Robert Smith says he is “sickened” by the Ticketmaster fees that fans are currently facing when trying to buy tickets for The Cure's upcoming North American tour.
Despite trying to keep ticket prices cheap for the 30-date trek, which is set to commence on May 10 in New Orleans, buyers are still struggling to afford entry with the added Ticketmaster charges, including the service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, even surpassing the price of the original ticket.
When promoting the tour, Smith wrote in an email to fans: "The Cure have agreed all ticket prices, and apart from a few Hollywood Bowl charity seats, there will be no ‘platinum’ or ‘dynamically priced’ tickets on this tour.”
The band also noted that the tickets would not be “transferable”, so they could not be resold by ticket touting services at an increased price.
In response to the fan backlash over the additional fees, Smith has declared via Twitter that he is "sickened" by the "Ticketmaster fees debacle".
He continues, “To be very clear: the artist has no way to limit them. I have been asking how they are justified. If I get anything coherent by way of an answer I will let you all know."
Smith then advises: "StubHub has pulled listings in all markets except NY, Chicago, Denver (ie cities in states that have laws protecting scalpers.
"Please don't buy from the scalpers - there are still tickets available - it is just a very slow process.
“I will be back if I get anything serious on the tm fees… in the meantime, I am compelled to note down my obvious recurring elephant in the room thought… that if no one bought from scalpers… then… x.”
Check out Robert Smith's tweets and The Cure US tour dates below:
I AM AS SICKENED AS YOU ALL ARE BY TODAY'S TICKETMASTER 'FEES' DEBACLE. TO BE VERY CLEAR: THE ARTIST HAS NO WAY TO LIMIT THEM. I HAVE BEEN ASKING HOW THEY ARE JUSTIFIED. IF I GET ANYTHING COHERENT BY WAY OF AN ANSWER I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW. XMarch 16, 2023
I HAVE BEEN TOLD: StubHub has pulled listings in all markets except NY, Chicago, Denver (IE. CITIES IN STATES THAT HAVE LAWS PROTECTING SCALPERS). PLEASE DON'T BUY FROM THE SCALPERS - THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE - IT IS JUST A VERY SLOW PROCESS... XMarch 16, 2023
I WILL BE BACK IF I GET ANYTHING SERIOUS ON THE TM FEES... IN THE MEANTIME, I AM COMPELLED TO NOTE DOWN MY OBVIOUS RECURRING ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THOUGHT... THAT IF NO-ONE BOUGHT FROM SCALPERS... THEN... XMarch 16, 2023
The Cure North American 2023 tour:
May 10: New Orleans Smoothie King Center, LA
May 12: Houston Toyota Center, TX
May 13: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
May 14: Austin Moody Center, TX
May 16: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
May 18: Phoenix Desert Diamond Arena, AZ
May 20: San Diego NICU Amphitheater, CA
May 23: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA
May 24: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA
May 25: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA
Jun 1: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA
Jun 2: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC
Jun 4: Salt Lake City Vivint Smart Home Arena. UT
Jun 6: Denver Fiddler's Green Amphitheater, CO
Jun 8: Minneapolis St. Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Jun 10: Chicago United Center, IL
Jun 11: Cleveland Blossom Music Center, OH
Jun 13: Detroit Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI
Jun 14: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON
Jun 16: Montreal Bell Centre, QC
Jun 18: Boston Xfinity Center, MA
Jun 20: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jun 21: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jun 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jun 24: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jun 25: Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion, MD
Jun 27: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jun 29: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 01: Miami Miami-Dade Arena, FL
