Last week, organizers of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the popular annual concert held in Indio, Calif., announced that one week after going on sale, all 75,000 VIP and general admission tickets were sold out. According to Paul Tollett, promoter for festival organizer Goldenvoice, it was the fastest sellout in the festival's 12-year history.
The denizens of Craigslist, predictably, are not happy. Whether the quicker-than-expected sellout is due to unprecedented demand or an increase in ticket-purchasing technology by scalpers, the bottom line is that a lot of people are screwed and willing to put in the extra effort for a trip to Indio. Nonrefundable flights from England were already purchased. The previously unemployed are now working. And melodramatic pleas are now public.
We scoured the site over the weekend to see how desperate the situation is. It's not pretty.
Goats (?!): This person needs three goats, and you know they're serious because they included a picture of a goat.
Xbox, BlackBerry, MacBook, etc.: There is no shortage of people looking to sell you slightly worn electronics in exchange for tickets, including this XBox with games or "barley used" BlackBerry.
Cars: You would think a car would be the last thing people in California would relinquish for tickets, but if you need a 1966 VW Bug or Subaru Outback, make a deal.
Surfboard and Mixing Board: Presumably, this guy just went into his garage, saw the box labeled "Boards" and said, "Screw it, I'll just sell everything."
Decorative Concrete: For the person who has it all but realized, only after buying Coachella tix, that he really should've used that money for decorative concrete, your wish is granted.
Skydiving Lessons: We would actually consider this offer. Coachella comes around every year, but a free chance for "two 9,000 feet tandem skydives" would be pretty sweet.
Music Video: This one is probably geared toward all those amateur rappers with more money than talent who put most of their resources toward a glossy video over a Rakim or Big Daddy Kane album.
Everything (Part 1): "Patrick" is desperate and willing to do anything to go to the festival, including writing you a song or poem, giving you free tea and providing a photoshoot session for you and your family. Oh, and he also babysits. Because the best babysitter referral is a random guy you find on Craigslist who is willing to do anything for concert tickets. But A for effort.
Everything (Part 2): Like Patrick, this person also offers up odd jobs such as painting, gardening and boot shining to get the job done, but genially throws in "general degradation" as a service he's willing to perform. Have fun sifting through the response e-mails on this one.
So despair not, ticket hunters. And if all else fails, the benevolent consumer-friendly folks at StubHub will gladly sell you one of their stash for a mere $10,000 per pass.
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