It’s been an interesting few days in the world of concert tickets.

Last Friday, news hit about Boston-based Fidelity Investments and their most famous fund mananger, Peter Lynch, over a ticket scandal. Reuters reported that “Once known as America’s most successful fund manager because Magellan at times generated returns more than five times that of the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, 64-year-old Lynch relied on two Fidelity traders to procure 61 tickets worth $15,948 for various events from 1999 to 2004, the SEC said. These included sold-out Ryder Cup golf tournaments, a Santana rock concert, and 11 tickets to see Irish rock band U2, according to the SEC.”

For this, Fidelity Investments was fined by the Security and Exchange Commision $8 million. For his part, Peter Lynch paid $20,000 to settle the charges.

For anyone arguing over the cost of a U2 concert ticket, I think $8,020,000 for 11 U2 tickets (plus a few other events thrown in) is hands-down the highest price we’ve seen yet.

In other ticket news…on Saturday, I tried to buy tickets for Billy Joel’s 7th show at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. His other 6 shows sold out in a matter of seconds. I know he’s popular in my neck of the woods, and the 7th show sold out in about the same amount of time. What surprised me about the ticket sale was that anyone could purchase up to 24 tickets in any transaction. Yes - you read that right, a 24-ticket limit. I’ve seen them go as high as 8 or 10, but never 24. Man, that’s got to be a scalper’s dream! I couldn’t score the tickets in the end, but it’s just as well - I need to save my money for U2’s next tour, which should happen before the end of this decade (hopefully).

@U2 readers who share Bono’s concern for Africa may be interested in this article by Bono’s friend and fellow activist Bob Geldof — a diary of his travels with President Bush in Africa, and Geldof’s unvarnished opinion, criticism and praise.

The Bush regime has been divisive — but not in Africa. I read it has been incompetent — but not in Africa. It has created bitterness — but not here in Africa. Here, his administration has saved millions of lives. – Bob Geldof

It’s a different kind of tour report…

Bono gets “doorstepped” outside the studio in Dublin by some fans from U2Valencia.com. Note how Bono encourages Sam to bring The Edge outside, too.

Daniel Lanois also gets some in your face treatment.

-This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.

Got an e-mail from Red Floor Records a few days ago (you probably did too, if you bought the $9.99 album download of Daniel Lanois’ Here Is What Is).  Now they are selling “Goldtop” packages for $50 more that have the album, the film, and lots more.  Hurry, only 3000 available!

I don’t know …  it IS a sweet deluxe package and all, with the goodies you’d expect.  No, Lanois won’t be hand-delivering it himself, and no, it does not come with any actual gold.  But what really caught my eye was the deluxe DVD has an hour of extra footage that boasts “alternative versions of songs from the film.”  And you get photographs, a Moleskine notebook and a “classic little rock and roll button.” (Eh?)

Well, OK: the extra footage is sure to have more of U2 jamming away in Fez with Eno and Lanois, right?  And I’d love to watch even more of Lanois making his transcendent music at the pedal steel.  The retail price of all that’s included might indeed approach $50, but sheesh, this fan has got to stick to a budget.

Would you buy this?  How much is too much to ask for the deluxe versions of what we love?

A comment on my last blog gave me an idea for a new one, and then Tassoula dared me to do it. So now I must. (Or should I have waited for the triple-dog dare before giving in?)

We were discussing the pros and cons of “Across the Universe” (starring our favorite lead singer as the Timothy Leary-esque Dr. Robert). I loved it; Tassoula found the “winks” to the Beatles jokes annoying. One example: A new character is introduced when she climbs in out of the rain through an open window in the main characters’ apartment. When someone asks “Where did she come from?” the obvious answer is (wait for it): She came in through the bathroom window. (Get it? Get it?)

Then reader u2rules suggested:

I think Tassoula just fears that in 40 years a U2-homage movie will come out with giant moles digging holes and other terribly obvious “winks”!

So, dear readers, what other “terribly obvious ‘winks’” would just ruin a U2-homage movie? I’ll go first:

Perhaps a tortoise in reading glasses strolls by with his nose in a book?

Maybe someone points out to his companion a cupid in dark sunglasses walking with a white cane, and the companion turns away and says, “I don’t want to see!”

Now it’s your turn. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?