From the Bossman by Allan Sko
Tickets! Geeeeeeeeeeet your tickets! (PLEASE)
As wide-eyed gig-goers and spectacle-sporting theatregoers, we Canberrans are a lucky people. Despite sporting a population the equivalent of an English hamlet, we have a staggering amount of entertainment options.
Sure, we miss a lot of the big shows to the twinkling charms of our ne-er-do-well big brother Sydney, but per capita, we’re doing pretty damned well (plus, it doesn’t take us two hours to get to work every day, so there). ⬅⬅⬅ here
This is all, of course, A Good Thing.
Not only are we spoiled for range and quantity, but we can also bask in the laconic glow of taking our time buying a ticket.
Unlike Sydney – where many a show will see panicky punters bringing on RSI by frantically refreshing the ticket-purchase page from the minute the already-sold out show goes on sale – we can relax and take our time, often not deciding until the day-hell, until half an hour before the show! – if we want to go.
And O! How we LOVE to luxuriate in this. We take pride in our ability to NOT buy pre-sale tickets. “We’re Canberra, baby! Relax! I’m definitely going, but I’m like, you know, just biding my time.”
We’ve turned it into a national sport, and we’re going to gold. So good are we, in fact, that we are renowned across the land as non-ticket-buying.
This, however, is A Bad Thing. Actually, it’s worse than that… hold on, let me just that capslock keY AHHH! THERE WE GO! AHEM…
A BAD THING.
While the lack of buying pressure can be seen as a seemingly positive thing for the punter, it is incredibly hurtful not just for the show and its stakeholders but also for Canberra Entertainment and you, the delicious punter.
Allow me to explain.
As you laze in ticket-buying ambivalence, elsewhere everyone to do with the show – promoter, venue, managers, labels and, of course, the talent – will be sweating bricks.
Money, time, travel, heart, and soul have been poured into this event; it’s a volatile creature with sway over both bank balance and psyche.
As an erstwhile promoter myself, I know this feeling only too well. There are not many better feelings than putting on a successful show. Like a wizard, you’ve summoned happiness, creating an occasion that brings together talented artists with people who gain happiness and meaning from their art.
You feel like you’ve achieved something worthy. Something meaningful. You feel whole, complete. And there’s a handy (and, frankly, desperately needed) bump to the bank balance.
Life is wonderful.
When a show doesn’t sell well, the absolute opposite is true.
You feel a mixture of despair and embarrassment to those you’re promoting and the venue and a general bitterness at the world for not being there. And as a friendly reminder of your dark moment, you have a big hole in your account to boot. Your psyche is scarred. Life is miserable.
It is in this latter psyche that those who put on gigs in Canberra have to suffer. Sure, it often turns out alright at night, with 300 snapping up tickets in the final days or buying at the door. But that multi-month wait drowning in the murky swamp of anxiety and despair can prove too much for some people.
And it does. You know how I mentioned at the start that “we miss a
lot of big shows to Sydney. No? It was literally a few minutes ago; how… Y’know, my apologies. I have ADHD; I get it. Mind like a sieve. I’ll help you out… This bit here: scroll up till you find the three arrows ⬆⬆⬆
Thaaaat’s the one. We’re caught up now.
Yeah, THIS is why we miss out on stuff. Chris Moses of Blue Murder stopped bringing hardcore shows to Canberra for years as the presale tix numbers spooked him. Countless potential Canberra shows instead become 2nd Sydney shows.
And all because we don’t buy tickets early.
It’s a weird situation; plenty of shows go well in Canberra. We DO go out. I love Canberra, I love Canberra crowds, aw heck, I love YOU (and I’m sorry for getting cranky).
But we don’t buy our tickets until the last minute. Some promoters tough it out knowing this. Many others don’t, and we’re missing out as a result.
It’s not all bad news. In fact, this is a good news piece because you participate in this activism and have a bloody time out.
So, if you do anything today, buy a ticket for a show you want to see. That simple act will help Canberra take a small yet significant step toward an even more exhilarating Canberra, and what’s more, you’ll help a frazzled promoter finally get some sleep.
