Article by: Ash Pendleton
It’s always inevitable that there will be tough goodbyes, and GRiZ’s recent announcement of his break from music “for the foreseeable future” was no easy pill to swallow.
I’ll always remember the first time I discovered GRiZ at Phoenix Lights in 2019. I know it’s not that early in his career, but it was in the beginning of my personal festival journey, and man, was that set a ride!
I’ll never forget driving through the mountains in Colorado with my boyfriend during the middle of quarantine, with “Let’s Get Weird” and “Griztronics” on blast. Similar to smell, the sounds bring me right back to the crisp mountain air in a rare time of life. There’s so many memories to recount that have now been associated with a song, album or performance of his, and as you can probably assume, every single one is so happy and positive!
So to say I was excited when hearing that his last show, Ursa Major, would be in the same state I live in, is frankly an understatement. I felt it was meant to be, and I had decided that no matter how much was currently on my credit card, I was going to be there!
I set a calendar reminder on my work email, made sure no meetings were scheduled, and even worked from home so I could have a stable internet connection. This was a fool proof plan- I had created a guaranteed ticket securing environment!
Once the text came through announcing that the pre-sale had launched I immediately clicked on the link to get to the page and waited…..painstakingly…. as the 30 minutes went on for four hours. To my dismay, when the tickets had dropped I was a minute late getting in the queue, but I would have never guessed that all it took was 3 minutes to COMPLETELY SELL OUT.
There’s. No. Way.
Shock.
I may have cried a bit, too. You can judge me, but it’s ok if you cried as well.
But the fight wasn’t over, another opportunity to secure a spot was only a couple days away. This time I would NOT let a SINGLE MINUTE pass! I again prepared ahead of time; I had two browsers open on my phone and iPad for a double whammy effect!
There I was again, in a dreaded queue with the other desperate folks out there, fiending for their chance at this once in a lifetime experience. My heart raced, I got nauseous, maybe even threw up in my mouth a little, we’ll never really know will we? That’s besides the point- I didn’t let a single second get by; but in the end, it didn’t even matter.
I was left empty handed after both attempts, but I’m not alone in this. I was upset for the same reason many other GRiZ fans were- the venue had a capacity of 3,500 people, and the ticket limit was set allowing a single person to purchase eight tickets, thus creating an environment for scammers to thrive.
Scammers and scalpers have been an ever growing concern within the music community, and GRiZ’s shows are not immune. I completely understand the intention to create an authentic experience for attendees by choosing a smaller and intimate venue, but in that case the ideal ticket limit could’ve been set to 2 per person- you and a buddy!
All set aside, I am excited for him to take the time needed to be happy and healthy, something we can all prioritize more!
For Phoenix area locals, if you’re still reeling from the open wound of a missed ticket, hope isn’t lost! Another GRiZ show was announced at Maya Dayclub on Sunday, July 2nd!
Grab your wallets and good luck!
Check out more of GRiZ’s music below, and be sure to keep up with him on socials to be the first to know when he returns.
CONNECT with GRiZ:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok
LISTEN to GRiZ:
Spotify | Apple Music | Beatport | SoundCloud | YouTube | Twitch
