The designation is based entirely on how many Denverites are buying tickets to shows through Vivid Seats, an online ticket re-seller. "Denver’s residents stole the show this year by attending more concerts per capita than their counterparts across the nation," says Andrew Gretchko, a publicist for the company.
And those residents have plenty to say about what it takes to get tickets to those concerts. Says Dom:
More like scalper city of the year #outlawticketscalpingAdds Michelle:
And half the time they are tickets from Vivid Seats that the buyer ends up not being able to get into the show!!! I've seen it happen soooooo many times at the Fillmore!!!!...And it's also with all the other third-party scalpers as well!!!Hubbard replies:
It’s so weird how a company that charges me $80 to print my own ticket would love doing business here so much.And Aly concludes:
We need a locals pass/discount.
Vivid Seats wouldn't share the statistics behind the award. Perhaps the Music City of the Year designation just suggests that concert-goers prefer to purchase their tickets from secondary sellers (though readers' responses counter that).
In a much more concrete award, this week Rolling Stone named Red Rocks Amphitheatre one of the ten best live-music venues in the United States. No one's going to quibble with that.
What do you think about the Vivid City award? Vivid City in general? How do you buy tickets? Post a comment or email [email protected].