Robert Smith Gets Ticketmaster to Partially Refund “Unduly High” Fees for Cure Tickets

“I AM JUST AS SICKENED AS YOU ALL ARE BY TODAY’S TICKETMASTER ‘FEES’ DEBACLE. TO BE VERY CLEAR. THE ARTIST HAS NO WAY TO LIMIT THEM. I HAVE BEEN ASKING HOW THEY ARE JUSTIFIED.” – Robert Smith

Robert Smith has announced that after further discussions with Ticketmaster, they have agreed that many of the fees being charged for The Cure’s North American tour were excessively high. As a gesture of goodwill, Ticketmaster will offer a $10 refund per ticket for all Verified Fan accounts with Lowest Ticket Price (LTP) transactions, and a $5 refund per ticket for all other ticket price transactions. This applies to all Cure shows at all venues. Those who have already purchased tickets will receive an automatic refund, and tickets on sale tomorrow will have lower fees.

The excitement surrounding The Cure’s highly anticipated North American tour was marred by various issues with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform. Fans encountered difficulties with waitlists, presale codes, and ticket availability during the presale, resulting in confusion and frustration.

Robert Smith had hoped that the Verified Fan status would help combat scalping and ensure fair ticket prices. The Cure managed to maintain control over their ticket pricing, opting out of dynamic pricing and platinum ticket schemes. However, they faced challenges in New York, Illinois, and Colorado due to state laws preventing artists from limiting ticket resale. Smith has encouraged fans in these states to use face-value exchanges like twickets.live and cashortrade.org for ticket reselling.

In addition to scalpers, Ticketmaster and the venues themselves imposed hefty fees on top of the tickets’ face value. A viral tweet highlighted a purchase order where four tickets priced at $20 each by The Cure came with an overwhelming $92.10 in additional fees. Following Smith’s intervention, Ticketmaster has now agreed to offer refunds and lower fees for The Cure’s fans.

The Cure 2023 tour dates

May 10: New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center
May 12: Houston, TX — Toyota Center
May 13: Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion
May 14: Austin, TX — Moody Center
May 16: Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
May 18: Phoenix, AZ — Desert Diamond Arena
May 20: San Diego, CA — NICU Amphitheatre
May 23: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 24: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 25: Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
May 27: San Francisco, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 1: Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena
June 2: Vancouver, BC — Rogers Arena
June 4: Salt Lake City, UT — Vivint Smart Home Arena
June 6: Denver, CO — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
June 8: Minneapolis St. Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center
June 10: Chicago, IL — United Center
June 11: Cleveland, OH — Blossom Music Center
June 13: Detroit, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 14: Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
June 16: Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
June 18: Boston, MA — Xfinity Center
June 20: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 21: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 22: New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
June 24: Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
June 25: Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27: Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena
June 29: Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
July 1: Miami, FL — Miami-Dade Arena