Ticketmaster has managed to rile up another rabid fanbase — not of any major pop stars, but those who remain particularly attached to the, uh, British monarchy. Individuals trying to secure tickets to a special concert celebrating King Charles III’s coronation were left frustrated over what appeared to be confusing instructions on how to obtain tickets.
The Coronation Concert is set to take place May 7 at Windsor Castle, the day after Charles is officially crowned king. The show, which the BBC is producing, will feature performances from Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That, and Andrea Bocelli — not a half-bad line-up considering the numerous A-listers (Harry Styles, Adele, Robbie Williams, and Elton John) who reportedly turned down the gig. (As Rolling Stone recently reported, that wariness was arguably tied to the myriad scandals that have plagued the Royals in recent years, like Prince Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Harry and Meghan’s blockbuster allegations against the family.)
Well before the lineup was confirmed, the Royal Family explained how to obtain tickets on its website. The instructions were simple: Visit the Coronation Concert website before midnight on Feb. 28 and submit an application. Ten-thousand tickets, the Royals said, would be distributed “based on the geographical spread of the UK population” and not doled out on a “first-come, first-served basis.”
But unlike recent Ticketmaster snafus over pricing, fan demand, and the company’s arguable monopolistic stranglehold over the live entertainment industry, the ensuing confusion was apparently caused by a communication breakdown.
Earlier this week, those who’d applied for tickets started receiving notifications from Ticketmaster with the cheery header, “The Coronation Concert – Congratulations,” followed by the equally celebratory proclamation: “Congratulations, you have been successful in the ballot for a pair of standing tickets to The Coronation Concert, At Windsor Castle on Sunday 7 May 2023” (per screenshots shared on Twitter).
But many said that when they went to secure their tickets, they found none were left. This was because, as it turned out, Ticketmaster’s message was not confirming that these people had obtained tickets, only that they now had the opportunity to obtain tickets. And this time around, those tickets would be doled out on a first-come, first-served basis.
To be fair to Ticketmaster, they did include this crucial detail — and even put it in bold — in the second paragraph of their message, which read: “Tickets in this supplementary round are being offered to a randomly selected group of ballot winners on a first come first served basis, so you will need to act quickly in claiming your tickets to ensure you secure them.”
But those who ostensibly missed the not-so-fine print and were left ticket-less to what is shaping up to be a concert of the century are still fuming at the “total shambles of a system,” as one person put it. Many expressed their frustration in response to a tweet about the mishap, sent by a Twitter account tied to the Royal-watching news site, Royal Central.
“The T&Cs are conflicting with the emails and it was not handled correctly nor professionally by @TicketmasterUK,” one person said. “To be sent a ‘tickets now sold out’ email without an apology or explanation is disgusting attitude from them.”
Another alleged that the “wording from Ticketmaster was fraudulent and misleading,” while someone else seethed, “Disgraceful and cruel. I missed the email when it first came in as I was driving my husband back from an emergency dental appointment. By the time I saw the email and went to claim our accessibility tickets (to be done by lunchtime tomorrow), the tickets were all gone.”
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster said, “Everyone who was selected in the initial rounds had three weeks to claim their tickets. On Tuesday after that time had expired, unclaimed tickets were released on a first-come, first-served basis to those who had previously applied and were unsuccessful. These inevitably went very quickly.”
This story was updated 4/28/23 @ 4:31 p.m. ET with a statement from a Ticketmaster spokesperson.