Some lucky Taylor Swift fans have become the first in the country to snag tickets for the pop star’s upcoming Australian tour, but plenty of others were left wanting as high-demand saw ticketing websites crash, as the first wave of pre-sale tickets went on sale.
American Express cardholders had access to the first round of ticket sales, but even before the sale went live at 10am visitors to the website were told: “We’re sorry. We’re experiencing technical difficulties.”
A Ticketek spokesperson said the ticketing company’s site is working as expected, and American Express holders could purchase pre-sale tickets there, but acknowledged there was a problem with the credit card company’s site.
The American Express Card pre-sale was to start today and last for 48 hours, or until sold out. Frontier Touring has a pre-sale starting on Wednesday for registered members, while general tickets go on sale on Friday.
Frontier CEO Dion Brant asked fans to “stay calm and be kind to each other”.
“The team at Frontier has been working tirelessly with Ticketek to try to ensure the smoothest process possible for these shows, but we are seeing a historically unprecedented level of demand for these concerts,” he said. “Be prepared, read our pre-sale tips and whatever you do – don’t refresh your browser. If you can’t get tickets during the pre-sale don’t panic, there will be another opportunity at Friday’s on sale.”
When tickets went on sale for Swift’s Eras tour in America, there were massive issues with computer systems not coping with demand. VIP packages cost anywhere between $349.90 to $1249.90, while regular tickets start at $79.90.
The Australian tour kicks-off in February next year, starting in Melbourne and then heading to Sydney.
