Ticket Alert: Missy Elliott Is Playing at the Oakland Arena

This Is Not a Test: Missy Elliott is playing the Oakland Arena on July 9, and tickets go on sale this week.

Yes, you read that correctly. Missy Elliott’s first proper tour in 20 years is happening, with openers Busta Rhymes and Ciara and special guest Timbaland. Her July 9 stop in Oakland is sure to sell out faster than you can say “flip it and reverse it.”

So: how to get tickets, which go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 12?

As is customary for big tours, a handful of presales will open in the next few days.

On Tuesday, April 9, at 10 a.m., Verizon customers can buy tickets; details here. VIP packages, typically expensive, also go on sale on Tuesday, April 9.

On Thursday, April 11, at 10 a.m., use the presale code RIFF for the Live Nation presale. April 11 is also the onsale date for the venue presale and Missy Elliott’s own presale. (Best to follow both in case either posts a presale code.)

Then, on Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m., the general onsale starts. Be forewarned about “dynamic pricing,” resale tickets and other unsavory developments foisted upon music fans by Ticketmaster.

But also, it’s worth stating: demand will far outweigh supply. Elliott’s last proper tour was in 2004 with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys (a show that, in Oakland, remarkably did not sell out).

“Fans have been asking me to tour forever,” Elliott said in a statement. “But I wanted to wait until I felt the time was right, because I knew if I was ever going to do it, I had to do it big, and I had to do it with family.”

Watch Missy Elliott’s tour announcement here, and good luck this week with tickets.