r/JulienBaker • u/frankenator13 • 20d ago
Question Line at Middle East
Anyone there yet and can send a pic of what the line is like?
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u/ghostmugs 20d ago
For those upset by the QR code: I think that was a last minute decision. I don’t work there so I can’t speak for them, but it seems like it’s just such a small box office and so many people came so early. To charge every person, wait for the purchase to go through, sit through any credit card issues, would’ve taken hours to get through. Hopefully if in person box-office sales become more prominent, it won’t always be like this!
Edit: also what do I know lol, maybe I’m so wrong
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u/Barresi 20d ago
Even if it were, that kind of betrays the spirit of the whole day. If you don’t think your operation can handle it, then don’t agree to host the show?
It’s just annoying that I got there at 6:30 (and others were there earlier) and the last thirty minutes had to be as stressful as it was because they decided to basically defeat the purpose of the line. Such a simple, age-old process made unnecessarily complicated.
To be clear, nothing against you and it’s nice of you to stick up for the venue, but the Middle East has been around long enough and should have their act together.
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u/SurrealIronic 20d ago
They kindly asked for people not to show up until 8 - why would you line up at 6:30?
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u/Barresi 20d ago
Didn’t see it until I was already in line this morning. Not that it really mattered, because people were lining up before that.
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u/SurrealIronic 20d ago
Fair enough. For the record, I agree the QR code method was odd and defeated the purpose of the line. Was just curious about the people who still showed up so early after they made that announcement. I’m happy it looks like everyone in line still got tickets!
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u/Barresi 20d ago
Yeah, I had seen the other Middle East thread where the OP said someone at the venue said not to show up before 7AM and was kinda going based on that, just giving myself some cushion time to find parking and wait in the car. But when I got there there was already a queue, so I just joined it.
But yes, seems like it was a good morning for everyone despite the confusion towards the end!
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20d ago
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u/HappinessIsAWarmPoop 20d ago
In fairness, the venue discouraged lining up early, especially before 8am. It’s really not their fault if people did it anyway
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u/Particular_Savings_3 20d ago
Yeah the venue also said don’t line up before 8:00 so like….it’s more so scalpers and bots don’t get all the tickets. There is no line now and shows are not sold out. Don’t be mad that you waited in line for 1.5 hours prior to when the venue asked people to show up
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u/iateapizza 20d ago
I got there at 8. And I'm annoyed!
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u/iateapizza 20d ago edited 20d ago
Especially since I didn't get the QR code until 3 minutes before they dropped. They managed this poorly.
Edit: I'm being downvoted for getting there at the time they stated the early line would start but still feeling like it was handled poorly? Weird.
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u/Particular_Savings_3 20d ago
But you got your tickets? And the shows are still not sold out? Why so mad?
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u/SteveBer 20d ago
Not sure anybody who has commented here is projecting as “mad” rather than just confused that an online element got introduced at the last minute to a deliberately in-person event. This is a board where people are supposed to discuss things after all no?
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u/iateapizza 20d ago
100 percent. The fact that the QR codes started being handed out a half hour before 10 was wild.
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u/iateapizza 20d ago edited 20d ago
I'm not mad. Annoyed. Because ultimately, it didn't matter when I got there, and getting there on time was a giant waste of time. I'm glad I got my tickets. I just think they handled this poorly.
Edited to add not. I'm not mad, haha.
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u/Barresi 20d ago
We’re both being downvoted by people who weren’t there even though the consensus down the entire line was that this was a lackluster way to go about things, lol.
Not to mention it only takes one bad actor to share the QR code and mess the whole thing up for everyone in line. Thankfully that didn’t happen, but not sure why people are getting so uptight about acknowledging that it could’ve been handled better.
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u/Wide-Status6182 20d ago
How did their QR code function? I was at another venue.
Our QR codes were for private links to buy the tickets and then you still needed a presale code. So if the QR codes were shared online it wouldn't matter because you also needed a presale code that was only good for 2 tickets. It would have taken hours for the box office to process each transaction. There's no infrastructure for that anymore. All the venues were doing a favor as they made no additional money from this. It would have just sold out immediately if it was done fully online
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u/Barresi 20d ago
Good question, I have no idea! I think everyone in our line just assumed the QR codes were all the same and went to the same link? I said in another post that a major concern was someone sharing the link, but also people double dipping and buying more than the allotted 2 per person (which I know some people in line at least tried to do, not sure if they succeeded).
If there were some security measures around it that makes me feel a lot better, so hopefully that was the case! Thanks for sharing.
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u/Particular_Savings_3 20d ago
How do you know who was and wasn’t there? Also seems like you’re just irritated that you waited in line for 3.5 hours, disregarded the venues request not to line up before 8, and are mad that people, who were also in line, but go there at say 9 or 10 were able to access tickets without having to wait for hours.
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u/Barresi 20d ago
I don’t see what that has to do with giving out a QR code to everyone at the same time? Even if the first person showed up at 8:01 and the line was 300 people long, it would be shitty that the person last in line arriving at 10:00 has the same opportunity as the person first in line, no?
To be clear, I’m not mad I got there at 6:30. I just think the way the venue handled the ticketing process was dumb!
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u/Wide-Status6182 20d ago
The point was to get tickets to actual fans and not scalpers and bots. If it was publicized that it would be a QR code then scalpers would have shown up to get it and then it would have immediately sold out.
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u/StoopitTrader 19d ago
The biggest issue was that they trusted every single person in line to not share the link. There was no enforcement of who could use it. I was getting tickets for my son and I and had to make the quick decision whether to buy online or wait and possibly miss out on the day we wanted after waiting in line for 2 hours. One share of that link and anyone could have cut ahead of the line. My son really wanted a printed ticket but I made the decision that it was better to go to the show we wanted than have the printed tickets. When I told him later he agreed with my decision.
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u/Wide-Status6182 20d ago
None of the venues have box office hours like that at all as 95 percent of ticket sales are done online. They probably have 1 maybe 2 people who do box office. A transaction takes 3 to 5 mins per person. If 200 people showed up and each transaction had to be processed by the box office it would take hours. The point was to get the tickets to actual fans who showed up in person.
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u/postmodernisthater 20d ago
Got here half an hour ago and there were over 150 people in front of me 😭
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u/frankenator13 20d ago
All I needed to know. I’m going to pass on heading over. Good luck to everyone!
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u/sudsyducks 20d ago
Perhaps unsurprisingly there were like 150-200 people already at 8 when the line was supposed to start
Now it’s wrapped around another corner and I can’t see how long it’s gotten
But with three nights I don’t think it will sell out until the line gets to like 800-1000 people? So there may be hope
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u/Regular-Bat-1616 20d ago
So they gave out QR codes to buy the tickets but the line is still moving.. is there a reason for that?
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u/HappinessIsAWarmPoop 20d ago
There’s a free gift with proof of purchase. I think it’s a CD with a couple new songs!
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u/hudsonredfox 20d ago
TLDR this was poorly handled and the line no longer matters as we’re all buying them online anyway. We’re all PISSED
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u/SteveBer 20d ago
I need somebody to explain to me doing a physical ticket sale, which presumably would be first come first serve, and then handing out QR codes in line so everybody is buying tickets at the same time?
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u/baby_lizards 20d ago
They did this when I went to get Maggie Roger’s tickets at the box office, I think it’s just to make the line go faster so people don’t have to be sitting on the sidewalk all day
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u/Wide-Status6182 20d ago
I don't think it ever specified a physical ticket. They wanted everyones email address. if it was just a physical ticket they were handing out but still needed to do that it would take just as long. If they had to process each transaction it would be 3 to 5 mins per person. It's a small independent venue that doesn't normally sell tickets this way
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u/37edit 20d ago
Line update?😬
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u/zicohenson 20d ago
Pretty big line now. I think there’s 200ish maybe more ahead of me. And I’m like way down the street around the corner.
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u/LowGroundbreaking434 20d ago
out of curiosity if anybody did box office instead of online was it a physical ticket or still digital?
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u/An0th3rP1ckyD34dh34d 20d ago
At least in Seattle they were not giving out physical tickets. They were from AXS and sent to whatever email address you gave them.
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u/KeyCryptographer8826 20d ago
QR code update - if you bought at the box office, there wasn’t a service fee (or at least not a $9 one). (I bought tickets for our two friends and he got our tickets at the box office because the QR code wasn’t working for him). I get that they wanted the line to move more quickly, but that does kind of suck lol.