Basically, it seems to be that if you can still get good tickets for a show a day after they want on sale, it's a "meltdown disaster."
Flashback to 2003.
Dixie Chicks set ticket sales record
Austin Business Journal - March 5, 2003
Hot on the heels of their triple-Grammy victory, the Dixie Chicks had the biggest one-day ticket sale in music history Saturday, selling more than $49 million worth of tickets for their upcoming tour.
First day tickets sales of 867,000 for "Lipton Presents Dixie Chicks Top of the World Tour" have surpassed records previously set by Madonna, U2, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Backstreet Boys and N'SYNC.
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/03/03/daily24.html