Begin 3/26 at 10am
6/14 Stamford, CT – Stamford Center for the Arts Palace Theatre VIP on sale NOW
6/19 Detroit, MI – Freedom Hill Amphitheater VIP sales begin 3/20 at 10am
6/20 Elgin, IL– Festival Park VIP sales begin 3/20 at 10am
6/25 Westbury, NY – Theatre at Westbury VIP sales begin 3/24 at 10am
For the dates listed below tickets and Meet & Greet Packages are NOW available via the respective links below:
6/5 Modesto, CA – Gallo Center for the Performing Arts TICKETS Meet & Greet
6/15 Newark, NJ – New Jersey Performing Arts Center TICKETS Meet & Greet
6/17 Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center TICKETS Meet & Greet
6/21 Milwaukee, WI– Milwaukee Theatre TICKETS Meet & Greet
6/24 Toronto, ON – Roy Thomson Hall TICKETS Meet & Greet
6/26 Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center TICKETS Meet & Greet
*** To buy VIP Meet& Greet Packages for Modesto, Newark, Nashville, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Philadelphia please click here now!