Features
U2 Issues Ticket Apology
Larry Mullen, drummer for
Members of the Irish band’s fan club paid $40 for the opportunity to get first dibs on the coveted general admission tickets for U2’s North American and U.K. tours. Instead, many of those who logged onto U2.com on January 25th were met with an internal system failure. Meanwhile, ticket brokers were apparently reselling GA tickets on eBay for more than $1,000.
The fans were vocal, complaining to each other on Internet bulletin boards and calling U2’s management. Some discussed a class action lawsuit while others complained the band was slow in issuing an apology or a solution to the problem.
“This is not something that I would normally do, but I feel that I have to do something to redress this situation,” Mullins said in the open letter.
Acknowledging that the distribution problems included issues in the band’s control (and others that were not), Mullins said he was “in the process of figuring out a way of distributing the tickets for our intended return to North America in the fall.”
The only fair thing to do, Mullins said, was to offer U2.com fan members priority when that third leg of the tour is announced. Others will be given priority in the order in which they joined the club. Upset fans who wanted a refund to the $40 club subscription were provided a link for processing.
“The idea that our long-time U2 fans and scalpers competed for U2 tickets through our own Web site is appalling to me,” Mullins said.
He closed with the following postscript: “By the way, a note to those so-called U2 fans who are quick to accuse U2 of unseemly behaviour, I’ve only got two words for you…” The letter ends there.
Meanwhile, it took just 50 minutes to sell out two shows in the band’s home town of Dublin, Ireland. Many fans camped out for two nights to grab the $77 to $104 tickets for the June 24-25 shows at the city’s Croke Park Stadium. Still, the bulk of the 150,000 tickets were sold online, sparking talk that a third show could be added.
The North American dates reportedly sold out 370,000 tickets for 21 arena shows in no time.