Robert Smith asks Ticketmaster to explain “over priced” face value tickets in fan exchange area

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Over the past few weeks it’s been mortifying, amusing and ultimately inspiring to witness the almost real-time reactions of the Cure’s founder/frontman Robert Smith to the hell-on-earth that is the concert-ticket purchasing process — and roll up his sleeves and do something about it. While high prices, availability issues and a bevy of vaguely defined “service fees” could be expected for such box-office record-breakers as Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, Smith was as surprised as anyone to see the prices on his group’s “Lost World” tour, its first for several years. While the group had managed to avoid such controversial policies as platinum packages and variable pricing, Smith was appalled to see hefty service fees added to the cost of “Verified Fan” tickets, which are intended to protect fans by keeping tickets out of the hands of scalpers, for the tour.

The Cure have added a handful of new dates to their upcoming tour of North America, bringing their two-month itinerary up to a total of 34 shows.The four new gigs comes as those previously announced in San Diego, Montreal and Atlanta sold out with unprecedented speed; they’ll play second shows in those respective cities on Sunday May 21, Saturday June 17 and Wednesday June 28. The band have also added a night in Portland – where they’ll play at the Moda Centre on Wednesday May 31 – with frontman Robert Smith describing that gig as “an ‘experiment’ to see whether non-transferable tickets are enough protection”. Unlike other dates on the tour, that show will not require a ‘Verified Fan’ code from Ticketmaster to access the public sale. FOURTH EXTRA SHOW WILL BE 31ST MAY PORTLAND MODA CENTER – AS AN ‘EXPERIMENT’ TO SEE WHETHER NON-TRANSFERABLE TICKETS ARE ENOUGH PROTECTION, TICKET PURCHASE WILL NOT REQUIRE TM VF #ShowsOfALostWorld2023 4/5— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) April 5, 2023In other tweets announcing the shows, Smith – who recently expressed his frustration at Ticketmaster’s methods of operating – noted that fans who’d been issued ‘Verified Fan’ codes, but were unsuccessful in purchasing tickets, would have the “first option” to grab seats at these upcoming shows.

UPDATED: Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith are no longer engaged, Deadline has confirmed, only weeks after news that the two were planning to tie the knot this summer. Smith was set to be wife No. 5 for the media mogul and chairman of Fox Corp.

Taylor Swift has offered fans exchanges following complaints about the quality of merchandise sold on her ongoing ‘Eras’ tour.The comments first arose when the tour kicked off last month, with some claiming that the print on the garments were fading or bleeding ink after as little as one wash cycle. Now, in a note on her website, the pop star has assured fans that it is normal for certain items in the collection to fade.“Due to the particular ink curing process used on certain Tour Collection products, after washing your merchandise you may see a faint fade on the product print,” it read.

The Cure‘s Robert Smith has confirmed the band have cancelled 7,000 tickets found on secondary resale websites in a bid to tackle touts.As part of the on-sale process for their forthcoming North American tour, the frontman opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, and restricted ticket transfers in markets where he was legally allowed to do so in places like New York, Illinois, and Colorado, which have all enacted legislation protecting resellers.Following the band’s move to do this, Smith tonight (March 31) announced: “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled. These are tickets acquired with fake accounts / listed on secondary resale sites.”‘IHBT’ #? “Approx 7k tickets across approx 2200 orders have been cancelled.

Thania Garcia The Cure‘s Robert Smith continues his long-drawn-out battle against the many monetary hurdles of the ticketing world — this time, he’s taking on secondary resale websites. Just a few weeks ago, Smith was able to secure several refunds from Ticketmaster for fans looking to catch the British band on their forthcoming “Lost World” tour. Now, Smith says they’ve managed to cancel 7,000 scalped tickets and further announced a plan to donate the original fees to the charity Amnesty International. Meanwhile, tickets will be resold to fans. When the tour — the band’s first North American trek in seven years — was first announced on March 9, the Cure opted out of Ticketmaster’s “platinum” and “dynamically priced” ticket options, both of which have infamously been the cause of a massive uptick in ticket prices.

Khloé Kardashian has fans clapping after she responded to a troll who asked if she missed her old face. On Wednesday, the Good American founder shared a video of her workout, and unlike some celebrities who don’t read the comments, she dove right in, responding to one of her trolls.A post shared by Khloé Kardashian (@khloekardashian)People have always speculated that Koko has had work done, and she is very open about the rhinoplasty she got in 2019. Last year, she even thanked her plastic surgeon Dr.

Khloe Kardashian isn't letting Instagram commenters and critics get under her skin.The reality star and clothing mogul took to Instagram recently to share a video of herself in workout gear, doing different exercises with some help from her adorable daughter, True.This innocuous post, predictably, was fodder for haters — one of whom commented with a snarky remark implying Khloe's undergone extensive plastic surgery.«Do you miss your old face?» one commenter wrote, to which Khloe replied bluntly and directly, «No.»A post shared by Comments By Celebs (@commentsbycelebs)Shortly after that exchange, Khloe shared two seemingly meaningful quotes to her Instagram story, which may or may not have been addressed to online trolls and critics.«Speak with love. If you knew your words would attract more of what they spoke, would you choose to speak differently? The words we speak become the world we live in.

No time for the haters. Khloé Kardashian got real with a social media user who asked if the reality star misses her “old face.”

A law firm in Canada last week filed a class action lawsuit against Ticketmaster taking issue with the way the Live Nation ticketing platform sets prices, advertises shows and defines tickets as ‘platinum’.According to the Toronto Star, the lawsuit hones in on an upcoming Drake show at Montreal’s Bell Centre. One fan bought two ‘official platinum’ tickets priced at $789.54 each.

Neil Young has weighed in with his views on the recent controversies around Ticketmaster fees and secondary ticketing, saying that “concert touring is broken”.Writing on his website, Young proclaims: “It’s over. The old days are gone.

Neil Young has weighed in on the current state of touring following Ticketmaster’s latest controversy with The Cure.Last week, tickets to The Cure’s North American tour went on sale but was soon mired in controversy after it was brought to light that the ticketing platform had added “unduly high” add-ons and fees to tickets against the band’s wishes.Now, Neil Young has offered his thoughts on touring and Ticketmaster, writing on his website: “It’s over. The old days are gone.

Rupert Murdoch just announced that he’s engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, less than a year after finalizing his divorce from model Jerry Hall.

Rupert Murdoch is set to marry for a fifth time after becoming engaged to his girlfriend, Ann Lesley Smith. The 92-year-old joked "it better be" his last engagement after his six-year marriage to fourth wife Jerry Hall ended in divorce last August. Mr Murdoch said he met his 66-year-old girlfriend in September at his vineyard Moraga in Bel Air, California.

Rupert Murdoch is engaged to be married for the fifth time. He announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith in an interview published by the New York Post. This just happens eight months after he divorced former model Jerry Hall.

Rupert Murdoch is officially engaged to former police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is engaged to his new partner Ann Lesley Smith months after divorcing his ex wife Jerry Hall. The 92 year old businessman could be walking down the aisle for the fifth time this summer with his new partner Ann, who is said to be 26 years his junior. Rupert's new fiancée was previously married to country singer and radio and TV executive Chester Smith, who died in 2008.

Rupert Murdoch is engaged, again.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Rupert Murdoch just can’t stay single. Less than a year after divorcing Jerry Hall, the 92-year-old Fox mogul is hearing wedding bells again. He’s engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, a 66-year-old San Francisco police chaplain. According to gossip columnist Cindy Adams, who broke the story in the New York Post, Murdoch’s future wife was married to Chester Smith, a country-western singer, as well as a radio and TV executive who died in 2008. Adams reports that the two bonded over their shared knowledge of the media business as well as the fact that she once owned a vineyard and he still does. If they tie the knot, it will be Murdoch’s fifth marriage. Hall, a model and actress, was married to Murdoch for six years. In addition to Hall, Murdoch was previously married to Wendi Deng from 1999 to 2013; Anna Maria Torv from 1967 to 1999; and Patricia Booker, from 1956 to 1967.

Ticketmaster has agreed to partially refund ticketing fees paid by Cure fans who bought tickets for the band’s upcoming US tour through the Live Nation company’s Verified Fan platform. This follows a backlash after some fans were charged fees in excess of the face value of the tickets.“Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high”, tweeted Cure frontman Robert Smith last night.