In recent weeks, Ticketmaster has come under fire from furious Taylor Swift fans due to a technical malfunction that left them unable to purchase tickets, leading to numerous vacant seats at Wembley Stadium. The Grammy winner, 34, returned to London for five additional UK performances as her record-breaking Eras Tour approached its conclusion, 15 months after its debut at State Park Stadium in Arizona.
On August 15th, as reported by The Daily Mail, the “Cruel Summer” hitmaker made her way back to Wembley, and many fans took to X (previously known as Twitter), to disclose unsettlingly large sections of unoccupied seats that would typically be occupied by dedicated devotees.
Taylor Swift Fans Furious Once Again After Experiencing Glitch When Trying To Purchase Eras Tour Tickets
As noted by the outlet, concert vendor Ticketmaster faced heavy criticism after the glitch left fans without the essential access codes required to purchase tickets. Additionally, numerous Swifties on TikTok reported receiving faulty codes, which further obstructed their attempts to secure highly sought-after tickets. One frustrated concertgoer took to X, posting a photo of the vacant seats and commenting: "empty seats cause Ticketmaster locked tickets with codes."
Someone else replied: "not all these empty seats bc nobody had a code to buy tickets. this is so painful." Photographs captured later that evening showed a significantly more crowded arena, prompting more users to reasonably suggest that the earlier images were snapped before the audience had fully settled into their seats.
This comes more than a year after Swift's French fans were in a state of disappointment and confusion after Ticketmaster abruptly halted ticket sales for her summer concerts in Paris and Lyon at the time. The news quickly spread across the internet, with many Swifties expressing their sadness and frustration on social media.
On July 11, 2023, Ticketmaster tweeted that the pop star's had been “put on hold” for potential French buyers. The company added that any and all codes not already used would remain valid. They stressed that they would keep fans updated, and would share a new on-sale time “as soon as possible.”
Many French fans who tried to buy tickets took to social media to air their grievances with Ticketmaster's latest issue. "I waited all day for taylor swift tickets and ticketmaster france completely disrespected us by not giving any information since 11am, not responding to phone calls, no nothing," one wrote.
Another added: "here we go again," seemingly referencing what happened to countless Swift fans across the pond who tried to buy tickets for her Eras Tour after it was first announced on November, 1, 2022. At that time, North American fans faced similar "technical difficulties" when trying to score concert tickets.
On November 15, 2022, Ticketmaster tweeted to fans (a few hours after the first Eras Tour sale was supposed to begin) that issues were due to "historically unprecedented demand." The ticket marketplace then noted it would push back the start times for a few West Coast venues. The Capital One presale was also rescheduled for the next day.
Then, Swifties who were not able to grab tix (during the Verified Fan or the Capital One presales) were shocked to learn that Ticketmaster officially canceled its November 18th general sale (that was originally planned for the 15th). Ticketmaster tweeted, much to fans' dismay: ""Due to extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand, tomorrow's public on-sale for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour has been cancelled."
Following a brief hiatus, Swift will resume her Eras Tour with a series of performances at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida from October 18th to 20th. The tour will then move to The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana from October 25th to 27th, followed by shows at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana from November 1st to 3rd.
Next, she will perform at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada from November 14th to 16th and again from November 21st to 23rd. The tour will conclude at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada from December 6th to 8th.
