Scalpers: Not PTH Approved
 

We’re about two weeks into the Silverstein “Chillers” tour and things are quite the opposite in Florida right now. The sun is shining, the sky is clear and the van is anything but chilly. It might be purely coincidental, but it seems the warmer weather, the more willing people are to come out to the shows.

The last couple nights were sold out, and there seems to be even more people than usual outside the venue desperately looking for tickets. Last night, maybe 10 or 15 people came up to me asking if I had any extra tickets or if I could sneak them in. With such a high demand for tickets comes a stronger presence of scalpers, who, in my opinion, are the scum of the earth.

Initially, many people might think scalpers are cool: just business savvy dudes that understand that if people really want something and you’re the only one who has it, they’ll be willing to pay more for it. In theory, I, too, like that concept a lot.

In fact, almost everyday, I find a way to “trick” someone in my band to pay me more for something I have. But the thing is, when you’re selling a $15 ticket for $150, I think that’s taking advantage of the situation. If you’re offering a service to someone, at least be reasonable about the cost.

Think about it, let say on an average night a scalper sells 20 tickets for $25 more than they paid for it. Let’s say they get to the show an hour before doors and sell their tickets in 2 hours. That means there making $250 an hour.

That’s a hell of a lot more than I make, so that’s when I start to get mad. That’s when I realize that these scum suckers are making a better living than me (and maybe even you) for doing something so slimy. This is when I realize that fans who spend $25 more for their ticket, have $25 less to spend on merch, which is where bands really make back their money. These same ticket buyers (if they’re of legal drinking age), are going to spend $25 less at the bar that night and that’s bad, too, because we’ve found drunk people seem to like our music more than sober people.

The point is, scalpers that take advantage of people who are just trying to make an honest, hardworking living deserve to be told to their face that they’re no good worthless pieces of shit. And here’s what I’m going to do about it:

Next time I see a scalper selling tickets I’m going to tell him just that. I’m going to tell him that he shouldn’t be doing it and if he has a smaller beard than me, maybe I’ll tell him I’ll kick his ass and steal the tickets from him. I’ve never actually been in a fight, but sometimes I think if I act intimidating maybe I won’t have to follow through with my claims.

Or better yet, maybe I should buy some tickets for upcoming shows, stand right beside the scalpers and sell my tickets for what I paid for them. If business is about the best price, guess who’s line is gonna be longer?

++Each week, Protest the Hero's Tim Millar (guitars/vocals) and Arif Mirabdolbaghi (bass /vocals/lyrics) will be offering dispatches from the road. Check back next week for more random information!++