Free centennial concert tickets can be had — for a price

Spencer Patterson

Friday, April 22, 2005 | 11:01 a.m.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' July 2 Las Vegas show was devised to celebrate the city's centennial, but so far ticket scalpers seem to be doing most of the partying.

Moments after approximately 35,000 free tickets to the concert -- slated to be held in a parking lot adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center -- were gobbled up online Monday, eBay lit up with dozens of centennial ticket auctions.

"It was the Centennial Committee's and the city of Las Vegas' intention that this would be a free party for our residents, who we value so much, and for our guests, who will really appreciate it," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said.

"But you get a couple of bums who take advantage of the situation, and what starts off as a very nice gesture ... turns into a sleazy methodology of trying to make a buck from it."

As of Thursday, more than 150 such auctions had been completed on eBay, with buyers paying between $25 and $70 per ticket. One seller received $499.99 for a lot of eight tickets.

Those auctions were still going strong Thursday afternoon, with an eBay search for "Chili Peppers" and "Vegas" resulting in more than 150 offerings, selling between one and eight tickets.

Goodman said that, while he knows of no law prohibiting the online sale of free concert tickets, he has advised his staff to look into it.

"I have asked our city attorney that if we catch any scalpers, we prosecute them ... and our city jail is no bargain," Goodman said. "I hope that the scalpers weren't Las Vegans, because I believe Las Vegans have more class than that."

Clark County and city of Las Vegas ordinances outlaw ticket scalping.

A press release issued Monday by the Centennial Committee indicated that nearly 50,000 tickets had been released in the initial batch, made available at noon Monday on Web site www.vegasrocks100.com.

On Thursday promoter Clear Channel Entertainment confirmed that number was actually closer to 35,000, of which about 17,000 went to Nevada residents.

An additional 5,000 free tickets will be released on May 16 through local Ticketmaster outlets. Organizers said there are no plans to require prospective ticket-holders to show Nevada identification at that time.

"The Centennial Committee was smart to request that Clear Channel hold 5,000 tickets -- 10 percent of the house -- back," Michael McGaw, managing director of Clear Channel Entertainment, said. "This way, local residents have two shots at tickets."

Also, about 10,000 tickets will be made available to event sponsors and area hotels, bringing the total crowd to about 50,000, Goodman said.

In addition to the Chili Peppers, the July 2 concert will feature opening act Weezer.

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