Arcade Fire's (The Reflektors) Brooklyn Shows Sell Out, Scalpers Price Gouge on Stubhub and Craigslist.

Over the past week or so, Arcade Fire dropped hints about two Brooklyn shows that would take place on Friday and Saturday under the name The Reflektors (after the band's upcoming album of the same name). Retro-style posters began showing up in Bushwick and mentioned the dates but no venue.

Fans took to the Internet to narrow down the possibilities — as CMJ is taking place this weekend, only so many venues had an open stage. They suspected 299 Meserole; the band confirmed it and then posted links to purchase tickets. The venue is an old sheet-metal and plastics factory that now hosts art events with a capacity of about 3,000.

Tickets became available Wednesday for fans who preordered the upcoming album then opened up to the public on Thursday at noon. As expected, the tickets, which were going for $45, sold out instantly. 

Thanks to scalpers, the tickets are now popping up at ridiculous prices across Stubhub and Craigslist. As of press time, the cheapest Friday ticket on Stubhub was $185 and the most expensive $375. Saturday prices were a bit higher with the lowest-priced ticket going for $230 and the most expensive for $395.

SPIN reported last night that the price for Saturday ticket reached as high as $5,000. And for that price, you better be sitting on Win Butlers lap.

Craiglist prices aren't much better, but they are a bit more creative and guilt-trippy. Most tickets seem to be going for about $200 on average. A few fans are willing to trade their Arcade Fire tickets for Kanye West floors tickets and some are willing to trade Pearl Jam tickets for Arcade Fire ones.

But for every post that is looking to sell tickets, there are two looking to buy. A few posts beg for "human decency" and "non-scumbag prices."

One user named Craig writes, "Looking for a little human decency mixed in with that ticket to sell it to me for $100 instead of what the rest of the miserable opportunists are asking. (Congratulations! You're going to the show! Now price gouge your peers!) You're still making a 100% profit, while preserving someone's faith in humanity(which will then be uplifted even further by the show itself, one would think), and my enthusiasm and joy at the music will improve your experience as well (one can hope)."

So although we at Music Times had hoped to find our way into the show, we might have to wait an hear about it like the majority of the world. If you end up going, please send us your stories and pictures for us to post.