Saturday’s pre-sale saw quick sellouts for Harry Connick, O.A.R., Steve Miller Band, The Beach Boys & Temptations, Colbie Caillat, Diana Krall and more. By Monday, 12 concerts had sold out.
Story of the Day: The Harry Connick Jr. show was among several to sell out quickly. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Sold out.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Just like last year, that may be the catch phrase for the 2015 Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park summer concert series, with nine concerts selling out to members within the first two hours of ticket sales for the 30-show lineup.
Early Risers: This photo was taken a little after 9 a.m. By 10, this line had shrunk considerably. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Within minutes of the 9 a.m. start time, tickets for the Aug. 2 Harry Connick Jr. and Sept. 2 O.A.R. concerts were gone with a total of five shows selling out within 20 minutes and seven within 40: Connick, O.A.R., Steve Miller Band, The Beach Boys & Temptations, Colbie Caillat & Christina Perri, Diana Krall and Styx. The season-ending Tony Bennett show on Sept. 7 — with tickets costing $105 — sold out shortly thereafter, followed by The Doobie Brothers.
By 11:30 a.m., a 10th show — the July 6 Mat Kearney concert — had sold out, with the Aug. 10 “Under the Sun Tour” (featuring Sugar Ray, Better Than Ezra, Uncle Kracker and Eve 6) selling out by noon. (A check of the StubHub ticket broker site at that time showed four tickets to the O.A.R. concert already were being re-sold for $198.90.)
And by Monday, a 12th concert — Vince Gill’s Aug. 21 show — had also sold out.
Some ticket-buyers lined up outside before 6 a.m., with ticket sales starting at 9 a.m. By that time, hundreds of people were waiting in a line that snaked through the lobby and outside the main entrance.
“We love the experience,” insisted Jim Ferguson of Holland, who arrived around 6 a.m. to purchase tickets for John Hiatt & Taj Mahal and Umphrey’s McGee. “We have so much fun. We meet new people.”
Worth the Wait: Teana Merrill and Tracy Thomas snagged most of the shows they were seeking. (Photo/Anna Sink)
The “experience” was enhanced by video screens in the lobby which displayed sellouts as they occurred for those still waiting in line, with regular audio announcements of sold-out shows as well.
And while some folks didn’t land all of the shows they were seeking due to the quick sellouts, most seemed satisfied with their haul, including Teana Merrill of Kentwood who bought tickets to four shows, and Tracy Thomas of Grand Rapids who managed to get tickets to five. Thomas also had wanted tickets to Connick but said she might just drive up to Interlochen for his July 31 show there.
Others did better online.
Devoted Concertgoers: The lineup this morning. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Mike Bodell of Grand Rapids arrived at 7 a.m. to stand in line, with his wife working the computer at home to see who would snag tickets to July 9th Patty Griffin & Mavis Staples concert first. “We were on the phone together and she beat me to it,” Bodell said. (Tickets are available online for Meijer Gardens members at startickets.com.)
Andrea Wolschleger, public relations manager for Meijer Gardens, said things have gone smoothly, other than the usual grousing from those who didn’t snag tickets to the shows they were seeking. “With 25,000 member households and a 1,900-seat amphitheater, it’s difficult to always get the concerts you want,” she said. “Other than that, we haven’t had any issues.”
See the full Meijer Gardens lineup in this Local Spins story. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. May 9.
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
