I’ve been to every single UK Morrissey tour (or one-off show) in recent years and, since 2000, have never once panicked into buying a ticket the minute they go on sale, and have also never once paid more than face value for the ticket (usually paying considerably less).
Here are some (hopefully useful) things to consider;
• In the old pre-internet days, if you didn’t get a ticket through official channels, your only choice was to negotiate with a tout; often quite an intimidating experience.
• Nowadays, there are tons of ways of getting unwanted tickets through websites like this one and other general ones like Gumtree
• People will always have tickets to get rid of nearer the time. They buy more than they need, friends can’t go at the last minute etc.
• Do not, repeat, do not buy a ticket off E-bay at an inflated price. People making a profit through E-bay are the lowest of the low! At least the ticket touts are out there in the cold, negotiating with people face-to-face, taking risks etc. E-bay touts are just cowardly, greedy, computer geeks.
• The Morrissey live fanbase is simply not very big. He can sell out medium sized venues but he cannot sell out arena tours even when he only plays three or four around the country. In London the fanbase is around 15-20,000; easily soaked up by three nights at Brixton Academy or just two at Albert Hall.
• Morrissey always adds on extra dates after announcing the initial ones. This is naughty and irritating but it’s what he does (in order to create a buzz and make sure initial dates sell out).
