The problem, as I see it, is that reunions can be a pretty pricey fee, and people who use to all live in the same place are now coming in from all over. I've done fundraisers where we might have one or two "But I paids!", but they're local and since the costs are low, we can just comp them on their word and straighten it out later. Here's an idea: Get a free email account from Gmail or Yahoo in the name of the reunion. When you receive a payment, enter it in your spread sheet, and send a confirmation e-mail to the payer, including names of attendees (or "2 guests" if you don't know) and amount paid. If they don't have e-mail, send it to the Reunion's e-mail (i.e., self) with the payers name on the subject line and mail a printout of it by post. For last minute payments, do the same thing but keep the printouts and hand them to the people as they arrive. If you save a couple of template e-mails, you can just plug in the names, amounts and e-mail address and send it off, so it shouldn't take any more work than mailing a paper ticket would. On the invitation, tell people that their confirmation e-mail is their ticket/proof of payment. This way you have a double check that can't be accidentally written over for what came in, you can look up if you sent the e-mail, and they can show you a print out, or the e-mail on their phone. That said, one of the emotionally worst things I've ever had to do was stand at the door of a paid event with a caterer, where the caterer demanded an exact headcount, and tell someone who was a member of the organization, but who hadn't paid, that she couldn't come in. So that's another piece of advice: Plan a few extra meals, etc., so you can comp someone rather than turn them away hungry.

There's no way I could stand through an entire concert. Not without being carted out to an ambulance. Not any more. If I can't sit (even if people are standing in front of me simply because they are), I can't attend. So I'd stand for a few minutes to see the act, but I'd be mostly at these venues to HEAR the act! I doubt there are any indoor venues that allow you to bring your own chair (unless it's a wheelchair). Bad ankles that never healed perfectly are the pits. My last concert was Concrete Blonde, in NYC, about 3-4 years ago, and yes, that one was standing only, but it was before I broke my ankle. I would have liked to have sat there, too, actually. Although I can't recall if the outdoor pickin and fiddling bluegrass event I saw was the summer before or after Concrete Blonde - we brought lawn chairs to the bluegrass event. Edit: I never bring a purse into NYC - not because of searches but just one less thing to have to watch, especially on subways. Pockets are great.

Thanks! I received a link to the Verified Fan site, as well as my access code. Presale starts in about an hour. All the show dates are there, but I don't see a place to enter the code? Does that happen when I actually select seats and pay for the tickets? I need coffee, this is stressful! ETA: will I have better odds with a Friday in February, or a Saturday in March?

Yes, something similar has happened to me. I got word of a ticket in a northern Maine town where I had never driven. This was well after I had ordered new license plates which never made it to my house, and I had to re-order. When the ticket arrived, I called the police in that town, and told them just what I have written here. The theory is that the plates were mailed to me, but intercepted somewhere along the way, and were put on anther car. It was very spooky. But in this case, the car that the 'missing' plates was on was not at all similar to mine.