Vancouver My Chemical Romance fans devastated after Americans-only Ticketmaster glitch
Credit to Author: Harrison Mooney| Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 04:35:59 +0000
Hundreds of My Chemical Romance fans in Vancouver promised that they’re not OK after a glitch shut them out of Friday’s mad scramble for tickets to the band’s closest reunion tour date.
After seven years on hiatus, the American emo rock band announced a full reunion tour last week, with September and October dates in 21 North American cities. Canadian fans out east were delighted to learn that My Chemical Romance would play Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Sept. 14; Canadian fans on the West Coast, however, were disappointed to learn that the band’s closest stop was Tacoma on Oct. 4.
But on Friday things got worse for Vancouver’s MCR-my when Ticketmaster Canada inadvertently limited ticket sales for the Tacoma show, which went on sale at noon, to customers with an American billing address. The show was sold out within the hour, leaving hundreds of local emo fans, well, quite emotional.
“I’m pretty devastated right now,” confessed Vancouver’s Michelle Hanley, 26, a longtime fan who said she still listens to a My Chemical Romance album every day.
My Chemical Romance in concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., on August 31, 2011.
Hanley and her friends were more than ready for Friday’s ticket release, but they weren’t prepared for the Ticketmaster glitch.
“I (was) trying to buy tickets to nine different shows in nine different cities, with the focus on the Tacoma show,” she said. “So I had three friends on three different phones and a laptop all trying to get tickets, and then we got through right away for floor tickets in the pit, and when the tickets were in the checkout and confirmed, there was no option for a Canadian address — you could only have an American billing address.”
All of the band’s other tour dates — or at least the other eight that Hanley was watching — included an option for Canadian billing, an observation corroborated by other local fans watching multiple markets.
“It was only the Tacoma show,” said Kelli Black. “Like a personal attack on Vancouver.”
Black said the glitch was “terrifying”, but the diehard fan was able to confirm her seats with only seconds to go before she lost her place in the queue. Hanley, meanwhile, could only watch helplessly as her dream seats to see the band she loves “in an incredibly embarrassing way” went to someone else.
“By the time we phoned a friend with an American address, the ten minutes of time that we had to purchase tickets was up, and we lost them,” Hanley said.
In the end, Hanley did manage to score tickets to the show using a fake zip code, but it was close. The tickets, unfortunately, were not — they’re in the Tacoma Dome’s last row.
“I’m glad I got the tickets in the nosebleed (section),” she said, “but I’m the kind of gal that wants to see them in the pits.”
For many Vancouver music-lovers, Friday’s snafu was the pits, and they let the band know. My Chemical Romance acknowledged the issue in a tweet Friday afternoon.
We have been made aware of a glitch in the system for Tacoma that was making it difficult for people to buy tickets from Canada. This has now been fixed. https://t.co/6LZfEdzyQh
“We have been made aware of a glitch in the system for Tacoma that was making it difficult for people to buy tickets from Canada,” they said. “This has now been fixed.”
Unfortunately, by then it was too late for many Vancouverites unless they were willing to drastically overspend on the resale market, where prices began skyrocketing just moments after shows all over North America sold out Friday.
“I saw one that was $10,000,” said an annoyed Hanley. “They weren’t even the floor.”
Vancouver’s Richard Earnshaw echoed Hanley’s experience, calling the Ticketmaster glitch that prevented him and his daughter from getting tickets “a catastrophic blunder.”
“The screen that came up for payment only offered USA customers the opportunity to pay,” he said. “Even though I was logged on to my account, with payment options up to date, including credit card, it would not take payment.”
“I and hundreds of others lost their tickets. So now what?”
Postmedia has reached out to Ticketmaster Canada for comment.
On Twitter, My Chemical Romance has been inundated with accusations that they let their West Coast fans down, and calls to add a Vancouver show. The band added three additional Los Angeles shows Friday, so it appears their schedule is flexible.
My Chemical Romance last performed in Vancouver on Aug. 31, 2011.
“A show here would be great,” Hanley said. “I would be very happy.”
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