Jess Nelson The past couple weeks I’ve missed out on going to Kygo, Hayley Kiyoko, & Post Malone because the concert was sold out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any tickets cheap enough through my tips below to be able to go. HOWEVER, if I’m determined, I’d like to say I’m pretty good at finding tickets to sold out concerts. I’m going to give some helpful tips on how to try to track down a last minute ticket if the show is sold out WITHOUT having to splurge – most of the times being able to negotiate with the seller to pay less than face value. BOOM! You just saved yo’self some dolla bills, y’all.
My absolute FAVORITE place to search for tickets is Twitter. The great thing about Twitter is they have a search bar & you can literally search for any keyword or keywords to find tweets from people who would be selling a ticket or tickets to a show. For instance, if I were to try to search for tickets to Kygo, some things I would search are:
- “Kygo ticket”
- “Kygo tickets”
- “Kygo tix”
- “Kygo [concert venue]”
- “Kygo [date the show is]”
- “Kygo [city show is in]”
Also, if its the day of the show you could search “Kygo tonight.”
If you attempt this way, be sure to vet the seller first to make sure they have a ticket & are not trying to scam you. I would ask them to send you proof of the ticket & either meet them in person to get the ticket -OR- most ticket sites can let you transfer the ticket electronically. In the past when I have done this, I have also paid through Venmo to get the ticket transferred to me. I prefer a physical ticket so that you can meet them & make sure once you pay them you will get the ticket. Just make sure to be careful just so you don’t get scammed. HOWEVER, I trust this method way more than going & finding a scalper selling tickets.
I’m sure if you go to concerts often, you are aware of StubHub – it’s a website where people can resell their tickets to a specific show or event. It’s not just for concerts but that’s what I use it for. However, I will say that if there is a super high demand for tickets, StubHub would not be the place I would suggest. However, the great thing about utilizing this site is that they have a fan protected guarantee on tickets. This means that if you buy a ticket that is fake, StubHub guarantees to replace it with an actual ticket to ensure that you were not scammed out of your money & then still left without a ticket to the show (read more here). I’s genius & superb customer service. I found my ticket for Camila Cabello on there for $15 – it was quite magical. When looking for Post Malone tickets, though, people were reselling their tickets for around $150 (which is INSANE). I believe the base value was at least half of that. I unfortunately couldn’t afford that in this situation so had to miss out on the concert. It’s definitely hit or miss but sometimes if you wait until after doors open or the show begins, the ticket prices may drop so good to keep an eye out for that.
I’m not going to write too much about Craigslist – would give the same suggestions I would for StubHub to be careful & make sure to assess to legitimacy of someone selling a ticket. I will say that there are a lot of random resale ticket sites that post on craigslist & I never trust those. I would find an actual person selling tickets that you can meet in person to swap $$ & the ticket(s).
- Artists Facebook page
Along the same lines of Twitter, I’ve sometimes found that if you go to the artist’s Facebook page & go look at the visitor posts, there may be some people trying to sell tickets.
This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve discovered recently. Lyte is a website that ONLY sells tickets for sold out shows. Fans who want to resell their ticket can do so on Lyte & fans wanting to go to the show can purchase the ticket (as if the ticket is already yours) and if tickets open up right before the show begins, they automatically get sent to your email & BAM – you are going to the show! This is super last minute so if you try this, you’ll have to be prepared as if you’re already going to the show. I did this for Dua Lipa in Nashville before I moved to Denver & got my ticket (I believe) around an hour or so before the doors opened. No guarantee & they don’t have every single concert but if you check out their site, there’s a possibility they will have the show you’re looking for.
- Check the artists social media
Okay – I’ve noticed for some shows that if you pay attention to the artist’s social media, there are times they may give away tickets to a show (this includes the openers!). Make sure you pay attention to all social media for a chance to win tickets. Suggestion to turn on their notifications for Instagram & Twitter so you make sure not to miss a possible opportunity for a ticket or tickets!
- Check local radio stations for last minute ticket giveaways
Same as for the artist suggestion above but for local radio stations. Just make sure you know what they are!
- Ask the Artist
This is pretty straight forward but you can always try reaching out to the artist directly (tweeting or sliding into the DMs) or maybe finding out who their manager or management is & asking them for a ticket. This is definitely a LONG SHOT but it doesn’t hurt to just be bold & ask. You never know if they’ll see it & want to help you out.
That’s all for now, folks. Hopefully this can help you get in & where you’ll most likely be feeling that post concert depression after. BUT another tidbit is if you’re trying to negotiate your price with an individual seller, definitely start lower than the price point you actually are willing to pay so hopefully they will meet you in the middle.
**Please note, I am in no way responsible if you get scammed by trying one of these methods BUT, if you have any questions or want help, feel free to reach out**
