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Robert Smith Says 7,000 Scalped Tickets Canceled for The Cure’s North American Tour
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The Cure’s Robert Smith once again took to Twitter to reveal the cancellation of roughly 7,000 tickets for their North American tour, owing to purchases through fraudulent accounts or listings on secondary marketplaces. A day earlier, Smith had exposed the underhanded tactics employed by scalpers to bypass the band’s digital transfer limitations, which involved reselling entire Ticketmaster accounts, complete with tickets. This method was elaborated in an in-depth article by Vice’s Motherboard last month.
Smith clarified that all tickets obtained this way would be canceled, and the original fees would not be refunded. In an act of goodwill, he determined that these fees will be donated to Amnesty International, while the canceled tickets will be resold to genuine fans.
Out of the 7,000 canceled tickets, Smith disclosed that they were linked to 2,200 individual orders. He explained that these were tickets either acquired using fake accounts or listed on secondary resale websites. Ticketmaster has managed to pinpoint specific locations associated with secondary postings. Fans who believe their tickets have been mistakenly canceled should contact Ticketmaster through their Twitter handle, @TMFanSupport.
The Cure’s 30-date “Shows of a Lost World” North American tour saw the band implement various measures to thwart scalping and maintain reasonably priced tickets. As the general on-sale arrived on March 17th, Smith had already managed to secure some partial refunds from Ticketmaster for their exorbitant fees that had “sickened” him.
The Cure had taken a firm stance against the implementation of dynamic pricing and platinum ticket schemes, ensuring that they retained control over their ticket pricing. Robert Smith had initially placed faith in Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan status as a means of deterring scalpers and keeping ticket prices at a reasonable level. Despite their best efforts, however, the band encountered roadblocks in the form of state laws in New York, Illinois, and Colorado. These laws prevented artists from imposing restrictions on ticket resale, making it difficult for The Cure to maintain fair pricing for their fans. (Smith has encouraged fans to utilize face value exchanges like twickets.live for ticket transactions.)
However, most tickets had already been snapped up, leaving only a few remaining for eager buyers to eagerly grab. A tsunami of demand surged forward, leaving countless fans without access to presale codes that had been made available on March 15th. It appeared that the majority of seats had already been snatched up through this channel, leaving fans disgruntled and disappointed. Adding fuel to the fire, fans were left to stew over the band’s efforts to maintain affordable ticket prices while being gouged by exorbitant service fees, which, in some instances, surpassed the cost of the tickets themselves.
Music industry insider Bill Werde’s newsletter, Full Rate No Cap, asserts that The Cure’s anti-scalping efforts have indeed been effective, as states allowing artists to make decisions regarding resales show fewer tickets available in the secondary market.
In addition to purchasing resold tickets at face value, fans can look forward to the possibility of three more shows, as hinted by Smith on Twitter.
Following the rapid sell-out of most shows on the North American tour, Smith shared on Twitter that there are plans to add three more concerts to the schedule. On March 21st, he announced that one of the additional shows had been confirmed, while he eagerly awaited confirmation for the remaining two.
SO THE SUN CAME UP… AND WENT DOWN AGAIN… (WHY DO I SOUND SURPRISED?!!) – ONE EXTRA SHOW IS CONFIRMED… WAITING ON THE OTHER TWO… HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP etc etc X
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 21, 2023
As of now, there have been no further updates on these additional shows added to The Cure’s itinerary.
The Cure 2023 Tour Dates
May 10: New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center
May 12: Houston, TX — Toyota Center
May 13: Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion
May 14: Austin, TX — Moody Center
May 16: Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
May 18: Phoenix, AZ — Desert Diamond Arena
May 20: San Diego, CA — NICU Amphitheatre
May 23: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 24: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 25: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 27: San Francisco, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 1: Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena
June 2: Vancouver, BC — Rogers Arena
June 4: Salt Lake City, UT — Vivint Smart Home Arena
June 6: Denver, CO — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
June 8: Minneapolis St. Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center
June 10: Chicago, IL — United Center
June 11: Cleveland, OH — Blossom Music Center
June 13: Detroit, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 14: Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
June 16: Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
June 18: Boston, MA — Xfinity Center
June 20: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 21: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 22: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 24: Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
June 25: Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27: Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena
June 29: Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
July 1: Miami, FL — Miami-Dade Arena
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