Here in D.C., finding out when and where concerts are taking place can be harder than one would hope. Especially for those who are newer to the city (freshman, transfer students, recent coma patients), the District’s somewhat limited music scene can take time to figure out.
But never fear — The Scene is here to help guide you through this difficult time. With a little Internet savvy and determination, you too can be spending your nights in a mosh pit instead of studying. What is procrastination if not an opportunity in disguise? Though in the past we’ve provided you with the best venues to check out, these are all the important ways to actually get the tickets you need — no more huddling outside of will call, hoping there are a couple left.
Let’s start with the obvious: Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The two ticket-selling giants merged last year despite shady business involving monopoly laws and other legalese. While they claimed to be lowering prices by joining forces rather than competing, the fees are as high as ever. Still, they may be your best bet for buying tickets to big shows and finding out where and when your favorite artists are coming to town.
Set your pages on both to the D.C. area, and get on the websites’ mailing lists. Most of the time it’ll just be junk, but every once in a while you can spot a gem you can tackle before the show sells out. Big venues, such as the Verizon Center in Gallery Place, rely on this corporate monster to sell tickets for their events.
The tricky piece about relying on the Live Nation/Ticketmaster connection is that many venues in D.C. do not run through the pair. One of the hottest concert joints in town, the 9:30 club, has its own website for posting concert dates and uses a site called TicketFly to sell their spots. TicketFly hosts several of the venues in town including the more intimate Sixth & I Synagogue, as well as the larger outdoor Merriweather Post Pavilion. Not only can TicketFly cost significantly less than other websites, but it can also occasionally post concert dates before they’re even announced, making it a great source for discovering D.C. shows.
Other smaller venues such as Black Cat, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel and DC9 run through yet another website called TicketAlternative, another easy alternative to Live Nation/Ticketmaster for small-venue shows. The benefits are obvious — because these are smaller shows, they often charge lower fees.
Sure, it can be fun to go off campus for music, but what if you could have a concert right in your backyard? Yes, AU’s Student Union Board (otherwise known as SUB) hosts more than just B.o.B. every year. Several shows are held in the Tavern every semester, and there is usually one big Bender Arena show each year. To find out about these shows, it’s best not to rely on spotting a poster the week of the show. Instead, check out their Facebook group to find out first.
Volunteer opportunities for every show run on a first-come first-serve basis, so it’s worth it to hop on them early: they give you behind the scenes and early access to the show, and even get you in free to not-free concerts — in exchange for a little hard labor, of course.
Finally, your best bet is to keep your ear to the ground and watch your favorite artists like hawks. Not only should band websites have all their touring info, but following band members on Twitter gets you ticket information right when the artist knows it’s confirmed. You may end up sorting through a bunch of boring or drunken 140-character tweets to find the good stuff, but isn’t that what Twitter is for?
In the end, it’s up to you to find the music you like live in D.C. We here at The Eagle just hope this gives you a little push in the right direction, and helps you sort through the maddening hoops you sometimes have to jump through just to have an opportunity to enjoy yourself.
mhollander@theeagleonline.com
