Ben Folds ticket sales inspire camper, draw hundreds

Freshman Josh Webber spent a sleepless Thursday night camped out from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m. in front of the IU Auditorium to be first in line to buy tickets for Ben Folds' Nov. 9 concert at IU. \nIn spite of his dedication, Webber ended up in the middle of the line, sandwiched between people who had just arrived because of a lottery system that was instituted, giving all Folds fans an equal opportunity to buy tickets regardless of their arrival time.\nWebber missed a night of sleep and didn't even get the front row seats he had hoped for, but he said he would settle for something in the middle of the auditorium.\n"It would be nice to be able to touch him, but that's not looking so realistic," Webber said. "Hopefully I'll at least be near the center."\nBen Folds' song "Annie Waits" was fittingly played through the auditorium as concert-goers waited for their tickets Friday morning. Weaving through the lobby of the auditorium, the line was filled with students seeking up to eight of the 3,200 available tickets. House manager Jon Larkin said he "wouldn't be surprised if it was sold out" and said it was as big a line as he had seen in quite some time for an IU Auditorium show. He added that people assume it will be sold out but said about a third of the tickets are still available.\n"This one's pretty big," he said. "Mellencamp was huge. Incubus was big, too. It's bigger than anything we had last semester."\nSophomore Shane Tucker said he has waited for tickets for five Ben Folds shows and had "never seen a line like this."\nWebber said he didn't regret staying outside all night, even though he got no sleep. \n"It was fine. It was cold, but we love Ben Folds so we'll do anything for him," he said. \nFreshman Brandon Buck, wearing his Ben Folds T-shirt while buying the tickets, arrived at 8 a.m. to ensure he landed seats.\nFolds is typically a favorite among college students but draws other crowds as well. Bloomington resident Janis Bollin, a mother of a high school student, stood out in the crowd of college students to buy tickets for her daughter as well as herself and friends.\nSophomore Francesca Christopher was planning on having her friend buy her ticket for her, but her friend forgot his credit card at home, so she brought it to him.\n"I was still going to go to the concert, but now I have to wait in line," she said. "I'm missing Portuguese class for this."\nSenior Laura Lazaridis was a little worried she might not get tickets, as she arrived after 10 a.m. \n"My roommate called, and I was like, 'Oh crap, I forgot. I'm gonna be late,'" she said.\nTickets to Ben Folds are $25 for IUB students and $35 for nonstudents. Ticket holders will be required to show a valid student ID when entering the event. Folds will play at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at the IU Auditorium.