Concert organisers responded to furious fans of rapper Eminem who found tickets to his Bahrain show being sold online at a profit after facing online purchasing frustrations and being unable to secure their preferred seats.
The 15-time Grammy Award-winner is set to perform at Al Dana Amphitheatre in Sakhir on December 10.
According to the concert venue, Golden Circle, boxes, balconies as well as sections B, C, D and E have sold out with just a few spaces remaining in section F.
Many posted messages of exasperation after waiting patiently on the website to purchase tickets on Monday only to find more than 5,000 users apparently ahead of them in the queue, even if they had logged on hours ahead of the tickets’ 4pm release.
One user, by the name ‘bka.qa’ said: “That’s insane, I’ve been in line since it opened and I have 5,200 people ahead of me!”
Another user, ‘niaax_09’, asked: “What are you doing to prevent resale of tickets because currently OLX (online classified platform) has multiple people reselling tickets? This is absurd.”
Tickets costing BD40 were being resold for up to BD115.
“In efforts to combat the issue of ticket reselling, which is a global problem in the entertainment industry, Al Dana Amphitheatre is taking measures to prevent ticket fraud and ensure that tickets end up in the hands of genuine fans,” a spokesperson from Al Dana Amphitheatre told the GDN.
“It’s important to note that the venue does not permit ticket reselling, and any tickets purchased by resellers will be cancelled and no refunds will be issued.
“To prevent reselling, we have implemented measures such as sending tickets to the original purchasing email ID 48 hours prior to the show, as well as having conducted ID checks upon entry to the venue during previous shows.
“It’s also important to be aware that tickets sold on third-party websites are not legitimate, as we have not distributed tickets to any buyers at this time, and tickets purchased from these sources are considered void, which is why we recommend purchasing tickets only through officially advertised channels.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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