As the Dave Matthews Band prepares to return to Iowa, students are eagerly waiting April 30, that is, if they got tickets.

Students like freshman David Graham waited in line for more than two hours to attain that thin piece of heavy stock paper from Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster hurriedly sold tickets, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb 9, but terminated sales after just about half an hour. Despite ticket limits imposed on the buyers, the show sold out quickly and many who waited in line were turned away.

“I myself was one of the lucky ones,” Graham said, “My friends and I stood in line at the Hy-Vee in Ames hoping and praying to get tickets.”

Graham was determined to get tickets this time, since he missed their last Iowa appearance in 1999.

“I was disappointed when I couldn’t get tickets last time they were in Ames; thank God I got them,” Graham said.

With the help of a feature on Ticketmaster.com, freshman Eric Elben avoided all the crowds and had no problem obtaining tickets.

“I woke myself up at 10 a.m. on Saturday and purchased two tickets through Ticketmaster,” Elben said. “They let you pre-register with your credit card number so when tickets go on sale it takes you a second to select the number of tickets you want and instantly you have them.”

Some students took another approach to getting tickets. The Warehouse, the Official Fan Association of the Dave Matthews Band, offers advanced ticket sales and often reserves closer seats for fan club members.

Still, other students were met with the unlucky fortune in being snubbed by the ticket gods.

“I called to get tickets on Saturday when they went on but the line was busy for 40 minutes straight,” senior Angie Reasoner said. “I eventually gave up and rolled back over to sleep. When I called again at 3 p.m., there was a message that said the tickets had sold out. I was very disheartened to discover that I would not get to see him again in concert.”

Some DMB enthusiasts are currently bidding on the e-auction service eBay.com for tickets to the sold-out shows. The highest bid for two tickets to the Ames performance is at $450.

With the Dave Matthews Band in such high demand, many people wonder why the band has attracted such a high following.

“I don’t think his music is just a fad that everyone listens to because it’s cool, at least I don’t anyway,” Graham said. “You can listen to his music all the time depending on the mood you may feel.”