Teens from all over the Midwest converged on downtown Minneapolis Sunday, basically taking over Target Center. It was, like, the concert of a lifetime.
"The kids love her, she's a good wholesome girl," said one mom. "I really like the morals she portrays and that's what we want to support," added another. They were talking about Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana.
"The interest and the calls and the excitement and the passion of her fans has not stopped. I'll be honest with you, I've been here for 8 ½ years and I have never seen an event like this," said a tough-to-impress Courtney Hasko, Target Center's Marketing Director.
It was also a tough ticket to get. Fans standing in line for the Will Call window talked about a roller coaster of emotions. "We went online and we tried to get tickets but they were sold out right away. It was sad, there were tears. She (9 year old Allison) was crying because she couldn't go," St. Michael mother Sandy Erickson said. "Then a friend called me and said she happened to go online last Saturday and they had tickets for sale." Erickson's other option, Ebay, turned into a non-option overnight. "Tickets were going for $3,000. I know, it is crazy. I can't believe people pay that, but I guess they do," Erickson said.
Yes, they go to great lengths. The Boyd clan hails from Poplar, Montana, a quick 14 hour drive from Minneapolis. "Actually, we came on faith and we really believed we were going to get tickets. And we did! We kept praying for a miracle and we got one," Val Boyd said. Her two nephews, Hannah (from Montana) and Gabrielle were wearing pink microphone headsets as they waited in the Will Call line. The family constantly called Ticketmaster on their long drive. Val got through sometime Saturday. "We were all screaming when she finally got to speak to somebody," Michelle Boyd said. They scored five tickets at face value. Buying from a scalper was plan B.
The Hannah Montana crew set up the stage early Sunday morning. By noon, promoters learned there were more seats they could sell. "We did release a couple hundred and within minutes those tickets were gone (too)," Hasko said.
Miley Cyrus is country star Billy Ray Cyrus' kid. Her popularity stretches across the country, from one sold out show to the next. Marketing expert Courtney Hasko says Hannah draws the in-between crowd, kids between 8 and 18 years old. "There's not much for them in a concert setting. They (bands) either skew a little bit older or real, real young. There's a niche, and certainly Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus filled that," Hasko explained.
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