Lilith Tour Ticket Flap

The resurrected Lilith Fair, re-christened Lilith Tour, has caused an uproar in one city for reportedly upsetting presale ticket-buyers by offering a discount after the fact.

Fans who pre-ordered Sarah McLachlan’s Laws Of Illusion, scheduled to drop June 15, got in on presale ticket prices for the tour’s July 10 stop at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Irvine, Calif. VIP packages including orchestra seating were reportedly listed at $300, $450 and $750, according to the Orange County Register.

Then the Live Nation-produced tour offered 2-for-1 ticket pricing for that show, which left early-bird buyers such as Lori DeSantis, who spent $127 each for tickets and $27 in service charges for less-desirable seats in a loge section, fuming.

“They were crappy seats for the price from the beginning, frankly,” DeSantis told the Register. “But I really enjoyed Lilith Fair years ago, so I bought ‘em thinking I’ll just go and have a good time even though I think the lineup is weak.

“All of a sudden this [deal] happens. They basically took the fans and hosed them.”

DeSantis told the paper she got nowhere with Ticketmaster when she called to complain. She reportedly was told nothing could be done about it.

And DeSantis isn’t alone.

Other presale ticket-buyers have posted similar complaints on the message board of headliner McLachlan’s website.

One fan complained he paid $532 for four presale tickets May 5 for the Aug. 1 concert at Comcast Theatre in Hartford, Conn., only to discover three weeks later he could have purchased tickets in the same section near his current seats for $270 inclusive with the discount.

Another unhappy ticket-buyer posted an e-mail reportedly from a Live Nation customer service supervisor that politely explained how special promotions work, and restated the promoter’s policy of “all sales are final—no exchanges, refunds or cancellations.”
A Live Nation representative was not available for comment at press time.