The Black Keys performed last night at Los Angeles’ historic Wiltern Theatre, but for many fans who bought their tickets online, the night didn’t go as well as planned. Hundreds of hopeful attendees who purchased their tickets from StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats were turned away at the door and told that their tickets were invalid, as the Los Angeles Times reports. Frustrated ticket-holders flooded the sidewalk outside the venue, but were unable to get a straight answer from the ticketing companies about the reason for their denied entry. Now, the Black Keys have published a statement addressing the incident, blaming the issue on third-party vendors, as Stereogum points out.
“Last night’s concert tickets were $25 and geared toward the fan club,” the band shared in a statement. “This was our first show in over four years and the kickoff of the Let’s Rock Tour. Because we were playing a venue far smaller than the rest of the venues on the tour as a warmup show, we turned off ticket transferability to ensure that our fans got in the door at the low ticket price we set for them.”
The move must have invalidated nearly all tickets purchased through third-party vendors, who the band blames for the “customer service nightmare.” “Unfortunately, scalpers took this opportunity to defraud our fans and steal their money by selling tickets that were ineligible for transfer on scalper sites.”
Fans who purchased their tickets through Ticketmaster were let in to venue without issue, while others who used StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats to reserve their spot were denied entry. “The presenters of the concert directed that these tickets be made available only to fans and that they be strictly nontransferable. This was messaged from the beginning with the announcement of the performance and throughout the sales process,” Ticketmaster shared in a statement. “Unfortunately, bad actors took advantage of the situation and posted screen shots of tickets that were not valid for entry onto the secondary market. We always recommend purchasing tickets from the official source.”
StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats are denying responsibility for the incident and offering refunds for invalid tickets.
