Michelle Obama just kicked off the tour for her newly released memoir, Becoming, and ticket holders are anxiously awaiting to hear the former first lady discuss her failures, triumphs, and never-before-told stories. Though the event is billed “an intimate conversation,” Obama quickly sold out entire arenas, including the show this Saturday at Capitol One Arena, which Valerie Jarrett will moderate.
While excitement for the memoir and tour abound, some feel left out of the experience due to ticket prices selling for upward of $700. The pre-sale tickets, which went for as low as $29.50, were gone within minutes—purchased by people who preregistered through TicketMaster’s verification system.
Those who missed out on the cheap tickets have been compiling their frustrations with the remaining ticket prices on the discussion page for the event on Facebook:
Another felt obliged to issue an apology:
Those still hoping to go might find luck within the discussion page, where some who can no longer attend have offered up tickets for as low as $40. Also, StubHub is listing seats for $200 or less. Otherwise, you’ll find $500 to $750 tickets for the second DC event on November 25, and will sympathize with this fan who was caught off guard:
Michelle Obama is out here selling Beyoncé priced tickets and I was not prepared?
— Jess. (@Killa_Nilla) September 20, 2018
There’s always the memoir, which had more preorders than any adult book since 2015:
Obama did note that she was donating 10% of her ticket inventory to local and national charities so their members can attend. Still, some can’t be pleased:
Elliot joined Washingtonian in January 2018. An alum of Villanova University, he grew up in the Philadelphia area before earning a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. His work has also appeared in the Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com, and DCist.com, among others. He lives in Bloomingdale.
