Never Sold Out is a contemporary fiction novel written by Douglas Frank Marsh. The 1980s was the perfect time to be young and living in Southern California, especially if you loved rock and lived for going to concerts. Doug not only loved rock; he lived rock. He was the bass player in a garage band that had never actually played a gig, but did, at least as far as they were concerned, manage some passably good covers of Ratt, Motley Crue and Van Halen. When it was announced that Van Halen would be playing at the Forum, Doug knew he had to go. One of his band-mates, Jacob, actually had a ticket, due to having broken up with his girlfriend after he'd bought her one. Another band-mate, Noah, and Doug both wanted that ticket, and the bidding war between them began in earnest. The concert was worth every penny Doug had spent to get that ticket. Years later, he could still remember that night.

Douglas Frank Marsh’s debut novel, Never Sold Out, answered a lot of questions I’ve always had about the seemingly impossible quest for good tickets, no matter how early you are or how long you wait for the tickets to start selling. Marsh’s story of the unlikely friendship that blooms between Carlo, the CD store owner and entrepreneur, and Doug is one I’ll not likely soon forget. I loved sharing their concert experiences and worried along with Doug at their interactions with the definitely dodgy character known as The Mole. Never Sold Out is a fun read that, while not as good as having been there oneself, feels like a close second. The characters are beautifully sketched out and credible, and the plot kept me happily enthralled from cover to cover. It’s a most impressive and well written debut performance. Never Sold Out is most highly recommended.

Not long out of high school, Doug Marsh volunteered to drive a band mate to a Van Halen concert if only the ticket holder agreed to sell it to Doug. Of course that ticket came at a price and one that Doug really couldn’t afford. But it was 1984 and Van Halen was hot, especially when the performance was only a few miles away at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Paying the price was a no-brainer to Doug. Working for a computer programming company, Doug was not excited about his job, but at least it kept him in the black and allowed him to acquire mediocre concert tickets. Then he met event ticket broker Carlo and his musical entertainment opportunities took a turn for the better.

Never Sold Out by Doug Marsh is an enlightening look at the behind the scenes of first class ticket acquisition. As Doug learned the ropes from Carlo, he got a taste for the VIP world of entertainment events in Southern California. From mega music stars of the era to sports playoffs, Doug and Carlo were privy to only the best seats. Never Sold Out is fast-paced and honest in its perspective on the West Coast 1980s and ‘90s. One thing that struck me is the clean environment in which Doug and Carlo existed. Even with expected street drugs being showcased in the news, the sincere interest in the entertainment world was refreshing. A fun combination of reality and surprising outcomes, this is an interesting look at concert celebrity when vinyl was still revered and record stores were popular hangouts.

Never Sold Out, by Doug Marsh with Carlo Brigola, follows the “adventures” of a former garage band bassist and self-proclaimed music fanatic, Doug, or Doogie as he is called by Carlo. Carlo introduces him to the obscure world of ticket brokering, where tickets for concerts and sporting events are bought for advertised prices but then resold with marked up prices. This scheme allows Carlo and Doug to make sizable profits over and over again while also getting to enjoy attending concerts in a variety of venues and taking advantage of various other benefits. Can Doug and Carlo continue to take advantage of fans’ hunger for tickets with no repercussions?

Never Sold Out takes us readers into what would be considered little known territory, except to those concerned: ticket buyers and sellers, specifically in the 1990s, and Doug Marsh, the author, makes it interesting reading. His anecdotes, coupled with those of his mentor and fellow ticket broker, Carlo Brigola, bring to life the day-to-day business of buying concert tickets and selling them to unsuspecting yet willing fans for often exorbitant prices. The behind the scenes wheeling and dealing is astounding and the name dropping of famous bands and musicians reads like a stroll down memory lane for us readers who listened to these artists’ music back in the day and often still do. The writing style easily persuades readers to follow the chain of events. Those who enjoy nostalgia and an over-the-shoulder view of how concert and sporting event tickets used to be hustled will want to read this book. This is an interesting read.

Ticket brokers and the grind that happens behind the scenes of rock n’ roll band concerts, the secondary ticketing business, and an adventure of two passionate characters make up just some of what readers will find in Never Sold Out by Douglas Frank Marsh. Doug started off with a band that practised in his friend Jacob and his brother Corey’s mom’s garage and transitioned to acquiring and selling tickets to high-prized events. Together with Carlo, they have to work hard to make many sales, an adventure that took them to strange places, put them in strange company, and made them face very dangerous situations. In this narrative, the author shares their struggles, the hilarity of the experience, and the low moments that accompanied it. What does it take to help a friend and keep a business going?

There is a lot of humor and it begins right from the very first page with the preface: “The man in line behind me nudges me. 'You know those guys at the front of the line are scalpers. They don’t even care about seeing Van Morrison, just trying to make money. Bastards!'’ Told in an engrossing first person narrative voice, this brilliant debut takes readers on a hilarious ride through very exciting moments in the life of the characters, a tale that shows readers what the secondary ticket market of the nineties looked and felt like. Douglas Frank Marsh creates great dialogues and explores the depth of the characters, deftly blending wit with humor and infusing the writing with realism to give readers an enjoyable ride. For a debut, Never Sold Out is a great achievement; a fun read.