I think...

.... I'm out of the free ticket business.

In the last little while (long while actually) I have gotten a number of people free tickets to a variety of events: theatre, music, the Junos(!!)... sometimes, simply because I had them and sometimes in exchange for a volunteer commitment - that's right commitment - and I've had a number of said people either a)not show up, b) bail after a few songs or c) complain after the fact that the volunteer thing didn't turn out the way they expected or d) some combination thereof.

So....
Because I believe that a volunteer commitment, once made should be kept:

And because I believe that a free ticket to such an event is kind of a nice thing to get;

And because I have volunteered for MANY MANY things and am painfully aware that sometimes volunteer things do turn out differently than expected, but because it was a commitment you still follow through;

And because I am, sadly, the type of person who, once I get a person involved with something, feels somewhat responsible for the outcome (even if, obviously, it is not my responsibility) i.e. whether they have a good time or, more importantly, whether they actually fulfill their commitment (after all I'm the one who recommended them)

.....as of right now - I'm done.

DISCLAIMER: I am not angry with any of these individuals. This feeling of responsibility is my own, it is something I am trying not to give in to but so that I don't have to have a day like this ever again ....I am out of business.

If any of you want to be involved on a volunteer level for any of the things I am connected with, get yourself an application and go for it. There are a couple things coming up that I'd love to have you for and that I think would be very fun - I have volunteered for several of them myself and enjoyed them alot. If it's something tough to get into (like that music festival I work for), please use me as reference on your application. I'd love to have you along for the ride.