The Cure's Robert Smith wants Ticketmaster to explain "weird over priced 'face value' tickets"

30 March 2023, 10:12 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

(The Cure) (Robert Smith)

The Cure's Robert Smith is calling on Ticketmaster to explain the "weird over priced 'face value' tickets" that fans are finding for their North American tour.

Earlier this month The Cure announced that tickets for their upcoming North American tour would not be "transferable" as they want to minimise "resale and keep prices at face value", and after speaking about how their system is "far from perfect", Robert Smith responded to fans seeing Ticketmaster adding extra fees to The Cure's tour tickets, saying he was "as sickened as you all are".

He later shared an update after speaking to Ticketmaster, revealing that the ticketing giant agreed to refund $10 to verified fan accounts for lowest ticket price transactions, and $5 for all other verified fan account transactions.

Smith has since responded to fans sharing screenshots of "face value" tickets found for The Cure's tour via Ticketmaster that are upwards of $1,300. He wrote, "I AM ASKING ABOUT THE WEIRD OVER PRICED 'FACE VALUE' TICKETS THAT ARE POPPING UP HERE AND THERE... X"

I AM ASKING ABOUT THE WEIRD OVER PRICED 'FACE VALUE' TICKETS THAT ARE POPPING UP HERE AND THERE... X
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 29, 2023

Like this one for 2 tickets at @MerriweatherPP ? My fiancé and I said forget it and released them back. pic.twitter.com/xnXwzhkAlk
— Ben Charles (@konfused1) March 29, 2023

Yesterday (29 March) Smith also called out the US ticket exchange and resale company writing, "Vivid Seats Is Not Respecting Artists Wishes."

Vivid Seats Is Not Respecting Artists Wishes
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 29, 2023

Smith also shared some estimated statistics from a "reliable source" in another tweet, writing, "...one reliable source with firsthand knowledge of The Cure's ticketing for this tour drop this beauty of an estimate: 40 to 50% of the dollar volume of the secondary market on the 30-date Cure tour was tied up in only the five shows in Colorado, Illinois and New York...."

...one reliable source with firsthand knowledge of The Cure's ticketing for this tour drop this beauty of an estimate: 40 to 50% of the dollar volume of the secondary market on the 30-date Cure tour was tied up in only the five shows in Colorado, Illinois and New York....
— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 29, 2023

During their European shows last year, The Cure debuted a few new tracks including "A Fragile Thing", "I Can Never Say Goodbye", "And Nothing Is Forever", "Alone" and "Endsong".