Leonard Cohen fans cry foul over Calgary concert tickets
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | 12:49 PM MT
CBC News
Ticketmaster finds itself in hot water again after tickets for Leonard Cohen's Calgary concert sold out almost instantly. (CBC)The Ticketmaster controversy shifted to Calgary this week where Leonard Cohen concert tickets went on sale Monday.
Cohen is performing at the city's Jack Singer Concert Hall in April as part of his North American tour.
Tickets for the Calgary concert sold out almost instantly Monday — both online and at Ticketmaster venues.
Disgruntled Cohen fans allege Ticketmaster put some of the tickets up for sale on its subsidiary ticket auction website, TicketsNow, before Monday, but a company official denies the charge.
Joe Freeman, senior vice-president of Ticketmaster, said the company constantly monitors the TicketsNow website to make sure concert and event tickets are not made available before the general sale begins.
He blamed the small Calgary venue chosen for the Cohen concert for quick ticket sales.
"The specific number of tickets we had here, I can tell you, was a small fraction of the 1,800 seats that the facility seats, so those primary seats were going to be gone in an instant," said Freeman.
"I don't know why the event promoters chose such a small facility in Calgary."
Tickets for the Cohen concert are now selling on TicketsNow for more than $850.
The Alberta government said it is watching Ticketmaster and the way other jurisdictions are dealing with it.
Share Tools
Latest Calgary News Headlines
- Heavy rainfall in southern Alberta prompts water advisories
- Southern Alberta residents are keeping an eye on the rivers as heavy rainfall continues to soak the western portion of the province. more »
- Ex-Stampeder Joffrey Reynolds faces jail, deportation
- A former Canadian Football League all-star will be deported to the U.S. after he serves 90 days in jail for assaulting his one-time girlfriend. more »
- Unlike Wildrose, Tories followed robocall rules, official says
- In the wake of the Wildrose Party's fine for improper robocalls, the Alberta Tories say they followed the rules and do not expect any similar reprimand. more »
- 5 things to do in Calgary this week
- It's shaping up to be a soggy weekend, but there are still plenty of events happening around the city. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for cash savings
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Washington police blame bridge collapse on Alberta trucker
- Washington State police say an Alberta trucker was responsible for hitting a steel beam precipitating a bridge collapse on one of the busiest routes in the American northwest. more »
- Man accused of killing child in patio crash granted bail
- Emotions ran high in a packed Edmonton courthouse Friday as Richard Suter, accused of causing a crash into a restaurant patio that killed a young boy, was granted bail. more »
- Canada ranks 3rd last in paid vacations
- Canada ranks third last among economically advanced countries in the amount of paid vacation time it guarantees its workers, a new U.S. study indicates. more »
- Southern Alberta braces for heavy rainfall, snow
- Highrise planned for Connaught too tall, residents say
- Alberta's Wildrose Party fined $90K for robocalls
- Ex-Stampeder Joffrey Reynolds faces jail, deportation
- Real estate registry eyed for Calgary city council members
- Calgary school board staff's $15K New Zealand trip questioned
- Calgary Marathon expecting record number of runners
- 2nd woman charged in Gleichen homicide
- S.E. Calgary man missing since February
