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Queueing all for naught for some Gaga fans

Lady Gaga fans and ticket scalpers jostled to be in prime position in a last-chance struggle for tickets that go on sale at 10am today.

About 80 people were waiting in line outside a Tom Lee Music Store in Causeway Bay yesterday afternoon when a staff member broke the news that only the first 50 could buy tickets for the third and final show on May 5.

While store assistants took the names and identity card numbers of the chosen ones, everyone else was turned away. At least seven uniformed and plainclothes police officers were on hand to maintain order.

The process was meant to prevent queue-jumping and public disturbances, the staffer said. The tickets are also available over the phone and online.

Spokeswoman Ann Wong said all Tom Lee outlets had similar registration policies this time around. Those registering were asked to return to stores today, but they are not guaranteed tickets.

As with the first two shows, each customer can buy up to eight tickets for the third concert at the AsiaWorld-Arena. The May 2 and 3 concerts sold out quickly, causing an uproar among ticket-seekers.

Over at the Tsim Sha Tsui ticketing outlet, about 30 people were in line by 2pm. A staff member said the queue formed on Tuesday, a day before the third show was even announced. Many of those in line said they had already expected a third concert.

Laki Boulieris, who queued for hours in vain at the Wan Chai sales office the first two times, hoped it would be third time lucky. 'The organisers are probably playing us a little bit, but hey, that's what you need to do to get tickets,' he said. 'I'm not Stanley Ho.'

One woman had queued for four hours for the first release of tickets. 'The problem is allowing customers to buy eight tickets,' she said. 'Lady Gaga can add a fourth or fifth show, but as long as you allow eight tickets each, the problem won't go away.'

Chloe Ho Cho-yi, 16, joined the queue in Tsim Sha Tsui at 3am yesterday when she heard on the radio that there would be a third show. She plans to buy one ticket for herself as a birthday present after failing to get tickets online to the first shows.

Donna Chown did manage to obtain tickets through the American Express priority sale last week, after waiting in line for four hours.

'I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble if I knew there would be two more shows,' she said by phone. 'Gaga has certainly stirred people into a frenzy, and I guess the public is often manipulated in the world of entertainment.'

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