UPPER WEST SIDE — Legendary rock band The Allman Brothers Band is kicking off a sold-out 14-night stint at the Beacon Theatre Friday night — the last such appearance for the venerable band, which is splitting up after a 45 year run.
The final appearance of the band sparked a frenzy for tickets among devoted fans, who have spent the past 25 years enjoying the Allmans at the Beacon — and driving up the resale price to as much as $3,600 a ticket. Tickets at face value sold out almost immediately after going on sale Jan 10.
"Around noon I realized that I completely missed my chance for some Allman Brothers Band tickets at The Beacon Theatre," fan Gauthier Giacomoni complained on Facebook.
"If I begged until I was blue in the face... would someone take me to an Allman Brothers Band show at The Beacon Theatre..?????" pleaded devotee Leah Marie Kirk on the theater's Facebook page.
Fans have been despondent since singer and guitarist Warren Haynes and guitarist Derek Trucks announced in January that they'd be leaving the band at the end of 2014. The group will stop touring after they depart, founding member Greg Allman told Relix.
Tickets are being sold at hundreds of dollars more than the original asking price on sites like Craigslist, Stubhub and Alliance Tickets.
For the final night at the Beacon, Mar. 29, seats were anywhere from $590 on Alliance Tickets to $721 on Vivid Seats to $3,667 on Stubhub.
Those with tickets are treating them like gold.
@Manders714 tweeted: "Dad buys a brand new 600lb safe...first thing he puts in it? Allman brothers concert tickets for next weekend."
Resellers and scalpers are capitalizing on the wistful feeling among longtime fans. A trend some fans lamented.
"It wasn't for lack of trying, but StubHub priced me out this year," Travis Talent posted on the band's Facebook page.
