Photo of Elton John at the 2011 premiere of The Union at the Tribeca Film Festival by David Shankbone. Published under Creative Commons license.
Seems you can't have a big act at Bethel Woods (Phish, anyone?) without some outsize drama to go along with it. The Sullivan County Democrat reports that a crowd of a few hundred Elton John fans who stood in line for tickets on May 23 got angry when the tickets sold out in under an hour, and police were called in to keep the peace:
At the recent Bethel Town Board meeting, Supervisor Dan Sturm read an email that Kauneonga Lake resident David Biren had sent to Bethel Woods, with Biren deriding the facility as “inept” for what he felt was an unjustifiably rude wait in the rain and cold for tickets that ultimately could not be purchased.
Police were called at one point to quell the angry crowd, which Biren says numbered about 200. No arrests were made, but Biren was further angered by what he saw as a needless police presence and the fact that scalpers were online shortly thereafter, selling tickets at inflated prices.
Them's the breaks, said Bethel Woods COO Darlene Fedun:
“The form given to individuals is similar to taking a number at a deli,” said Bethel Woods Chief Operating Officer Darlene Fedun. “It was to help place individuals in line and to prepare them with information to have ready before getting to the window. It doesn’t guarantee a ticket nor say ‘voucher’ anywhere on it.”
She defended Bethel Woods’ handling of the matter.
“It was handled very professionally and in an organized manner. The crowd was well taken care of and orderly, until we sold out – then their behavior changed,” she stated.
