Thursday, July 14, 2011

Why did it have to be today...BUSH

So, I wake up this morning, having been focused on some personal issues I've got (surgery on Monday for my back at 33, sweet), and my message box is full on my phone, facebook, and email. WTF? So I figure, OK, something is up with one of the spots. I got to the Saint Rocke Twitter Feed, and then I realize -- BUSH had set up a KROQ show at Saint Rocke, and it was a private link and they put in on sale this morning. And we crashed...

Now lets talk infrastructure. I don't know of one venue in the country that has their own ticketing system. We do venue, it's what we do. But we don't do ticketing, and so we have middleware. So to be clear, it's our website, and then Company X does our ticketing.

So KROQ announces this morning, and 50,000 hit the site at the same time, and it overwhelms Company X's servers. Then the social networking starts...hundreds upon hundreds, if not thousands, of posts on our Facebook and Twitter. And not just frustrated...massively pissed off at Saint Rocke. And that deserves another WTF.

Listen, Bush is one of the biggest bands of our time. Simple Fact. Our venue holds 280 people. Simple Fact. Economics 101 says demand is way bigger than supply. What a fun, cool thing. So you didn't get a ticket? Darn. Next time. Is your job and life that bad that you produce such negativity in the world? C'mon now. They do always say that sports & music takes a dramatic upturn in down economies.

Like a kindergarten class, I want to share what I've learned today: No wonder. No wonder we have wars, religion fights, countries that are bankrupt, etc. If people get that upset at not getting to see a great band, then what do people do when somebody critiques their religion, or accidentially bumps them walking down the hallway.

I wish I could give everyone a ticket, but I can't. I actually have none to give away because Bush & KROQ have them all. We are the biggest little venue in LA, and thanks to some really cool people in the industry, we were blessed with the opportunity to have this show. So, for all of you that didn't get a ticket, truly sorry about the Company X server crash. But really, you're chances were 200/50000 = not much %. Don't hate the venue, don't hate the band, don't hate on KROQ, just simply realize that sometimes things happen and smile. Smile that you are alive, that you have ears to listen to the music, and that there is always another tomorrow.