New Jersey fans experienced just that Feb. 2 when trying to purchase ducats for The Boss’ May 21 and May 23 shows at the Izod Center, according to The Record. Instead of a completed transaction, this message reportedly appeared:
“Our ticketing system is currently unavailable due to routine maintenance. Please check at a later time.”
Ticketmaster spokesman Albert Lopez told the Record that “the system didn’t fail” and the error affected “only a very small percentage of our fans.” Lopez said the company’s client services department is tracking down those who got stiffed.
Other customers reportedly got a message saying there weren’t any tickets available but were provided a link Ticketmaster subsidiary TicketsNow. No problem getting tickets there but at higher prices, the paper said.
Both shows reportedly sold out within an hour.
Phish fans went through the same grief the previous week when trying to buy tickets through Live Nation’s new ticketing system, but apparently on a larger scale. The band posted an apology to its fan for the problems on its Web site.