Vertigo tour tickets can still be found

U2log.com has learned about ticket availability to some of the rescheduled Vertigo tour shows.

“Vertigo tour? What’s that?” you ask.

Well, it’s this thing where four guys stand on an elliptical stage and make a lot of noise. You want tickets to see it, right?

If you answered “yes” to that question, you may be wondering about where to find tickets, aside from vermin scalpers. U2log.com suggests that fans turn to each other first for tickets. Check for ticket trades and sales at fan forums. U2log.com has created a ticket trade group on Google. U2tours.com also has a popular ticket trading forum.

If you have no luck finding tickets from other fans, consider using OTX, the tour and travel operator designated by TNA, the promoter of the Vertigo tour. OTX has just announced that it has a new block of general admission floor tickets for the sold-out shows scheduled in Auckland, New Zealand. OTX has also recently put its packages for the shows in Japan on sale.

Speaking of Japan…our friends at U2japan.com tell us that general admission tickets to the three shows at Saitama Arena were not easy to obtain when they went on public sale in September. Fans had to compete with ticket brokers, which are numerous and very popular in Japan, to get the best tickets.

Image courtesy of U2japan.com

General admission will be handled differently in Japan than anywhere else on the tour. General admission at Saitama Arena will be divided into three blocks: Blocks A, BL, and BR. In addition to a block number, all GA tickets include a position number — from 1 to 4,000. Fans will be granted entrance into the blocks in numerical order. The system sounds a bit crazy, but it does work to keep fans from rushing and crushing.

We’d hate to be the schmuck who has to call out the numbers.

A Nite Out in Mexico & South America

ETS, the official tour and travel operator for the Vertigo tour, has informed us that it is now offering Nite Out packages for the shows in Mexico and South America. (Previously, ETS was only offering hotel and ticket packages for those locations.) Nite Out packages provide you with admission to a pre-show party and a ticket to the show. Good deal. Good fun.

Hola, Mexico!

ETS, the official tour and travel operator for the Vertigo Tour, announced today that it will be offering tour packages for the dates in Mexico. Get ’em while they got ’em, ’cause they’re going quickly.

Update: ETS has just added a bus trip to its Mexico tour offerings. The ETS Concert Caravan travels from Laredo, Texas, to Monterrey on Feb. 12. A Concert Caravan package, priced at $229, provides you with roundtrip travel, concert ticket, and admission to a pre-show party. The buses leave Laredo at 7 a.m. and return there after the show. The Concert Caravan package will go on sale on Monday.

OZ and NZ shows sell out

U2 fans in Australia and New Zealand are expressing their disappointment of not getting tickets to the shows in their countries, which sold out faster than you can say, “Damn you, Ticketek and Ticketmaster!” The Sydney show sold out in an hour, the Auckland show in 90 minutes, and the Melbourne show in two hours. A second Auckland show was announced for March 18. Second shows in Sydney and Melbourne are expected to be announced tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 6).

Tickets to the OZ and NZ shows are already being sold on eBay for more than $2000 each.

Fans who were locked out of the on-sales have an alternative way to score tickets. Over the weekend, ETS, the official tour and travel operator for the Vertigo Tour, announced that it is offering packages for the shows in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. The packages include hotel accommodations, a pre-show party, and concert tickets.

ETS is also offering a contest to win a package for two to see U2 in Sydney. You must register as an ETS Insider to enter the contest.

Update: U2 announced today additional shows in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney. Tickets for these shows will go on sale on Monday, Dec. 12 at 9 a.m.

Will You Follow in 2006?

ETS, the official tour and travel operator for the Vertigo Tour, is asking for fan input on the 2006 tour. ETS recognizes that U2 fans travel great distances to see the band, but ETS is wondering how far we will follow.

If you are planning or want to attend any of the shows on the 2006 tour (there will definitely be more dates announced!), please take a minute to read a letter from Don McVie, the president of ETS, about the 2006 tour and answer his questions.

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