Locals music fans are gearing up for a pilgrimage to Missoula to witness the June 20 Pearl Jam concert that kicks off the band’s 39-stop national tour. But as Kalispell merchants received only a fraction of the 21,000 tickets from distributors, the competition for seats to the concert was fierce. “We had people lined up half a block long,” said Bob Tuman, owner of Budget Tapes and CDs. “But everybody was in a good mood.” Pearl Jam — linked to Montana by its bassist, Big Sandy native and former University of Montana student Jeff Amend — will perform its fourth concert in Montana in the football stadium, rather than the usual concert location at Harry Adams Fieldhouse. The football stadium will allow three times the capacity of the fieldhouse. Tuman said the greater capacity will allow more Kalispell residents to attend. “If things go well, it may be the beginning of a good thing,” said Tuman. “A lot more seats mean a lot more tickets to sell.” Even with more tickets available overall, would-be concert-goers didn’t want to risk not having choice seats. “I got out of my car at 5 (a.m.), but I was up since 3 — I was afraid I would sleep in,” said junior Tim Wood, who sat in line on the sidewalk in front of Budget for ground-floor tickets. “It was just me and some other Pearl Jam freaks.” The Pearl Jam tickets went on sale April 4 and sold out in one day. The distributor allotted 100 ground floor and 300 general admission tickets to Kalispell; Tuman was pleased Kalispell received a relatively high number. “Of the outlets outside of Missoula, we were given as many tickets as any place in the state of Montana,” said Tuman. But Tuman also said with the few concerts coming to Montana, he was disappointed the distributor made many tickets available out-of-state. “It’s up to every person to decide if that is fair or not,” said Tuman. Past the urgency to get tickets, those who did grab seats in time remain excited about experiencing the band live. Said senior Kris Nelson: “It’s going to be the best thing that ever happened to Montana.” |
