Bismarck - CANCELLED - HOW CAN IT BE?

[Anonymous]

I just read on the Bismarck Civic Centre site that Clay's concert has been cancelled?  How can it be??  It also says it has been cancelled at the ticketmaster site!!  I feel really sick - I had front row seats and was travelling 16 hours to see him!!  I feel like I lost my best friend, here!

[HavinaClayAffair]

Guest... I am so sorry. I would be heartbroken. I don't know what kind of technical difficulty could not be repaired by then...maybe his schedule? Were sales strong for the concert? I hope it can be rescheduled in your area.

Lora-Ohio

[lorraine]

MY HEART FEELS FOR YOU GUEST.  WAS THERE ANY EXPLANATION AS TO WHY IT WAS CANCELLED.  I WILLS SAY A PRAYER THAT SOMETHING ELSE WILL COME UP FOR YOU TO GO AND SEE OUR CLAY.



LORRAINE

[houstonclayfan]

My heart goes out to all those that had tickets  :(

[LJB]

FROM CLAYNATION NEWS.........

Concert Update: BISMARCK Show Canceled
Clay's July 6 concert at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, ND has been canceled, according to ticketmaster and the venue website. Refunds will be available through your original ticketing agent starting June 28. Specific instructions for Ticketmaster refunds will be posted on the event page in accordance with their refund policy.

The reason cited for the cancellation is 'technical difficulties' but according to venue staff and reports of ticket availability, sales at that location have not been especially strong. The slow pace of sales is probably due to a combination of a relatively small local population, a generally weak concert season, and the scheduling of a second concert in Grand Forks, ND just two nights later. We've confirmed with Grand Forks' Ralph Engelstad Arena -- which now has the distinction of hosting the tour kickoff -- that they have sold over 50% of the available seats and don't anticipate any similar problems.

[STEPHANIE1130]

Oh I'm sorry Guest!Hopefully a date will be reset!

[ACcountryFan]

:arrow: this happens more than people may think. i don't think it has anything to do with Clay not being popular enough to sell tickets. i think it's really a combination of lack of promotion. yesterday morning on WRRM at around 10am they ran a one minute commercial for a Rick Springfield concert. WRRM is in Cincinnati but Rick is going to Dayton...it seems as if WLQT would air the commercial. maybe they do, too? i don't listen to WLQT because they haven't played Clay's songs...WRRM does...

but anyway, a small population? what's the ticket prices? some places aren't consumed with music and entertainment, no matter who the singer is. Elton John could give a free benefit concert and 80% of the people around here would shrug their shoulders and say "big deal"...so i hope his manager's book him in music-friendly venues! it seems this cancellation was a result in lack of promotion, which causes sales to suffer!  

this isn't meant to be mean but dates are always subject to change, usually without notice! the Bismarck people were lucky that they were told and it wasn't kept hidden until hours before the show!
i'd feel awful driving 16 hours and only after i get to the place see a marquee that says: "show cancelled"...so, on the bright side, you didn't drive all that distance for the disappointment at least i don't think you did?!! anyway, i hope you're angry/disappointed at the venue or the powers that be and not Clay. It's out of his hands.

[krysascwt]

I'm really sorry to hear that this has happened especially since some people were able to get really good seats.

I was planning on going to that show.  It would have been a 2 day each way drive for me so I had decided I would settle for a Floor Seat and nothing else.  When I went to call in by phone or log-in on line to Ticketmaster I could not get through.  I was just spitting mad.  I called about 3 hours later and the computer voice on the phone stated: "The Seat XXX Section ### has been reserved for you.  I had already downloaded the floor plan so knew that this was not on the floor.  I was heartbroken.  Now to find out that the concert has been cancelled it makes me even madder for those of you that got seats good seats all for not.  I would love to give TICKETMASTER a good swift kick in the posterior.  Maybe Ticketmaster should look at their sales marketing procedures and how it impacted on the cancellation.

[Clayforlife]

For all of you who have responded, I was the one who started this thread and I was the one with the FRONT ROW seats!!!  I AM disappointed, but not at Clay.  I just think it is unfortunate that they do this kind of stuff.  I know of some people who have booked flights, etc. and now are forced into losing money.  I am not losing money at least, but I was looking SO forward to being just mere feet away from Clay.  Anyways, when I posted, I was so angry, sad, numb, disappointed, sick, etc., that I did not even log in.  Thanks for all concerned.  I am sure I will be okay.  I am checking into Grand Forks cuz I really was looking forward to seeing Clay again, but also going on a mini vacation with my friend.  I am a little gun shy about buying more tickets and having to be disappointed again.  This whole trip has been a roller coasterof emotions from the beginning.  There were 3 of us going, but the third one's husband was not impressed, she backed out, then after a couple weeks, he changed his mind and she was going but then she and I could not get time off work together.  We are admin. assistants in an office and they will not let us be gone at the same time.  That is another whole story which I will not even get in to.  I had purchased tickets for 3 back on May 15 and then somehow lucked out on Monday of this week, just checking to see what seats were available through ticketmaster and low and behold there were 2 front row.  I talked to a lady at the venue who said they had JUST been released.  The promoter was holding them for a radio promo and they decided not to use them.  How I got them, I do not know, and then bingo, all of a sudden it is cancelled.

Anyway, after this long winded message - I am not at all mad at or disappointed with Clay - just the situation.  I do hope I get to see my dream man in Grand Forks - HE was the highlight of my summer!  Thanks for listening and for all those who have expressed concern!

[LadyC]

I am so sorry!  That is heartbreaking.

[ANGELA]

Clayforlife,
So sorry for the let down   : --I hope something real good comes to you to make up for this.

Take Care,
Angela

[mrsaiken3504]

I am so sorry! That sucks! If this happened to me, I would be crying my eyes out!!! I hope you get to go to another concert! This wasn't Clay's fault at all....

[LuvMyClay]

ClayforLife.......Oh, how disappointing that would be.   :(   I feel bad for you too.  Its disappointing enough to have a show cancelled, but to have had front row seats, is just awful  :   Hopefully, something else will come along, I'll keep my fingers crossed. :D

[cjrmax]

This is sad, for so many reasons.  In addtion to lost air fares for some, please be aware - for all of us who buy tickets from brokers in order to get good seats - if a concert is cancelled in most cases, you will only receive a refund of THE FACE VALUE OF THE TICKET (which is usually a whole lot less than you paid for it!).  Personally, I hold my breath every time I use a broker for this reason.  Of course, I do still use them.....

It worries me a bit that his first concert is cancelled and the second is only at about 50% capacity.  Maybe it is the region of the country.  Here on the east coast tickets seem hard to come by.  I hope not too many more get cancelled for "technical difficulties"!!!

I hope all going to Bismark can get to another concert.  I know I would be heartbroken if a concert I was going to were cancelled.

[krysascwt]

When you tried to purchase your ticket from Ticketmasters or from some other broker Ticketmaster I believe was the primary agent.  If they were not efficient in the marketing of the tickets from the get-go there are going to be problems just like I ran into and then the final cancellation.  I tried to contact them to get some answers to the ticket problems.  It was a darn joke.  Four different people contacted me each asking what the problem was when I had very clearly stated in each e-mail exactly what the situation was during the process of ordering my ticket.  Each time they wrote back asking the same questions. Please tell us your enquiry when it already was on the previous e-mail attached along with the 2 previous ones before that were also attached.  I don't think these people know how to read.  They still have not truly replied to my enquiry.  I don't envisage a reply unless I hound them.

I wonder how these people are able to continue in business operating like this.

[aeleon9995]

Clayforlife,
  I am sooo sorry to heat that your show has been cancelled. I also got floor seats for the Albany show..and I know how i would feel if that got cancelled..especially since I am one of those people who did go thru a broker. I hope you can get good seats the the other show....i will kep my fingers crossed for you and your friends.

[krysascwt]

I don't know what the solution is to THE BROKERS SCOOPING UP ALL THE GOOD SEATS AND THEN CHARGING OUTRAGEOUS PRICES but I do know that something has to be done.  I'm not just talking about Clay's concerts but all artists concerts.  IT IS TRULY A CRIME!!!!!

[Clayforlife]

I totally agree on the broker situation.  I didn't get the front row tickets from a broker - I just happened to be on ticketmaster website at the right time to get lucky enough for those.  Having said that though, unless you pay the big bucks - how DO you get those good seats??  I was on the website immediately when I was looking for the first set of tickets I got and the closest I could get was row 13.  Does that mean that the brokers buy up those tickets prior to them even going on sale??  And if the brokers don't sell the tickets they have purchased - do they come up for grabs at a decent rate at the last minute?  I actually bought tickets from someone at one of the other boards and they are row 14 at Grand Forks, which is good (but not as good as front row), but anyways, noted on some of the ticket sites that tickets in the same rows and further back are being sold for twice and three times the cost.  What a rip off!  Seriously, though, if the brokers don't sell the tickets - do they come available last minute for cheap??  I have not been to a concert where there have been seats empty in the front few rows, so somebody is obviously sitting in them or has purchased them.  At the Vegas concert, seats were still available through brokers at the last minute, but there were NO empty seats at the concert.  It is a weird scenario for sure.  If anyone has any info about last minute purchases, I would be interested in knowing.  I am willing to buy another set at a reasonable price if they are closer to the stage in Grand Forks.

Thanks.

[krysascwt]

At one of the concerts in the EAST on The Independent Tour someone that I know went had Front Row seats got to the concert and went to their seats to find that there were 4 empty seats right next to theirs.  They asked the usher if their friends could sit there.  He said not a problem but if the persons with those tickets showed up they would have to return to their original seats.  Four of their party moved down for all the pre-lim and Kelly sets but two had to go back to their other seats when Clay's set started.  The people who had purchased those seats didn't arrive until just before Clay's set.  The other two stayed vacant all night so my friend's two people continue to sit/stand in the Front Row.  SHEER LUCK!!!!

A LOT OF FRONT ROW SEATS GET SCOOPED UP BY RADIO STATIONS FOR CONTESTS AND OTHER PROMOTIONS.  Sometimes I would find in other concerts I have attended people sitting in these seats that couldn't care less about the artists on stage but were in those seats because they were some big whiz getting their pocketbook patted so to speak.

[aeleon9995]

Clayforlife..I am glad that you were able to get good seats. My friend and I are going to 2 shows..and I was on ticketmaster and had my husband on the phone calling the box office when those tickets went on sale..and the best seats I could have gotten were like row 20. Thats why i ended up going to a broker..and it made me soo mad but i soo wanted good seats. I could not even get better seats thru e-bay because i could not spend over a certain amount in my state. Such a frustrating situation. Anyway have fun at the show..and I am sorry about losing out on those seats.