Jazz season is kicking into high gear soon and so begins the task of getting tickets. What’s the big deal about getting tickets, you ask? Well, in my circle of friends it has almost become an Olympic sport.

We all know the routine. First, you scour the internet for the festivals and concerts, find the dates of the shows and the dates tickets go on sale, and then the dates of the presales. If you are really organized (stop laughing at me), you then make sure that all of your credit cards have enough available credit and that the ticket purchasing websites have your information updated. Heaven forbid you have to stop mid-purchase to put in that new expiration date. That in itself can slow you down and bump you back ten rows!

Then you start sending e-mails. The first question is “Who has the password for the presale?” You know you have to do that in order to be a front row person. Then comes the tough part – coordinating this event and purchase with your friends. In my group, there are usually four to six of us going and we would like to sit together, of course. Making this happen is like having a world summit. And in order to sit together, one person must make the purchase. Here again we have the problem of who has enough money for six tickets. And when it is a multi-day festival another meeting must occur to decide on who is purchasing for what day. Thankfully, we have never ended up with 12 tickets for one day! Throw in all the complaints about additional service fees and parking (even when you are a passenger in someone else’s car) and some of my friends almost implode!

Now, I know you are saying this is still not a big deal. However, you would understand when you see the blisters sustained from hitting the redial button on the phone, or the horror as your internet connection goes down in the middle of trying to purchase those Row A seats, or when your boss schedules a meeting for the exact time the tickets go on sale! The stress is building, but we are strong and have a support system. We can get through this season together. Just get more credit cards!

- Bonnie Schendell