In Tuesday’s (8/4) Los Angeles Times , Diane Haithman and Mike Boehm report, “The Los Angeles Philharmonic detailed Monday how all 17,400 Hollywood Bowl tickets for Gustavo Dudamel’s debut as music director were distributed, responding to complaints by some disappointed fans unable to secure the free tickets after waiting in line for hours Saturday. Most admissions for the Oct. 3 ‘¡Bienvenido Gustavo!’ became available at noon Saturday online and over the phone and to people who lined up at the Bowl, but they were snapped up in less than two hours. The tickets went at a pace more common for concerts by pop stars, not classical musicians, and was a testament to the anticipation surrounding the arrival of the charismatic, youthful Dudamel.” But with only 1,000 free tickets available at the Bowl and a limit of four per person, the first 250 people in line snapped up all the tickets, leaving 550 of the 800 who waited empty-handed. Arvind Manocha, the Philharmonic’s chief operating officer, “stressed that the pre-sale ticket process is standard, and in this case tickets were available to the general public, not VIPs.”
Posted August 4, 2009
