Last week, Taylor Swift‘s French fans were in a state of disappointment and confusion after Ticketmaster abruptly halted ticket sales for her upcoming Eras Tour concerts in Paris and Lyon. The news quickly spread across the internet, with many Swifties expressing their sadness and frustration on social media.
On July 11, Ticketmaster tweeted that the 33-year-old Grammy winner’s ticket sales 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 will share a new on-sale time “as soon as possible.”
Fans Disappointed as Taylor Swift's French Tour Date Sales Postponed
Many French fans who tried to buy tickets took to Twitter 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.
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Swift is supposed to perform in Paris at La Défense Arena on May 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2024. She will bring her record-breaking tour to Lyon from June 2-3 next year.
Many around the world are recounting similar stories of being locked out of sales after their "Verified Fan codes" failed to work with Ticketmaster.
Others on Twitter have noted that they were able to actually secure tickets through the system, only to lose them and get kicked out of the whole process when trying to check out.
Ticketmaster's North American Eras Tour Ticket Fiasco
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."
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Swift's Message To Fans Following Ticket Sales Drama
On November 12, 2022, the "Anti-Hero" hitmaker herself released a message of support for her fans. The "Bejeweled" singer wrote on her Instagram Story: "Well. It goes without saying that I'm extremely protective of my fans."
"We've been doing this for decades together and over the years, I've brought so many elements of my career in house. I've done this SPECIFICALLY to improve the quality of my fans' experience by doing it myself with my team who care as much about my fans as I do."
Swift went on: "It's really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse." She added: "I'm not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could."
She concluded her note: "It's truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really pisses me off that a lot of them felt like they had to go through several bear attacks to get them."
