We never thought we’d see you here today, what with it being the Sunday before the big holiday and all. We thought you’d be way too busy to stop by and catch up on the dates for great bands like Aerosmith and Slipknot, or fantastic solo artists such as Jewel or Laurie Anderson. But here you are. We must say it’s good to see your face in the place.

So, how about that Christmas traffic, eh? Isn’t that something? Everyone’s jammin’ at the last minute for the perfect Christmas gift. But we’ll bet you took care of your shopping weeks ago. That’s why you can spend some time looking up the schedules for Craig David and Dennis DeYoung. You have everything under control.

Yes, one would think that you’re quite the concert fan. That’s why we do it for you day after day after day. After all, it’s no secret that this entire dot-com economy thing is tenuous at best. Sure, it will eventually stabilize, but until that day comes we’ve got to be on our toes 24/7. We don’t want to end up like those other tour-date Websites that had to let all their workers go and are now forced to make up dates for top artists like Pet Shop Boys and Rodney Crowell. Yeah, it costs a bit more to provide real tour listings, but seeing you land on our home page makes it well worth it.

So here we are on the Sunday before Christmas, patting each other on the back. We’re calling you the ultimate concert fan because you’re taking time out from a hectic schedule to look at the Canadian tour for Smash Mouth or that New Year’s Eve date for Gin Blossoms. And you’re probably thinking that we’re the most dedicated Website on the Net. Gosh, it feels almost like one of those moments right before a group hug on some sit-com’s “very special episode.”

But let’s be real. There’s another reason you’re here and it has nothing to do with the dates for Rival Schools or that “My Brother and Me Tour” featuring Bruce and Charlie Robison. In fact, it has nothing to do with concerts at all. No need to apologize. You want to cool your heels for a while at our URL, that’s fine with us. We know where you’re coming from. You might even say that we “feel your pain.”

For you see, we couldn’t get a ticket for Lord Of The Rings, either.