We all get excited about seeing the action of a live entertainment event; whether it be a great college football rivlary game, the last concert of legend (MJ, RIP) or just a great weekend show for a local band in your area.  The action, the excitement and the passion are simply unmatched when you see an event live.

At TicketCity, we understand that more than ever.  That’s how we got our start – by providing our clients access to unforgettable experiences that they remember forever.  We all have our own stories we’ll never forget.

So now we want to see you in action.  That’s right, YOU enjoying your favorite events; whether it be tailgate, a concert, or even a formal theatre event.  Send us your photos of you with friends, family, celebrities or just hangin’ solo at an event you will always remember.

Send us photos or video of yourself at one of your favorite and be entered to win a gift card valid toward any event of your choice.  All entries will receive a prize from TicketCity just for entering.  We’ll warn you now that our judges are very subjective, with no rhyme or reason to their criteria, but they love to see people having the a great time at events.  So, show us your pix.  If you’re lucky, you might even make it on our website (so keep it clean!).

Email us at memories@ticketcity.com with your photos or videos and a short description of the event (who, when, where). Include your name, email and shipping address with your entry.  Please be sure to get us your entry by August 10th, 2009 to be eligble to win, as we’ll announce the winner August 14th, 2009.  Multiple entries are welcome.

We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Hey Texas, summer may be in full swing, but the best season is yet to come.  Football season!  We hope you’ll join us at the 2nd Annual Texas Gridiron Kickoff brought to you by the Austin Sports Commission, a division of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Mark your calendars now for this spirited kickoff event with some of the greatest names in college football today which will be held at the Austin Convention Center on August 7th from 12 noon to 1:30pm.  Sure a nice lunch centered around football sounds like a good time, but it get’s better.  Listen to Head Coach Mack Brown, Defensvie Coordinator Will Muschamp and Offensive Coordinatore Greg Davis discuss college football and the Horns upcoming season.  Ron Franklin from ESPN will be there to moderate the coaches discussion.  And the voice of the Horns, Craig Way, will also be recognizing local Central Texas high school players as part of the Preseason All-Centex Team.

TicketCity is proud to be a part of this kickoff event for our favorite season of the year!   As an official sponsor our team will be there with some great giveaways and prizes.  So register now to come join all the fun and reserve your space now as this event is expected to sellout!

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s passing, a Thriller-esque monster has emerged.  That would be the refund.  The refund for 50 shows.  750,000 tickets.  Various tickets outlets.  One venue.  Unlike a typical tour where various venues and box offices might be invovled, this is all being shouldered by AEG Live, the promoter and operator of the O2 Arena in London, and its ticketing partners.  Refunds due are amounting to more than $85 million on the 750,000 tickets sold. 

Fans are anxiously awaiting instructions as to how they can get their refund, but AEG is still in the process of holding meetings to decide exactly how to deal with this.  So if you have Michael Jackson tickets, unfortunately we don’t have any refund details for you yet.  (And we should note that TicketCity did not sell any tickets to Mr. Jackson’s upcoming shows.)  While a refund may seem simple enough, it’s more complicated with not only Ticketmaster involved as the primary box office seller, but AEG Live also partnered with reseller Viagogo, O2 partnered with reseller Seatwave and there were also likely a large number of VIP and travel packages sold.  Add on top of that the fact that there was a global market for this show, now we add in currencies, exchange rates, etc.  And now things really get complicated.

There are a few details that are fascinating about this situation.  First, the fact that it’s surely going to require an inordinate amount of time to reverse all of these transactions which originally happened within five hours, to sell out the entire 50-date event.  Too bad there is no control-Z command for this situation.

Second, this fiasco, or what one concert industry exec referred to as “the biggest mess in the history of our business,” is estimated at the astonishing sum of $85 million, while reports have recently come out that MJ was over $400 million in debt when he passed.  400 million dollars.  Hopefully that makes AEG feel a little better in this monstrosity.  I’m not sure what would be worse: organizing the $85 million refund or managing  the estate to  develop a plan to make good on $400 million in debt.

So if you have Michael Jackson tickets  and want to claim your refund, the best you can do right now is to locate your tickets and any receipts or credit card information from the transaction.  Be sure you understand from whom you bought your tickets.  If you did not by your tickets from the primary seller, it will be difficult and most likely impossible to get a refund from them.  You will need to contact the seller who sold you the tickets.  AEG Live and most of the ticket sellers have issued official “wait for more info” statements.  So hold tight; it may take some time to figure this one out.

In the meantime keep checking out this site that has so conveniently started to aggregate the statements and updates on refunds from various outlets.  Michael Jackson Refund Updates

Michael Jackson

Almost disqualified this week’s number #1, which, as you may imagine, rocketed to the top on the strength of only yesterday and today’s searches. I can verify we no longer list Michael Jackson tickets, since, as your humble webmaster, I was the one that pulled them off once the more reputable news outlets began to agree with TMZ. Not that I wasn’t reasonably certain they had it right, I was just waiting for the media dinosaurs to do their due diligence.

A couple other newcomers to the list this week as well, but for less morbid reasons. Journey’s Revelation Tour is picking up some steam, in support of their latest album, Revelation, with a new lead singer, Arnel Pineda. They are working on another new album for a 2010 release. On a rather distant end of the musical spectrum from Journey, Lil Wayne is touring as well, and has a new album called Rebrith scheduled to come out in August.

Top 10 mainstays Joans Brothers accomplish a rarity by staying in the exact same position this week as last, while the Miley and Taylor both fall to the bottom five.

College World Series, Wimbledon, USA vs Spain in South Africa… and that’s just in one day!  It can be difficult to keep up with it all.  Follow TicketCity on Facebook and we’ll bring it all to you, including discounts and last-minute ticket specials on events!

We also invite you to share your photos and videos with us from your favorite events.  You can also keep track of where you’ll find us at upcoming events including:

Texas Gridiron Kickoff - August 7th at the Austin Convention Center

TicketCity ESPN Austin Season Kickoff – August 28th at TicketCity in Austin

US Open Tennis – starting August 31st at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, NY

Dallas Cowboys Home Opener - September 20th at New Cowboys Stadium in Arlington

George Strait at Cedar Park Center - September 25th at Cedar Park Center

Start following us today for the chance to enter contests and win prizes!

In it’s 132nd year, the Grand Slam tournament of tournaments begins with all the fanfare of previous years despite the economic downturn.  As the oldest and most prestigious tournament in tennis returns to the All England Club, record crowds are expected this year at the grass courts.  The Telegraph reported that thousands of fans are expected to join the already increased applications for the annual ticket ballet.  With applications up 20% compared to last year, tennis fans prove their loyalty to the sport.

From today until July 5th tennis stars from across the world will compete for the coveted title. So who are the top ten seeded singles players?

You’ll notice that the #1 seeded player, Rafael Nadal, is not on the list.  Bad knees were the cause of his early exit from the French Open and now even earlier cancellation for Wimbledon. As Nadal nurses the tendinitis in his knees, Federer is the favorite to win but must get past Murray and Djokovic before doing so…

 Our partner NBCSports.com will be offering free on-demand live streaming of the matches but for a better view, be there!  We’ve got Wimbledon tickets available.  Can’t justify the cost or time flying overseas?  Head New York to the US Open in late August. We’ve got tickets starting as low as $32!

Tickets are now available for the grand opening of Cedar Park Center in North Austin on September 25, 2009, with a blowout concert event headlined by George Strait, and likely to include many other musical guests. 

The new Cedar Park Center will be home to the Texas Stars, the AHL development affiliate of the Dallas Stars.  This venue will accommodate a crowd of approximately 6,800 for hockey events and about 8,700 for concerts and other events.  Check out the concert seating layout for the new center.  (Click to enlarge.)

This is the perfect chance for George Strait fans to see him up close in a more intimate venue, compared to some of the other mega-venues on his schedule with  capacities of 70,000+.   Not to mention you’ll save yourself some time on traffic and parking as well.  Call or visit Ticket City today to see  George Strait and the Texas Stars at the Cedar Park Center!

The 3-game Championship Round of the 2009 College World Series will begin play on Monday.  The Champion will be the team that wins two of the three game series.  Late last night the two teams that will be playing in the 2009 College World Series championship was decided when Texas won over Arizona State in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the 9th inning.  The Longhorns advance to the Championship Series to face the LSU Tigers.

Game 1 will be played on Monday at 6pm CST at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.  Game 2 is on Tuesday and Game 3 will be played on Wednesday if it is necessary.  The winner between Texas and LSU will be crowned college baseball’s Divsion I National Champion.

2009 College World Series matchup:
LSU Tigers (2009 record: 54-16) – managed by Paul Mainieri – 5 National Titles in college baseball
Texas Longhorns (2009 record: 49-14-1 ) – managed by Augie Garrido – 6 National Titles in college baseball

It is not too late to head to Omaha for these classic matchup.  If you want to buy tickets for the 2009 College World Series championship round, please call 1.800.880.8886 on Saturday or Monday to buy tickets.

Miley Cyrus again comes out on top, keeping the College World Series in 3rd place, after a rather persistent Blink-182. Other top 5 favorites Taylor Swift and the JoBros round things out.

The only real newcomer to the list is Sir Paul McCartney, in a number 6. Mr. McCartney is the opening musical act for the new Citi Field, and is playing 3 shows, on July 17th, 18th, and the 21st. His history with Mets’ stadiums extends back to one of his older groups, an obscure quartet known as “The Beatles,” who played the first concert at Shea Stadium.

Struggling to find a great Father’s Day gift for dear old dad?  TicketCity can make finding something your Dad will really enjoy easier than ever.  From sports and concerts, to a gift card that he can use for any event, we’ve got you covered.  Take a look at some of our most popular events right now that your dad might enjoy:

10.  US Open Golf  Tickets are still available for this week’s event, and yet another potential Tiger and Phil battle.

9.   Aerosmith/ZZ Top  If your Dad’s a rocker, surprise him the chance to experience the A to Z Tour.

8.  College World Series  Todays games will take us one exciting step closer to the championship in Omaha.

7.  Billy Joel & Elton John  Cleveland, Boston, Seattle and Southern Calfornia still remain on their tour calendar.

6.   US Open Tennis  One of the best times of the year to visit NYC if your Dad’s a tennis fan.

5.  Eric Clapton  Get ‘em before he’s gone; tour dates only continue throughout June!

4.  NFL Football  Tailgates and touchdowns aren’t far away; be sure your dad is there to see his team this season.

3. Bruce Springsteen  Who doesn’t love The Boss?  A gift sure to please any father.

2.  College Football  Game tickets, season tickets end even some bowl tickets are available now.

And finally, our most popular Father’s Day gift…

1.  Ticket City Gift Cards  Good for all of the events above or any other event your Dad chooses, this gift is sure to please!

And remember for whatever event your father might enjoy, he’ll always need someone to go with him.  So this Father’s Day make your gift a present for yourself or the family as well.  Plan an experience for the whole family to enjoy. Need help with some more ideas?  Visit www.ticketcity.com or call 1-800-SOLD-OUT and one of our sales associates will help you find the perfect gift to make this Father’s Day one that Dad will remember!