It’s been a tumultuous month for The Cure, who announced their first North American tour since 2016 and shared a whole plan to prevent scalpers from ruining the concert experience for fans. And what happened next was infinitely frustrating: Ticketmaster turned their back on the band by charging insane fees to inflate the prices.
Smith went on a strong-worded rant on Twitter, saying he was sickened. He was able to get customers a partial refund from the company.
It’s not over, though. On Tuesday (March 28), the eccentric singer tweeted, “I AM ASKING ABOUT THE WEIRD OVER PRICED ‘FACE VALUE’ TICKETS THAT ARE POPPING UP HERE AND THERE… X.” One fan replied with a screenshot of two tickets that cost almost $1,400, yet they were dubbed as face value tickets. Meanwhile, most fans paid just a little over $100 for a ticket.
I AM ASKING ABOUT THE WEIRD OVER PRICED 'FACE VALUE' TICKETS THAT ARE POPPING UP HERE AND THERE… X
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 29, 2023
That's nuts. I gave almost the same seat for Toronto and paid $160. In USD, that's around $115!!!
— mejane🇨🇦🎶📈 (@mejanetoo) March 29, 2023
The problem has become so big that Neil Young recently commented on it. “TICKETMASTER FEES at 30%. It’s over,” the legend wrote on his website. “The old days are gone. I get letters blaming me for $3,000.00 tickets for a benefit I am doing. That money does not go to me or the benefit. Artists have to worry about ripped off fans blaming them for Ticketmaster add-ons and scalpers.”
