Taking the boat to Tuna Town . . .

["B.W. Radley" <bwradley@earthlink.net>]

I am forwarding the following e-mail, which I received today:
**************************************************************
From: San Diego Sports Arena [mailto:sandiegoarena@sandiegoarena.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 3:05 PM
Subject: Lakers Exhibition Game, The Who

Don't miss the Los Angeles Lakers Exhibition Game on October 22, 2000 at the
San Diego Sports Arena.

THE WHO will be live in concert with special guest UNAMERICAN on August 17.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 am.  Random number distribution rules
apply.

For more information, call 619.224.4171 or www.sandiegoarena.com For group
discounts (15+), call 619.224.4171 x311.

Tickets are available at the Sports Arena Box Office and through
Ticketmaster. Buy tickets online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at
619.220.TIXS, or in person at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers including
Robinsons-May, Wherehouse Music, Tower Records, Ritmo Latino and Tu Musica.
**************************************************************
A week ago, I had indicated that the tickets for the San Diego show would be
not available through Ticketmaster, but instead, through ETM, which has its
sales through kiosks instead of dealing with the snotty record store clerk.

Unfortunately . . . According to today's (6-20) LA TIMES, ETM announced
Monday that it has run out of money and has handed over all of its business
contracts to Ticketmaster.  In fact, the San Diego Arena website already has
replaced the links to ETM with Ticketmaster.

Apparently the San Diego Sports Arena managers said repeated breakdowns in
the ticket company's computer system strained their relationship to the
point that the arena was already considering dumping ETM.  People wanting to
go to events at the Arena, according to the TIMES, waited in long lines
because of snafus.  (And how is this different from Ticketmaster?)  ETM's
system had trouble handling the volume of ticket requests for a Ricky Martin
concert last November.  The Arena official quoted said that it took three
hours for the venue to sell out, compared with only about a half-hour at
other sites around the country.  (Perhaps the folks in San Diego had good
taste??)

Oh . . . the ticket prices for San Diego (sans Ticketmaster charge, Facility
Charge, Postage, Handling, Interest, etc.) are:

$150, $85, $50 and $25

BW Radley
bw@bwradley.org

PS:  The "Taking the boat to Tuna Town" referred to the fact that there is a
big tuna fleet in San Diego, which is the home of Chicken of The Sea (the
guys with the mermaid, not Charlie The Tuna . . . that's Star Kist.)  You
probably thought I was talking about something else.

PPS:  I would pay to see The Lakers play The Who (see above subject line on
the e-mail from the San Diego Arena).  I can see it now . . . PT playing
"Hack-A-Shaq" with his Gibson.  Roger cutting Kobe down with his swinging
mike.  And if Keith was still alive, he could piss off Rick Fox by asking
his wife (AKA Vanessa Williams) if she could do her famous pose with the
dogs again!!