Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
We've probably all heard this phrase and tucked it away in the mental "Yeah, right" file. Much the same as reports we have read about "THE TICKET MAN" (TM) who hands out tickets for the 1st and 2nd row of Elton's shows. Iowa City proved to be a venue perfect for tracking down the nefarious TM. A bowl shaped arena with one concourse ringing the top area behind the seats. My wife, my brother and nephew circumnavigated the arena probably 3-4 times when my brother nudged me and directed my attention to a slim gentleman, wearing glasses, short brown hair and WEARING A LAMINATED BADGE around his neck. I sidled over to him and listened to him calmly ask the two people he was conversing with if they would like seats down front. At last, I had located TM and after he calmly gave those other two people new tickets I said hello and pointed out my wife, my brother, my nephew to him. I explained (as calmly as I could) that my wife and I had traveled from Chicago, my brother and nephew had come from Omaha, this was my 19th time to see EJ, my wife's 6th, my brother's 5th or 6th and my nephew's 1st time. I pointed out my Oliver Peoples EJ Designer glasses and my EJ/Boy London watch. I challenged him to find another fan who was wearing more than $400.00 of EJ related clothing/goods. I told him I was aware of what he was doing and could he please find room for us "down there"? TM was concerned that I was NOT a repeat customer, had he done this before for me? I told him of his legendary status on the-22nd-row and that's how I knew of him and assured him I had never been "a customer" before. He calmly reached into his sportcoat pocket and brought out a pile of tickets. He began to look through them as I began trying to calm my shaking legs, after scanning through the tickets he had, and saying, "Well. I'm sure you don't want you view blocked by the piano, so these should be nice", he handed me four tickets in the 2nd row right in front of the piano !!!! I thanked him profusely and we giddily made our way to the 2nd row. Upon our arrival at the seats I was able to determine that except for a scattered two couples, everyone in the first 2 rows were beneficiaries of the TM and his operation! Just as the taped intro to the show began a slight rush to the stages' edge began. I wound up about 10-15 feet away from the bench that EJ calmly sat down upon and proceed to play Your Song from.
You have already the set list so let me recount my personal highlight: It was great to finally hear Skyline Pigeon in concert, Better Off Dead was my favorite, Carla / Etude leading into Tonight was beautiful. Friends.... at last, Written in the Stars - OK, much better than with Leann (EJ reconfirmed the 11/05 Aida premiere in Chicago before signing this), Recover Your Soul - much better not overproduced.
I took a whole roll of film and am anxious to see what came out. Good luck to all of you and really, TM does exist, it's up to you to find him. (Get there early though)
I must say Iowans are a pretty docile group, not much moving and/or shaking going on, to much corn I guess.
Scott I was wasted and worn out.
A day or two later, Scott wrote the following:
Upon further review and to add few more details about my experience on 03/06 I thought of these details that may be of some interest to you all.
As I previously recounted, I got tickets from the nice guy who gives out 1st and 2nd row tickets. He requested that we give him our old seat ticket stubs. This presumably, I speculate was to prevent us from turning around and selling the ducats to some other concert goer. The tickets were your run of the mill tickets we've seen issued by Ticketmaster with the exceptions that where the price of the ticket usually is was the amount $0.00 (indicating I believe comp seats) and for those of you savvy enough to notice, on the lower left hand corner of all Ticketmaster tickets is a date code that shows the date the ticket was printed, and these tickets were all printed on March 6th.(the "code" reads 9 Mar6). I would admonish anyone seeking this guy to be cool - no screaming, boisterous begging, outlandish antics, etc. He seems to prefer to "work" unnoticed, sort've like the Lone Ranger.
After reading a few other posts about Iowa City I thought I would add my perspective regarding being "so close". First off the raw performance by Elton was, well I simply can't gush like so many about this being the best ever, the greatest night of my life, etc., the piano playing was superb but at times it seemed to workmanlike. Precise yes, but inspired, grandiose, awesome - no none of these. Perhaps some of this was due to the lack of feedback from a crowd that simply put was uninspired. Feeding off the crowd in this instance would have led anyone to go hungry. I was looking for everyone to go nuts and rock out, swoon, and cheer when moved, but they simply didn't.
As to those fellow rowers in the first two rows. I wish I had known who you were. Maybe then I wouldn't have felt such anger at those of you that had tickets for front row seats wwwwwaaaayyy to one side of the stage or the other but who took their places RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME just before the show began. When I realized what was happening I got my brother, my wife and my nephew up and we stood up and moved forward, but to late and we were forced to spend the entire show with a row three of four fans deep in front of us even though we had 2nd row seats for the area right in front of the piano. These people shoved and pushed their way to the edge of the stage just like pigs to slop. After the everyone's relative positions had been established I was elbowed aside by an older woman in a black and white sweater who on the pretense of wanting to tell her friend by the stage something, simply stayed there for the entire show. Just moments before Elton appeared we had a usher check these peoples tickets and yes they were first row seats, albeit for extreme stage left, but the usher said as long as they were first row seats they could stay. So I hope that those of you that pushed, shoved or took the positions in front of everyone just before the show enjoyed yourselves at everyone's detriment. One lady even stated "Well, I'm in the Elton John Fan Club" and showed my wife her pin. BIG DEAL. I guess that is all the excuse she need for an overwhelming lack of manners. My wife, by the way is 4'11' so she saw very little of the show with you people in front of her, Thanks.
I hope Liz's' cousin and her friend weren't the two teeny boppers who showed up behind me about midway through the show. These two immature little girls took up position to my immediate left and rear and then proceeded to chat away and giggle with their squeaky little nasal voices until after three songs had passed and they still had not stopped their insipid little gab/giggle fest I turned around to one and said WOULD YOU SHUT UP! Which they did, finally. Great Elton fans.
As I finish, I reflect on Jim's article from the show he attended in Tinley Park last August. While it's a kick being up front, I missed the opportunity to let this concert wash over me both visually and musically. We didn't catch many of the synth parts playing over the speakers above, and also the echo effects were lost on us. There was no opportunity to sit back and enjoy because of people trying to bust in and push you back. The lighting effects and stage presentation was also hard to appreciate. We were close enough to watch Elton spit occasionally on the mike as he punctuated this or that - It was fun and agony all in one.
Your comments are welcome.
Scott
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