Getting front section tickets...

You could get GA pit tickets through Backstage's "fan club seating" but they have the outdated stipulation to "be at the venue" to buy your tickets.

Maybe in Europe you could get into the FC area just by showing up the day of the show? A European could answer that.

If you live outside the areas where the band plays, it would be best to be independently wealthy enough to travel with a few days notice for the CHANCE to buy a single ticket (hoping they don't sell out) and travel again for the show. It would help to have no pesky responsibilities like a job or a family since you need to be away from them for both buying a ticket and actually attending the show. If you're in the fan club only for the tickets, you need to live in a major market (like north of the equator and, preferably, north of Mason-Dixon line). Keep that in mind should they re-open the club with the same archaic ticketing system.

Given the price of booking a flight with 3-5 days notice, you could simply stay at home, go to work, and buy the tickets through a Ticketmaster auction or even from a scalper with less hassle and expense.

On the subject of Backstage not accepting any more members, they stopped accepting new members last December. They've talked about ending the FC several times. There's nothing certain about what will be available as for as the fan club goes in the future. I'm sure there will be something, but they haven't announced what it will be yet.

In the past - the front row seats were reserved for the fan club. This time with the GA pit, there were a number of General Admission tickets set aside for the fan club and there were also General Admission tickets sold to the public, some were also auctioned off on e-bay. The fan club got to enter first, then auction winners then general public GA tickets. So if you really wanted the first row or two the fan club was the way to go. In order to get the fan club tickets though - even as a member - you had to be at the venue on the date the fanclub put them on sale. If you didn't live close to the venue - you were still out of luck.

The fan club is in the process of reorganization right now. Probably, when the dust settles it will be run by different people and you will be able to join for future tours. Keep checking the Backstage website for updates if you are interested.

Kathleen