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"Return to event page".....ahh, a phrase we all, (unfortunately), have come to know too well. Pardon my rant. (skip this post if you're tired of stories of ticket woes.) Today it was like Deja Vu all over again. I attempted to purchase 2 adjacent seats for 1 of 2 upcoming David Gilmour shows in Toronto for this April. As with my ABBeacon attempts, I was shut out yet again. Now don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no quarrel with presales, and especially, none with Lana & Rowlands efforts here in our happy home. They do a great job with this site and taking care of us fans in general. My concern is about the ability of the average music fan like myself, to obtain decent seats for any concert via the internet or any other means. Now, I must admit, I'm a bit particular about my seat selections in shows, and I'm not a big fan of single seats, however, I don't think it's unreasonable or out of the question to obtain two (2) decent, adjacent seats for a given show. Not 4, 6, 8 or 12.......just a measley old (2). That's not too selfish is it? Are we now relegated to sit apart from our pals and significant others just for a chance to attend the same show???? This is just a general rant and not specifically directed at any one particular organization and especially not the ABB, but it concerns me that I may never obtain a decent "pair" of concert seats again. Granted, my bid for ABBeacon shows was for the coveted last weekend, which is undoubtedly the most popular choice among folks, and my David Gilmour Toronto bid was for another smallish venue (Massey Hall) for only a handful of dates in North America......and...... I was on a dial-up connection which is slower than whale poop in an ice storm, but come ON!!! When I made my Beacon attempts I was using a high speed T1 line at work, and still got nothing but singles, (which I threw back.) (I could have gotten Loge or Balcony, but I've done that before, and for me personnaly, I need to be down in the orchestra where I can move and groove. I felt like a caged animal in the upper sections and it was too restrictive. I'm not really a dancer or a twirler, but I do like the orchestra relative freedom of movement and the ability to more easily make beer & bathroon runs. Just my personal opinion...i know many here who like the upper sections)......but I digress. I'm not sure if the scalpers and so on have figured out how to get (and keep), the upper hand, or if these shows have just become REALLY popular or what? It's probably a combo of the 2 and other factors as Kirk stated recently in the forum. But this little scheme that Ticketmaster has devised to prevent auto dialing programs to monopolize the connections appears to have become circumvented by the pros and blackmarket folks. It's sad to me. I love live music, and it seems to me, that it will become incresingly difficult, if not altogether impossible, for the average Joe's and Josephine's to get tix for anything other than small club shows, or huge arena shows. I had 6 wonderful, consecutive years of attending ABBeacon shows, and feel extremely fortunate that I had that opportunity. I had some great seats too! I hope that I haven't seen my last. It certainly, unfortunately, won't be this year. I'll be leaning heavily on a much used phrase heard from birth here in (Buffalo) Bill's country...... "Maybe next year....." Enjoy the Beacon run for all making the pilgrimage. I'm envious, but happy for y'all. I'll be clinging to my computer and vicariously living through your posts! Eat a Peach! P.S. Here's hoping for an ABB Booyah return to the Darien shed this summer. Mark Knopfler can have his MTV........I just want my ABB!!!!!