I have a somewhat mixed experience. In 2007 when I an LPU member and used the pre-sales, I was able to get 2nd row seats to a show in North Carolina.
The following year in 2008, again using the pre-sales method… I ended up an entire section (roughly 35+ rows back) away from the stage. I was on the pre-sale webpage the moment it opened up, but got some not so good tickets.
Then last year (2011) I also used the LPU pre-sale and this time I got about 7th row tickets. However the section itself was not in the middle, mostly because they had a General Admission section which is also the PIT in front of the stage.
I suppose I’m going to go through the Pre-Sales method again this year and if my seats aren’t good enough, I’ll just sell them on StubHub and buy some better seats (but have to pay much more obviously).