The Cure Says Ticketmaster Will Issue Refunds After Fee Complaints

[demmiblue]

The band said it wanted to make its North American tour “affordable for all,” but after tickets went on sale this week, fans said that fees had ratcheted up the price.

The Cure’s frontman, Robert Smith, said on Thursday that Ticketmaster will provide $5 and $10 refunds to fans who purchased tickets for the band’s North American tour after the band complained to the company about high fees.

In recent months, Ticketmaster faced increased criticism from ticket buyers as well as from members of Congress who accused its owner, Live Nation Entertainment, of being a monopoly that hinders competition and harms fans.

Mr. Smith said on Twitter that Ticketmaster would provide the refunds. “Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high,” he wrote.

...

Mr. Smith said that people who had purchased the lowest-priced tickets would automatically receive a $10 refund per ticket and that all other ticket buyers would get a $5 refund. He said that these refunds applied to people who had purchased tickets as a “verified fan,” a Ticketmaster system that requires people to register to gain early access to ticket sales.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/arts/ticketmaster-cure-ticket-refund.html

JFC.... someone from MI posted this on Twitter earlier (venue: Pine Knob):

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. Tried to get tix for the Phoenix show

I was never drawn for the presale so I logged on this morning. 1000 people ahead of me in the queue. By the time I got to the front of the queue, there were EIGHT seats left. All were singles, top row of the nosebleeds. By the time my wife and I decided we didn't need to sit together (about a minute), those eight seats were gone.

[Initech]

4. I tried to get Hollywood Bowl tickets.

I've never been so pissed off and disappointed at a sale before, but Ticketmaster handled this one unbelievably poorly.

[Coventina]

5. If it's any comfort to you....

There will be a face value ticket exchange for anyone with extra tickets.

For example: Since we had multiple people in my friend group all frantically trying to buy tickets for the 7 of us who wanted to go.....
we ended up with a total of 12 tickets!

(Ticketmaster: making the problem they are "trying" to solve even worse! Great job, guys!!)

So, we are going to end up selling at least 4 extra tickets, and they will be sold for face value. Keep an eye on the Ticketmaster site for this. I'm sure there are others with the same sort of overbuys.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

6. That's my plan

I saw them twice way back when, and my wife saw them 10 years ago, so we're not COMPLETELY bummed, but it was frustrating. Honestly I can't believe the demand - when my wife saw them it was at the Dodge Theatre and it wasn't even full.
You are in for a treat, they do play a helluva lot of tunes, they played pretty much everything I wanted to hear both times - around 30 songs.

[Coventina]

9. Oh yes, I've seen them a number of times. First time was at Mesa Ampitheatre when

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me first came out.

I missed the show at the Dodge Theatre, the only time I've missed them coming through Phoenix since the KMKMKM tour. I was working 12 hour days at the time and just could not physically do it.

My brother went to that show and said it was the worst Cure show he'd seen as they had no horn section.
I don't think they've been back since that show and that was, what? 2006? 2007? Sometime around then, so it's really been awhile.

I'm super excited to see them again!!

Did you see them at Compton Terrace that time when it was 117 degrees and one of the speakers caught fire during Hot Hot Hot?
Epic!!!!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

11. I saw the Mesa and Compton shows

It was 2008. She loved the show, but she'd also been waiting 20 years to see them.

[Coventina]

15. Yes, I can see why she would love it if she'd never seen them previously.

And I'm sure it was a good show, I'm sorry to have missed it, horns or no horns.
(My brother is more of a music snob than I am).

You you're an old-timer from around here too!

That's so cool! I saw many an outstanding show at MA & CT back in the day.

I miss both those venues.

I know MA is still there, but it doesn't seem to put on that many shows anymore.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

17. Ummm ... extra Cure tix to sell?

DM me sistah!!!

I've seen them:
1986 (Greek Theatre, Berkeley): Standing on a Beach
1987 (Oakland Arena): KMKMKM (they blew the PA speaker during the end of The Forest, they were rocking so hard it was ridiculous ... it was just buzzing and rattling, and still badass)
1989 (Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View) Disintegration, went both nights they were there
1992 (field at San Jose State ... Dinosaur Jr opened): Wish Tour

My lady and I are definitely interested!

The version of Close to Me on Standing on a Beach is the only one that I think has a legit horn section, not sure about the complaint about that point. Maybe on Icing Sugar but I doubt they've played that in many years.

[Coventina]

20. Let me contact my friend to see if he still has them!!

I'll DM you with the answer!!!

[Hugh_Lebowski]

21. I was just playing some The Cure - In Orange vids on YT for Mandy the other night

That shit takes me back to college, watching on the VCR lol.

A Forest is freaking amazing (as always) and man are Push and A Night Like This just ... so freaking good in that vid. Also love the uber-depressing Faith. Old, gloomy Cure ... I love it. Hope they play some of that ... Play for Today, A Strange Day, maybe One Hundreds Year or Figurehead ... and gotta have at least a song or two from The Top ... lost gem that it is. When they opened their R&R HoF performance with a blistering Shake Dog Shake I about died lol ...

Wake up in the dark, aftertaste of anger in the back of my mouth ... spit it on the wall ... and scrape my skin with razor blades' ... really Bob, you're opening with THAT? You are the fucking MAN!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

18. A lotta great shows at ASU Activity Center too

They haven't had shows there in decades either. Last show I saw at Mesa Amphitheatre was maybe The Black Keys? Or Death Cab for Cutie? Around 2010. That was my favorite venue, but the shows always started so early because of curfew - it was nice getting home at a decent hour, but it sucked fighting rush hour traffic to get there for a 6 pm start time....

[Coventina]

19. I can't even remember the last time I was at MA.

But I saw so many incredible shows there, in no particular order:

B-52's
The Smiths (Queen is Dead tour)
INXS (twice)
Violent Femmes (lost my shirt at that one, learned not to wear button ups in GA!)
PIL with BAD II opening
Eurythmics (Missionary Man tour)
Love and Rockets (3X)
Echo & The Bunnymen (3X) played hacky-sack with Will Sergeant after the show!
Ramones / Blondie / Tom Tom Club on the "Escape from NY" tour (damn I lost that t-shirt!!!!)
The Cure (as mentioned)
Moby (that might have been the last time I was there)
New Order
Simple Minds (lost that t-shirt too, sadly)

I'm sure there were more, but that's all I can remember off the top of my head.......

[AZSkiffyGeek]

22. Lemme think...

King Crimson - 3 of a Perfect Pair
REM (Life's Rich Pageant)
The Cure
David Gilmour
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Steve Winwood and Level 42
The Pixies
Primus
Indigo Girls
Yes and Dream Theater
Jethro Tull
Spinal Tap (!)
Bauhaus
The White Stripes
The Strokes
Death Cab
Black Keys
Saw a couple Flogging Molly St Paddy's Day shows there too.
Looks like they still do shows, but I didn't recognize many of the bands.

[Coventina]

23. Thanks for the reminder of REM & the Pixies! I was at those shows as well!!

Sadly, I missed the Bauhaus show, which I believe was Nov. 3rd 2005?

It was my first wedding anniversary, and my husband is not a fan, so I didn't say anything about the show.

After the fact, he told me he would have gone with me if I wanted to go!



Pro-tip, always ask!!!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

24. Saw them Twice there

Once was around 98, then 2005 like you said. Was a date w/ my wife-to-be.

[Coventina]

25. How on earth did I miss them in '98?

The only thing I can figure is that my life was total chaos at that time, so maybe I wasn't paying attention to the concert schedule.

Bummer.

I've seen Peter Murphy solo once: he played the Tempe Ampitheatre with Jewel opening. One of the weirdest concerts I've ever attended, both venue and lineup.

I'm a huge L&R fan - devastated I'm going to miss them this summer, so I've seen them a bunch of times over the years.

Bauhaus I've only seen once: and that was at the Cruel World festival in Ca. last year. They were supposed to play here and canceled!!!!! I was sooooo bummed because they were amazing at Cruel World. It was a blood-red lunar eclipse that night. Just spectacular!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

27. Saw Murphy about 10 years ago at the Crescent

It was a Bauhaus catalog show, with like one of his new solo songs. Missed him a couple years ago when he did the tour w/ David J. IIRC, Love and Rockets opened for that Cure show at Compton.
If that Tempe Amphitheatre is the place I'm thinking of, I saw Squeeze with David Willcox there - another odd double bill.

[Coventina]

29. It was like a plaza in the middle of a shopping complex. Had a fountain and brick paving.

I don't think it even exists anymore, Mill ave. has changed so much!
Haven't been down there in ages, it's all corporate now.

Violent Femmes played there once, but I missed that show for some reason. Most of my friends went to it.
Said it was one of the best shows they'd ever seen (so of course I missed it!).

I saw Big Audio Dynamite at the bar that was in the same complex.
Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's opened for them. That was a great show.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

31. That's the place

I think Changing Hands used to be located there. I think the bar was Gibson's - that's another place I saw some great shows... Richard Thompson, Bruce Cockburn, 10K Maniacs... Nita's Hideaway and the Electric Ballroom were the Tempe venues I liked the most - saw Tool open for Rollins at the Electric Ballroom, right before Undertow came out. One of the loudest shows I've ever seen.

[Coventina]

32. My loudest show was Ministry with KMFDM opening.

On "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" tour.

I was right in front of the speakers, too.

Also, the only show (despite a fair number of pretty wild ones) where I got thrown to the floor.

A bunch of people dove to help me back up.

But, my ears were never the same afterwards.
Now I wear earplugs, but I think that horse left the barn that night.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

33. I saw an ungodly loud Pigface show around 2001-2002

It was outdoors, I had ear protection and was still deaf when we left.

[Coventina]

34. Respect!

Do you happen to remember the lineup for that show?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

35. Some

None of the big names.
Martin Atkins
Andrew Weiss and Chris Haskett from Rollins
Meg Lee Chin
I think there was another drummer.
My one memory from the show was them pulling a lady from the audience to sing “Suck”, and she didn’t know the song.

[Coventina]

36. oops!

Fan fail!!!!

[sunflowerseed]

12. Keep watching people resale them all the time

[demmiblue]

13. Sold out here, as well.

There are still tickets for the Depeche Mode: Memento Mori Tour, though... at considerably higher prices. The most expensive (non-resale) are $1111.00, plus fees. The cheapest are $75, plus fees.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

16. Mode isn't playing here either...

At least I got to see them in the 80s as well.

[IcyPeas]

26. Speaking of Depeche Mode.... they will be on Jimmy Kimmel...

It's already been recorded. Probably will be aired next week.

Link to tweet

[demmiblue]

30. Thanks for the heads-up!

[IcyPeas]

37. Depeche Mode will be on Kimmel tonight (tuesday)

[Initech]

2. I didn't even get tickets.

Ticketmaster done fucked this one up really badly. They can go eat shit.

[Coventina]

3. Ticketmaster is a sh*tshow. I bought tickets to this tour and it was a PITA

First of all, you had to register with Ticketmaster as a "verified fan" whatever that means!

I did, and all my friends did. About 1/4 of them, seemingly randomly, were booted out as suspected "ticket vendors" even though they weren't. I was one of the lucky ones who wasn't.

Then, when tickets went on sale, only for those who made it past screening, mind you! the site immediately crashed.

It took me an hour to buy tickets, because every time I went through the selection process, the screen would just freeze until it would boot me out!

I was texting with several friends who were also trying to buy and they had the same experience.

It sucks that Ticketmaster is a monopoly, but it sucks DOUBLE that they can't handle their one commodity!

No wonder the Swifties were so pissed!!!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

7. My comment to my wife about the "verified fans" deal

"Fuck, this is going to be like that Taylor Swift shitshow."

[Coventina]

10. The Prophecy Has Been Fulfilled!!!

I mean, seriously, what is it going to take?

An act of Congress?

[Beaverhausen]

8. Ticketmaster lets scalpers resell right on their website and collects fees TWICE

I was trying for Peter Gabriel tickets. There were so many of those resale tickets right at the start of the public onsale.

I compared regular seats ($186) to resale seats ($321) right next to each other and said fuck it.

I've seen Gabriel many times and he's great, but I will not support Ticketmasters bullshit unless I absolutely have to.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

14. I'm pissed he's not coming to Phoenix

But the last time he played here (UP Tour) he was booked in the arena and they upgraded everyone's tickets it sold so badly. I was about five rows off the floor and got to shake the Blind Boys' hands when they were led through the crowd.

[RobinA]

28. After 45

concert going years I am done. Bye Bruce, bye Billy, bye whoever I might have seen on a whim. Can I afford it? Yes. I just don’t like to be scammed. This BS is a scam.