Escape Goat

The first time I can remember waiting out for tickets was probably early 1987 for the Genesis “Invisible Touch” tour that came through Maryland in May 1987. I was jammed in my friend Matt’s VW bus with a handful of Pi Kappa Alpha brothers. Matt and I were still in high school.

It was freezing outside as we waited to buy the Genesis tickets at the Hecht’s department store in Laurel, MD. We got paid something like $50 or $60 for the night to buy tickets, and that was huge to me, since I was making around minimum wage as a movie theatre usher.

After that night, it became a regular thing. We’d sleep out on the streets of Richmond, VA, Washington, DC, and various places around Maryland. My brother, Mike, worked with a ticket broker, Ricky (Ticket Rick) Rae, and he would set up the ticket waitouts.

Frat Boys Scalping Tickets to Pay for Tuition How Pi Kappa Alpha brothers at the University of Maryland slept out for concert tickets to make money to pay for college

This video is from 1990 or so - some guys who worked at Ratsie's take us on a tour back in time to see how College Park, MD looked back then.

It is wild to see the old Vous, Bentley's, Purple Pizza, People's Drug, a big line for the Cellar, Gourmet Deli, and more - sadly, no shots of the Pi Kappa Alpha house.

CollegeParkMaryland1990 A few looks at College Park Maryland in 1990.