Rocket Man Sells Out Lines Started Overnight To Snatch Up Seats For Elton John

Chris Burns doesn’t love Elton John as much as his dad, but he spent the night in line so his pop could see the Rocket Man up close.

More than 10,000 tickets sold out in 2-1/2 hours for one of the Spokane Arena’s biggest shows to date. Only Garth Brooks drew a bigger crowd and sold out faster, officials said.

To ensure his dad got good seats for the May 29 concert, Burns got to the Arena 13 hours before tickets went on sale Saturday morning.

He was alone for awhile.

“By about 3 a.m., the line started forming,” he said. “We were all pretty much in one big crowd, talking.”

Officially, the Arena doesn’t let people on the grounds before 6 a.m. But that doesn’t stop crowds from gathering on nearby roads.

Most of those who came early agreed to sign an unofficial list marking their place in line. They grumbled about nonconformists who crashed the gate.

But by 9 a.m., the official start of ticket sales, the early birds were first in line - ahead of about 600 fans.

They shivered under blankets, sipped coffee and used cellular phones to call friends stationed at other long lines around town. Some continually redialed the G&B Select-A-Seat number. Others fielded calls from anxious friends.

“I’m at the window. I’ll call you right back,” said one man in line.

Beve Clark had been in line since 3 a.m.

“He’s the best,” she said of one of the world’s best-known pop stars. “When I walked down the aisle I had Elton John playing.”

She got seats on the floor, 19 rows back. By 9:15 a.m., all the floor seats were gone.

Buyer after buyer pulled out credit cards, cash and checks to buy tickets priced from $39.50 to $59.50. Tim Harlow didn’t hesitate in slapping down his gold card to buy tickets for eight choice seats. It cost $482.

“It’s Elton John,” he said with a shrug.

And that’s reason enough.

They poured in Saturday from all over: Wenatchee, Ritzville and Kalispell, Mont.

By 10 a.m., the small talk quieted. People, fearing an early sellout, grew tense.

“It’s touch and go,” said Connie O’Brien of Spokane. “To think we got up at 6 and froze for nothing.”

But everyone who came got a shot at buying tickets. Even the latest stragglers at 11:30 a.m. could buy obstructed-view seats for $39.

By 11 a.m., about a dozen frantic people arrived at the Arena.

One of them, Lyle Grambo, had tried the phone line at home hundreds of times before giving up. But when he finally got his chance, he balked at buying seats scattered throughout the Arena.

Tom Rosario failed to get through on the ticket line from his NorthTown Mall store. He came down to get tickets just before they sold out around 11:30.

“We got them and I’m happy,” Rosario said. “They’re not the greatest seats, but at least we’ll be there, me and my wife.”