Hundreds of ticket holders left out in the cold

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert is being described as "spectacular" -- if you can get in. Hundreds of ticket holders were literally left out in the cold Thursday night.

Typically, free concerts at the Conference Center are overbooked so all the seats will be filled, but David Archuleta is so popular that the normal no- shows are showing up. That's creating a shortage of seats, even for people who have a ticket.

Ticket holders are required to be in their seats a half hour before showtime. Thursday night people who were 45 minutes early were turned away.

Studio 5 producer Angie Denison shows off her tickets with frustration and disappointment: Missing the concert, even after showing up 45 minutes early.

"There was no room. There was no room at the inn," she said. "It's like I told my daughters, ‘This is Christmas.'"

At a news conference Friday Mac Christensen, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's president, urged people to come at least an hour early Friday and Saturday.

"It would be great if we have everyone in their seats at 6:30," said Christensen, "but you've got to remember and they've got to remember, traffic is unreal."

Friday, Archuleta and actor Michael York concentrated on their performance. Both said they felt privileged to be at the Conference Center.

"There's no place like performing here," Archuleta said. "And it's just really incredible with the choir right behind you, it was like, ‘Wow is this really happening?'"

York said the event was an extraordinary entertainment. "But it's more than entertainment," he said. "There's a sense of fellowship and worship."

"It already is one of the most amazing (things) I've gotten to do, and I know it will be one of the most memorable moments of my life because it's such a privilege to get to do," Archuleta said.

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Story compiled with contributions from Richard Piatt and Sarah Dallof.

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