Tom Waits goes paperless for tour

Tom Waits is hitting the road for a tour of the Southern United States this summer -- "where they still love a man who wears red pants and they make him feel welcome," he says online -- but that's not the most interesting curiosity of this news.

Waits is going to be the first artist to use Ticketmaster's new paperless ticket system. Instead of being issued a ticket via mail or will-call, concert goers will need to bring the credit card they used to buy their seats along with a government-issued ID card (a driver's license will do). An attendant will swipe the card and provide a receipt.

The new system is intended to cut down on scalpers.

Tickets for the Waits tour go on sale Friday, May 16. The tour begins June 17 in Phoenix and winds up July 5 in Atlanta. There's one Florida date on the tour -- July 1 in Jacksonville. (Tom, trust me, in Jacksonville, a man who wears red pants is not only unwelcome -- but he's taking his own life into his hands.)

[AP photo]

Comments

[Marissa]

Wow, he takes raspy to an entirely different level.

But hey! Good morning, Spearsy.

No offense to Waits fans, as I enjoy him too in small doses, but does he really have that massive a problem with scalpers?

[Douglas Arthur]

you'd be surprised. I once sold an out of print Tom Waits video on eBay for $60...and that was about 8 years ago...so yeah I think its possible that he has a scalping problem. Artists like Waits may not be doing Aerosmith numbers, but they have a very loyal, cult following, and that translates into a "money is no object" mentality which feeds into scalpers. Plus I think its been a little while since he has toured.

[Spears]

Waits had a big impact on the 80s, not just musically. He appears in about a half dozen films as well.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Tom Waits has always scared me a little bit. He strikes me as the kind of guy who's already gone paperless...

...in the men's room.

[Menni]

Waits in Amsterdam three years ago was an absolute madhouse. Sold out faster than Madonna, scalping went through the roof. So this doesn't come as a surprise, it's great.

[Bassnote]

I hope this paperless system proves to be a great deterrent for scalpers and ticket brokers.

[GlennS.]

That was me who wrote the question at 8:42. I wasn't trying to be anonymous but I guess my morning caffeine hadn't kicked in yet.

I'm glad to hear that there is such a demand for Waits tickets. I've always thought of him as a cult artist but it must be a pretty big cult.

[Big Tex]

I'm not a big fan of Waits as a singer, but he's a pretty good songwriter. I love Jim Jarmusch films, however, and Waits appears in many of those.

Hey, Spearsy, I'd be up for a retrospective of Jarmusch's 80s flicks - but I might be the only one...

[jane]

Big Tex, we might be the only two up for a Jarmusch retrospective, although it's been eons since I saw one of his films. My favorite -- "Night on Earth" (saw it at the venerable Tampa Theater -- too cool!) wouldn't qualify, though, as it's an early '90s flick.

[Ron]

This might be the wrong blog for a true Tom Waits discussion, since he did his best work in the 70's. (Jersey Girl being a mgnificent 80's exception)

There is no better album to listen to when you come home half-drunk at 2:00 in the morning than The Heart of Saturday Night!!!

[Miguel]

I like Tom Waits.

Talking about his work in the 80s,what do you guys think of Coppola`s One From The Heart?

[Mike in Austin]

I love his song "Change", Right??

[Mike in Austin]

I'm only kidding folks