The world hates me!!
I tried so hard to get tickets for the Placebo gig in Cologne next Wednesday... 400 tickets only, you could only win them... Our local radio station is giving away 4 per day the whole week, I came through 6 times and they never chose me to win the tickets!!!
So I entered a competition at a radio station in Potsdam (near Berlin). The best Placebo story wins! So I wrote a Placebo story (about how I saw them in '98). They just called me and said I won!! I wrote the best story. BUT I only win the tickets if I join them in Potsdam (they hired a bus). Potsdam is 4 hours by car from here and Cologne is 4 hours away from Potsdam. That makes 8 hours. If we drive to Cologne directly it takes 3 hours. I'd still do it, but there's no way that I can take a day off on Wednesday!!
This means: No Placebo for me!!

Can't you call them and explain your circumstances? It seems ridiculous for them to enforce the rules when you can easily make the gig if it weren't for the hoops you have to jump through beforehand. If they really think your entry was the best then that should count for something.

Otherwise you could always phone in sick for work. I wouldn't normally encourage that kind of thing, but people do it over far less. If it was something that meant a lot to me then I don't think I'd allow myself to miss out in such circumstances. Especially if I thought that the rest of the time I go beyond what my job expects of me whenever necessary. It's about give and take really. Or should be.

back in the day, in middle school (i was 11, in 6th grade) this gal in my class had a bottle of coke tell her she'd won a jeep. her mom said it was a scam, they'd force her to pay shipping on the jeep or some jazz, and wouldn't let her collect.

bummer, innit?

Nope, no chance. The radio station hired a bus for all the winners (they obviously also gave away tickets when you called in at their shows) and that editor I spoke to said there's no chance that I can get to Cologne on my own and meet them there, I HAVE to travel with them by bus from Potsdam.
About phoning in sick for work... Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do it cos the colleagues were sitting next to me when the radio station called to let me know that I won and the first comment of my boss was: "There's NOONE getting a day off to see Placebo on Wednesday!!"
BUGGER!
So, I guess it is not meant to be that I'll get to that damn gig!

Hmm that does sound pretty inescapable then. Looks like you're screwed by the combination of an idiot boss and an idiot radio station. One or the other could've been worked around, but not both

I really don't understand the radio station's problem; it sounds like someone enforcing rules for no other reason then they're too scared to be seen to show a bit of common sense. It's not like you're being lazy; you don't have any choice. It's their ridiculous arbitrary rules that are making the difference between you going and not. Pathetic.

looks like fate has intervened.

I finally got tickets!!!
Placebo announced they'll sell some after all and I just bought two!
I just hope fate won't intervene now and send us one big traffic jam or so...