After more than sixteen hours of waiting in line, for some the Brad Paisley and Bon Jovi ticket giveaway in Foley was over in mere minutes. Spending the night in line guaranteed a spot close enough to the head of the line to get two tickets to the concert of your choice.

For others who showed up to Foley City Hall after the giveaway began at 8 a.m., getting tickets was not so certain. Those that arrived around 8:30, curious to see the chaos saw that the line was moving rapidly, and decided to jump in for the heck of it.  One group of ticket hopefuls at the end of the line had a friend who had been in line since the previous afternoon. While in line, they joked that it would be so funny if they ended up with tickets without waiting in line for hours, while their friend spent the night there for the same tickets.

Those at the end of the line expected to encounter masses of people, but the line, at its longest, started at the doors of City Hall, went around to the back side, and wrapped around back towards the front of City Hall.

Those that showed up late never expected to jump in at the end of the line, and not even an hour later walk out with two tickets to see Bon Jovi at Gulf Shores Public Beach in October. 

But they did. Some even got back in line and were able to get two tickets to see Brad Paisley as well. At the head of the line, Bon Jovi tickets were going faster than Brad Paisley tickets. Bon Jovi, at least in Foley, seemed to have more die hard fans willing to spend hours outdoors, in the heat for a chance to see the rock legend free of charge. Brad Paisley’s tickets eventually started flying out the doors as well.

The City of Foley had police officers on duty for the ticket giveaway, and had four port-a-potties delivered to accommodate those that waited it out. When the number of tickets dipped under 200 for either concert, everyone involved with the ticket giveaway was supposed to be informed, so that they could share that information with anyone still left in line. Overall, everyone in line was very impressed with how the City of Foley handled the ticket giveaway. The tickets were given out in the Foley Civic Center. Those in line were allowed to advance one at a time to the ticket tables where their ID numbers were written down and they were given either two blue tickets or two white tickets for the entertainer of their choice.

By 9 a.m., the City of Foley still had more than 200 tickets to each concert, but by 11 a.m. the sign at the front of City Hall had been changed to read “no tickets.” Three-thousand tickets, 1.500 for the Bon Jovi concert on Oct. 15, and 1,500 for the Brad Paisley concert on Oct. 17 were given away at Foley City Hall for the concerts on the coast to promote tourism. Tickets were also given away in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The concerts coincide with the Thunder on the Gulf events that same weekend. 

Those chairs that made the wait for tickets to the concerts more bearable will not be welcome next month to make the three hour wait from when the doors open to when the singing sensations take the stage more bearable. Cameras, recording equipment, food and drinks will also be prohibited.

Even though the long wait in line was not necessary to get tickets, those that waited in line overnight did not seem to regret their decision. Everyone said that it was worth it because they ended up getting tickets to one, or both, of the concerts next month.