The coveted VIP tickets, which include a 1D wristwatch with pouch, a laminate card, and a lanyard, were sold out in less than three hours after it officially went on sale. By noontime, the Diamond tickets priced at P14,800 were also sold out while limited slots remained for the rest of the lower-priced tickets.
Those who were able to get tickets were tearfully overjoyed while those who were not able to buy were shedding tears of dismay.
“Ang alam namin 1,800 ang VIP tickets na available, paano mauubos agad-agad yun?” a visibly upset teenager named Reyna told InterAksyon. “Pinilahan po namin ng napakatagal yung VIP tapos yung mga late na pumila, yung mga ngayon ngayon lang dumating, sila pa ang nakakuha ng tickets.”
Others who were still waiting in line for their turn suspected that sponsors were able to hoard tickets while certain celebrities and other VIPs were also allowed to buy tickets without falling in line.
“That’s not true. We did not give preferential treatment to anyone,” said Celina Pe de Guia, wife and business partner of Ovation’s head, Renen de Guia. “Even my friends who were bugging me for tickets were asked to line up just like everybody else.”
The good news, according to de Guia, is that organizers have already requested One Direction’s management in the UK for a second concert to be scheduled the following day, March 22, also at the MOA Arena and with the same ticket prices.
“Yes, there is a possibility for a second show so we asked fans to sign up and reserve in the event that the second show happens,” de Guia revealed. “We will announce if this is confirmed in the weeks to come.”
Asked why Ovation and MMI Live decided to sell tickets almost a year before the actual event, de Guia said they were just following the instructions of One Direction’s management in the UK.
“They want it announced early so we announced it early. This was also how it’s done even in other countries so we just followed,” she pointed out.
Even the fans who already got their tickets understand the risks of investing in this show and realize that a lot of things could still happen between now and March of next year—the boy band’s popularity may dim, a member may leave, they could ultimately disband or the concert could be cancelled for whatever reason.
Such circumstances may be beyond their control. But there is at least one fortuitous event they can prepare for — the possibility of losing their precious tickets. As a matter of fact, many of those interviewed have contingency measures in mind just in case.
“I’ll put my ticket in a vault,” said one fan named Debbie who bought a VIP ticket.
“I’ll always take it with me wherever I go,” said another who identified herself as Angeline.
“To make sure I don’t ever lose my ticket, I’ll open a safe deposit box account in a bank and put it there,” said a girl named Joan.
source: interaksyon.com
