Photo Contributed by Amanda Bell
By Amanda Bell
As K-pop groups continue to grow in popularity across the world, more opportunities are opening for artists to embark on bigger and grander world tours. Groups that could hardly manage to book small venues in the United States five years ago are now selling out arenas and stadiums. While this does mean that more fans are afforded a chance to see their favorite K-pop groups, ticketing for these events has proven to be a nightmare. Without knowing the proper tips and tricks, it is extremely difficult to secure tickets to see your favorite groups. As someone who has now successfully secured tickets to over 15 K-pop shows, I’m here to impart some wisdom as we enter the summer concert season.
- Research presale offers.
Every artist will offer different presales. Some companies will allow any fan to sign up for presale for selected dates, but others will only allow fans with fan club memberships or subscriptions to register. It is important to research this information well before ticket sales so that you do not miss deadlines to register for presales that you may qualify for. My favorite place to find this information is on X. If you are having trouble understanding exactly who can sign up for sales, fans will normally explain the details for the specific event. You can typically find this information by searching something like, “Stray Kids DominATE tour presale info.”
- Make a plan.
Before the day of ticketing, make sure you are clear on what shows you are going to, where in the venue you want your seats to be, how many tickets you need and what your budget is. Securing the tickets is hard enough, so you will not want to be thinking about other things while trying to select tickets. Once Ticketmaster lets you into the actual ticketing site, you’ll have to work fast. When deciding on a budget, plan what credit card this purchase will be going on. Remember that depending on how much money you spend, your bank may ask the cardholder to verify the purchase. If this is a parent’s card, make sure they know to check their phone during the time you’ll be purchasing tickets.
- Setup somewhere with fast and reliable wifi, preferably with multiple devices.
The most important thing to note is that you cannot sign into multiple devices or windows on the same account. However, it is extremely helpful to have multiple accounts to maximize your chances. If you have a parent, sibling or close friend that will allow you to use their account, sign into your main account on one device and your backup account on another. Make sure you are connected to wifi that you trust. If something glitches and you get kicked off the site once the waiting room has ended, your chances of securing the seats you want drop dramatically. I always suggest propping up a photocard of your bias or plushie for good luck. Leebit and Han Quokka get all the credit for my Stray Kids tickets.
- Get on the site early.
Speaking of the waiting room, get on the site early. If possible, go ahead and input card information into your account before ticketing starts. Card information can and should be deleted after securing your tickets. Once you grab tickets off the map, you only have seven minutes to check out and secure them. Inputting payment information prior to ticketing allows you to move through the check out process quicker. Before ticketing opens, there will also likely be a seat map of the venue. Study this and decide where you want to check for seats first. Once the waiting room opens, join it! This is typically about fifteen minutes before ticket sales begin. You’ll sit in this waiting room, then at ticketing time, you should be automatically let into the queue.
- Use the map, not the list.
Usually when you get to the front of the queue and are let into the map, there will be a list to the right of the screen and a map on the left. If you are using a mobile device, you may only have a list. Ignore the list! Things will be disappearing way too fast for the list to be helpful to you. On the desktop version of the site you can simply divert your attention to the left, but on mobile you’ll have to change it to map view at the top of the screen. Zoom into where you planned to look on the map and quickly select your seats. If you select one that you do not want, simply click it again to deselect. Keep in mind that depending on the show, Ticketmaster will not usually let you leave one seat stranded alone. When looking at the map, you may also see seats disappearing and reappearing. Stay calm, but work quickly. If you get a message saying the seats you selected were already taken, keep trying!
- Take a deep breath and click the check out button!
Once you’ve secured your seats and made it to the check out, take a moment to breathe. Read through the options and make selections if you decide to insure your seats, include parking or add other additions that may be offered. Make sure you do not wait until the last second to actually click the check out button. Remember that your bank may request a verification for the purchase. Remember, this all has to be done within the seven minutes. After clicking the check out button, you should be taken to a screen that congratulates you on securing tickets. You did it! Have so much fun!
- Wait… what if I did not secure a ticket?
I’ve been there! Maybe you were too far back in the queue, maybe prices were too high or maybe your wifi crashed and now the show is sold out. Do not panic. There absolutely will be people who resell their tickets. Check Ticketmaster every so often. However, there are also local Instagram accounts to follow that will post about tickets being resold. Oppang K-pop store (@oppangofficial), Carolina Atiny (@carolinaatiny) and Stayville NC (@stayvillenc) are a few accounts that I follow to see resold tickets. There likely are similar fan accounts for most groups that you can search for on Instagram or X. All hope is definitely not lost!
Now that you have tickets, it is time for the fun part! Pick out an outfit that you feel confident in, book a hotel if needed, grab some friends who are along for the ride and go see your group!