“Massive” ticket demand for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” world tour will leave many fans disappointed as presales start today, and Ticketmaster is already trying to cushion the blow.
Two days ago, Tickemaster posted a statement on its website and social media platforms saying, “There has been massive fan demand for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS world tour, and even after the tour added 20 additional dates to meet the demand, there are still more fans who registered than there are tickets available.”
The majority of fans trying to register for tickets were waitlisted – the ticketing service hasn’t released figures on how many of those on the waitlist eventually made it through to registration.
Even those who made it through to registration (it’s now closed) needed to curb their enthusiasm: “Invitations” from Ticketmaster for today’s presale went out last night to a limited number of those who registered.
And no, an invitation, with a verified code, isn’t the final hoop. According to Ticketmaster, receiving an invitation provides an opportunity to shop for tickets, but the ability to actually buy those tickets is determined “by supply and demand.” Today, it’ll be first come, first served. Ticket prices range from $49.50 to $199.50, with VIP packages available, and Ticketmaster has already warned of “scammers” attempting to re-sell tickets they don’t actually have.
Legitimate resale sites – StubHub, VividSeats and Seat Geek – will probably have tickets available for purchase at some point after today, though not at the same prices as those on Ticketmaster.
Rodrigo announced the initial slate of 57 tour dates on September 13, with an additional 18 dates added a couple days later.
The high demand – and Tickemaster’s involvement – no doubt recalls last year’s Taylor Swift “Eras” tour, when the onslaught of hopeful ticketbuyers crashed the seller’s site, prompting Ticketmaster to halt the presale. The debacle prompted lawsuits, demands for Congressional hearings and a response from Swift herself; the singer said, in part, “I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked [Ticketmaster], multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could.”
