I do this with movies sometimes. I don't always feel like watching things in my crappy local theater, so I'll buy a ticket online, and then torrent the film.

Still illegal, but.. my conscience is at least clear.

That would be fine, since you compensated the people who made the experience possible, as they have very clearly asked you to do.

No offense, but this stuff is not a complicated moral dilemma by any means.

But between the download and the buy there's just a "promise" to buy. Would this make it just as illegal (or illegal) as just downloading it?

"No offense, but this stuff is not a complicated moral dilemma by any means"

Well, I agree to some extend, but moral != law.