I'm Going to See Peter Gabriel Concert in Philly

After a huge drama that I really didn't need, I finally managed to snare a ticket for Peter Gabriel's concert on 21 Spetember at the Wells Fargo Whatchahoosey (better known as That Place Where the Flyers Play.)  I didn't have to deal with Ticketbastards this time around.  No, this time I had to butt heads with ComcastTix.com.  Unfortuately, some other people had problems with this website, but other people managed to get their tickets without much hassle (other than paying three figures for a ticket.)

Since my Mom's health is going downhill, I'm her caretaker.  Since my profession (freelance writing) has also sunk faster than the Titanic, I cannot afford to hire a "Mom sitter" so no travelling to New York or Germany anymore.  This may be my last Peter Gabriel concert.  Since it may be my last PG concert, I thought I'd splurge and get a Front Row Package (which includes admission to the soundcheck.)  It turns out that Front Row Packages were not available for sale in Philly, even though they were advertised on ComcastTix.com.  I found this out by actually phoning Comcast and trying to get tickets that way.

The pre-sale started at 10am on 29 May.  No, I didn't mention that fact on this blog for 2 reasons:

1. Mom had a knee replacement and she's even more crippled than usual.  It's like taking care of a 200 lb baby that can talk back to you.
2. I wanted to have the best shot of getting a good ticket.  The less PG fans knew about the pre-sale, the better for me.  So I'm an arsehole.  Get over it.

Have you ever had a knee replacement?  Unless you have really good drugs, it's not a lot of fun.  You are basically stuck in a recliner or a bed 24/7.  You are so stiff and sore that you cannot wipe yourself after you use the toilet.  Since Mom could only walk a few steps, she couldn't even get to the toilet and so uses a commode. 

Keep in mind Mom took me and my dog in when we were homeless.  I have no problem with cleaning the commode.  But it's a big production to get Mom on and off the commode.  So I told Mom again and again that I would be busy from 10 to 10:30am.  I got up at 7 to be sure she ate breakfast, used the commode and took medication before 10am.

So you know what happened at exactly at the stroke of 10am.  That's right. "Rena -- I have to pee."

"No, you don't."  I replied, 'cause I have such a stellar bedside manner.  "I'm getting my concert ticket. We discussed this."

"Don't be mean to me.  Making me hold my urine is mean to me."  Now, because of Mom's medications, this isn't true.  Her bladder sends her false signals.  She often claims she has to urinate and finds that nothing's going on down there.  This is the old "choose between me and X" scenario that we all love to loved ones through, don't we?

So I had to abandon ticket-quest and go help Mom.  By the time I got back to the website, it said that all of the presale tickets had sold out.  That's when I phoned and was told the same thing.  I was on Facebook with another PG fan from Florida who said to keep on trying with  the website.  And lo and behold, a ticket for Row 4 suddenly appeared on screen.

Man -- it was less stress to stand in line for 24 hours to get a ticket, like in the good old days.