[woodsyi]

My wife called me yesterday to say our neighbors are going to have our daughter for dinner Friday and she will have a sleepover there.  She asks what we should  do for a date and I said I will look around.  I checked all the usual clubs, movies and restaurants but nothing doing.  Because I have it bookmarked, I checked Wolftrap http://www.wolftrap.org/ which is one of my favorite venues.  You can bring all you can eat and drink for a picnic unlike other places where you have to buy every sip of water.  We even have a cozy spot next to the bell that we always go to for a picnic.  The Irish Tenors are on Friday and I clicked just to see what seats were available.  It came back with 2 FREAKING front row seats just off the center!    I couldn't believe it.  We are not talking ticket brokers here.  This is the official regular price ticket agent for the venue.  I booked them and printed the confirmation before I closed it.  This morning I check just to see what eles is available and the best seats are in row NN as in 5th row from the back of rear orchestra -- You might as well be on the lawn at that point.   What happened yesterday? I am taking my printed confirmation with me tonight because I half expect to be told that they made a mistake.

[Freejazz]

It is actually surprising how often this happens ... especially last minute, as I have had the same sort of past success.   I was given several  reasons that this happens:

1) Most often, as the best seats are now sold as "premium seating", with the venue legally charging 1.5 to 3 times face value, depending on demand, these seats are sometimes released close to the event date.
2) These can be returned promo tickets
3) Eventhough the ticket agents say no returns or refunds, occasionally they will still accept returns (especially on premium seats.)

Congrats and enjoy

[mojoman]

I'm finding that this is about the best way to get great seats anymore.  A lot of times bands request blocks of seats for guests and don't use them so they return them to the venue a day or so before the show.  This year I've purchased 4th center seats to Phil Lesh and Friends and 8th row center seats to the Black Crows on the day of the show.  Last year I had similiar experience with the Allman Brothers show, 7th row the day before the show when up until then the best I could get was grass passes.  A friend of mine got 3rd row seats to the last Stones tour in Durham,NC the day of the show (of course he still had pay $350 per for the tickets).   

Wolftrap was one of my favorite places to go when we lived in northern VA in the mid 80's. Hope you had a great time.

[woodsyi]

I'm finding that this is about the best way to get great seats anymore.  A lot of times bands request blocks of seats for guests and don't use them so they return them to the venue a day or so before the show.

This must have been the case.  In house seats were sold out but the front center row was empty.  I was 3 over in side front row.  After the intermission, the usher let me move to the middle.  As the orchestra was on the stage and not in the pit, I had a perfect seat to listen nearfield without sound from speakers affecting me.  It was very enjoyable.

Wolftrap was one of my favorite places to go when we lived in northern VA in the mid 80's. Hope you had a great time.

  Yes,  we had a bottle of a small production '95 Blanc de Blanc, chilled salmon stake, grilled veggies followed by creme boule under a large oak tree by the side entrance next to the Encore Circle bar.  The weather was perfect, the trio can sing and we very much enjoyed the whole evening.