So here's a bit of a surprise: Weeks after they first went on sale, tickets are still available to see Pearl Jam perform a benefit concert for Democratic Senate hopeful Jon Tester in Missoula.
With six days to go before Pearl Jam performs at the Adams Center, about 1,000 tickets are still available for the concert, according to Bill Lombardi, a spokesman for the Montanans for Tester campaign.
"We anticipated this would go a little slow due to the political forms required of the ticket buyers," says Lombardi. "Given that, it's going very well."
Because tickets to the event are considered campaign donations, purchasers are required to fill out forms providing name, occupation and contact information. Tickets must be purchased with a credit card and can only be purchased by people 18 and over, with a maximum of four tickets per buyer. Information provided by purchasers will be provided to the Federal Elections Commission, in accordance with federal campaign finance law.
Lombardi believes that the extra red tape involved with purchasing tickets, combined with the fact that University of Montana students are only now returning to town, has kept the show from selling out as of yet.
"There have been rumors that we've had to combat that the concert is already sold out, and we did have some problems with the functionality of the Web site initially" for purchasing tickets, Lombardi says. "But all that is straightened out now."
Tickets to the concert cost $46 plus service fees. Depending on the configuration of seating at the concert and how many of the remaining tickets are sold before show time, gross ticket sales could total between $202,400 and $322,000 before expenses.
Lombardi declined to predict total expenses involved in producing the event, saying only that all typical expenses involved in producing a concert at the Adams Center will be incurred, with the notable exception of the band's fee (all members of the band are volunteering their time for the event). According to Tom Webster, entertainment director at the Adams Center, typical venue, staffing and marketing expenses involved in producing a concert at the Adams Center run between $15,000 and $30,000.
Whether those numbers add up to the biggest U.S. Senate campaign fundraiser of the month remains to be seen. On Aug. 15, Vice President Dick Cheney visited Billings as part of a fundraising luncheon put on by supporters of current U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, a Republican. Although final tallies from that event are not yet available, statewide campaign coordinator John Brueggeman said he believes the event succeeded in its goal of raising $100,000 for Burns' re-election.
Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at jnickell@missoulian.com
Pearl Jam countdown
Tickets for the Aug. 29 Pearl Jam concert are available only through limited TicketsWest outlets, including the Big Sky Brewery in Missoula, online at www.ticketswest.com or by phone at 1-800-325-SEAT (7328) on a first-come, first-served basis.
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