Rush surprised everyone earlier this week by nearly doubling the number of shows on their upcoming Fifty Something tour for the 2nd time by adding 17 new cities. Then 2 days later they expanded the tour yet again, adding 2nd shows in all of the newly-announced cities plus another in Mexico City, bringing the total to a whopping 58 shows! Just like the initial slate of dates, pre-sales will run during the week before the public on-sale, with the 1st round kicking off TOMORROW at 12PM local venue time, and running until Sunday, October 26th at midnight. This 1st round of pre-sales are sponsored by Citibank in the US (AMEX in Canada) and require the purchaser to have a valid Citibank (or AMEX) Credit Card. Note that this also applies to the VIP and TRAVEL package pre-sales, which will run concurrently with the standard Citi/AMEX pre-sales. All dates will then have an Artist pre-sale, with those kicking off next week, that will also include VIP/Travel packages but with no Credit Card restrictions (any card will do). In order to have access to the Artist pre-sale (not the CITI/AMEX ones), users need to register via this link BY TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. Clicking that link will send you to Ticketmaster to choose up to 3 dates to register for (or to edit your selections). This will then automatically give you access to the pre-sale through Ticketmaster to those shows. All the dates along with pre-sale/onsale dates/times are listed in the Rush is a Band tour section, and I'll be updating this post with any new information or clarifications that I receive.

SOLD OUT?

All 23 of the initial slate of dates have already SOLD OUT. So if the shows are sold out, why are there still tickets listed? To clear up any confusion, this just means that all the face value tickets are sold, but if you visit the Ticketmaster site for any of these shows, you'll see many seats available as Verified Resale Tickets, not to mention all the tickets available on the secondary market. So even though these shows are sold out, there are still avenues for fans to get tickets, albeit a bit more expensive than face value. I suggest avoiding the secondary ticket sellers until AFTER the on-sale date when prices will stabilize.

Preliminary Steps

It's critical that you check your Ticketmaster account prior to the sale to make sure all your info is correct and up-to-date, and to enter in any Citibank/AMEX cards into your account. Consider using a desktop/laptop computer with a mouse if possible, as it makes it easier to navigate TM's interactive map - but that's all personal preference. Make a plan for which show(s) you want to get tickets for, how many, and how much you are willing to spend BEFORE the sale - and be realistic; you will likely be spending at minimum $500 total for a pair of tickets (and those are upper deck). It's really important to get familiar with the seating chart for the venue(s) you plan to attend as well. Also have the 1st 6 digits of your Citibank card number handy in case it's needed to unlock the pre-sale, and make sure to follow RIAB on Facebook, X, and/or Bluesky, as I'll be posting updates, ticket links and reminders throughout the ticket-selling process. Lastly, don't wait until the actual pre-sale time to get into your Ticketmaster account - get there 15-30 minutes early at least (see below).

Timing

The CITI/AMEX pre-sales begin tomorrow at 12PM LOCAL VENUE TIME - meaning that first up are the Eastern time zone cities (Philly, Detroit, Montreal, Boston, DC, Uncasville, both Florida shows, Charlotte, Atlanta), then the Central time zone (12PM CDT) an hour later (just San Antonio), followed by the Mountain time zone an hour after that (Denver, Edmonton, Mexico City), and finally the Pacific time zone cities (and Arizona) an hour later (Seattle, San Jose, Glendale, Vancouver). Ticketmaster will open up their queue 15-30 minutes prior to the pre-sale (this can vary), so log on early (an hour before the sale is recommended) to get the best place in line. It's not unusual to get in the queue and have tens of thousands of people ahead of you. Don't fret, the queue will die down and you'll eventually get in (do not refresh your browser as you will lose you spot in line). For more details about how the queue works, visit Ticketmaster at this link. From my understanding by reading that link, it's ok to use multiple browsers/tabs as long as each is for a different show, but proceed with caution in any case as there have been many reports of fans being kicked out of the queue or temporarily suspended:

We recommend using only one browser on a single device. You can shop for more than one event, but each of those queues should be in a separate tab in the same browser.

Tip: Make sure to only have one tab open for each show (more than one tab per show will cause errors).

That suggests that using a different browser or device is ok too, as long as you are using one for each show. If you try to open multiple browsers/devices/tabs for the same show, you may encounter errors.

Pricing

Although we now have a general idea of the ticket price range, it varies greatly by city/venue and whether the tickets have any VIP package attached (not to mention the outrageous fees). There's also no comprehensive price breakdown anywhere online. From what we've observed during the 1st round of ticket sales, face value tickets run from $120-$1200 (give or take) with the VIP prices much higher, and fees driving it up even further (fees can easily add hundreds of dollars to a ticket order). The Limelight VIP package with front row and a M&G run at least $2500 while the Stick it Out level ones are in the $500 range, and the Closer to the Heart (first several floor rows) around $1K. Your best bet is to do some research online in Rush social media groups/accounts, and talk to people who have already purchased tickets. I'd also suggest avoiding the secondary/resale markets until the pre-sales are exhausted and tickets are on sale to the general public, as that pricing is often speculative/inaccurate.

VIP Experience

Rush is offering a number of different VIP and Travel packages for the tour. Rather than repeat all the information regarding what's available, fans can visit this website to see all the details. What we'll focus on here is what you need to do in order to purchase the packages themselves, specifically the pre-sales. I will say that VIP packages are a good way to ensure you have a seat in the section you want, but they are expensive. Different from past tours, fans ARE able to choose their seats for the VIP. If you filter by the various VIP/Travel packages in the TM interface, it will show you any seats that apply to that package, and you choose the ones you want (up to 8 per person). Also note that the VIP packages are not transferable and cannot be resold (but the tickets themselves are). Again, all the details and an FAQ are available here. These packages will be made available during both the Citi/AMEX pre-sales and the Artist pre-sales, along with the general on-sale (while they last). So in order to participate in the 1st round of VIP pre-sales tomorrow, you will need a valid Citibank/AMEX card as described below.

Citibank Pre-sales (CITI)

These pre-sales are sponsored by Citibank and are open to anyone with access to a valid Citi consumer or business credit card. All the US shows on the Rush tour have Citibank pre-sales, along with Citibank VIP pre-sales. The pre-sales will run from Friday, October 24 (TOMORROW!) at Noon through Sunday, October 26 at midnight. As the name suggests, you need to use a Citibank credit card to complete the purchase - for both the regular tickets AND VIP ones (important!). When prompted to enter your Passcode or Member Code on the billing information page you simply enter the first six (6) digits of your credit card account number (no dashes) located on the front of your Citicard. You will then need to use a Citi credit card to complete your ticket purchase. More information can be found at citientertainment.com. These pre-sales are called out with a code of CITI in the Rush is a Band tour section.

AMEX Pre-sales (AMEX)

These pre-sales are sponsored by American Express and are open to anyone with access to a valid AMEX credit card. All of the Canadian shows (Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver) have AMEX pre-sales, along with AMEX VIP pre-sales. The pre-sales will run from Friday, October 24 (TOMORROW!) at Noon through Sunday, October 26 at midnight. As the name suggests, you need to use an AMEX credit card to complete the purchase - for both the regular tickets AND VIP ones (important!). Some AMEX pre-sales require a code that is the 10-digit customer service number from the back of the card, but it's not clear yet if it'll be needed here (I was not prompted for anything when purchasing Toronto tickets). You will then need to use an AMEX credit card to complete your ticket purchase. More information can be found at americanexpress.com. These pre-sales are called out with a code of AMEX in the Rush is a Band tour section.

Purchasing Tickets

Assuming you've followed all the preliminary steps above, you should be logged into your Ticketmaster account and have a browser tab (or separate device/browser) open for each show you want to attend when the queue opens up 15-30 minutes prior to the presale start. Once in the queue it will tell you how many people are ahead of you. DO NOT REFRESH your browser as you will be kicked out of line. The page will automatically refresh and update the number of people in line ahead of you. When it's your turn you will be directed to the Ticketmaster interface which includes an interactive seat map. Face value tickets will be shown as blue dots, VIP/Travel packages as yellow dots, and resale tickets in magenta. You will be able to apply filters to the tickets shown. Select the tickets you want and begin the checkout process - there's generally an 8-ticket limit per user, but check the specific show for confirmation. Tens of thousands of people will be using the interface at the same time, so it's not uncommon for fans to select tickets and then see that they've already been sold from under them. It's a frustrating process, but just keep trying.

Aftermath

If when the dust settles and you still weren't able to acquire any tickets, don't despair - there will be other opportunities. The Artist pre-sale is next Monday, and the general on-sale next Friday. There's also the secondary market, but that should be reserved until after the public on-sale when pricing will stabalize. It's likely that these shows will sell out as well, but even in that case, there will still be tickets available as Verified Resale Tickets and on the secondary market.