“Tickets going fast,” reads a recent Instagram post from punk rockers Blink-182 about their upcoming world tour.
Videos by American Songwriter
Fans in the comment section aren’t as ecstatic. “wish actual fans could purchase tickets and not be at the mercy of bots and resellers. It never used to be like this,” writes user @kmic1229. “It’s been impossible to get a ticket,” another comments, which seems to echo the overall response from anxious Blink devotees.
Last week, the band announced their highly-rumored, long-awaited reunion with the founding threesome. With the news came the word of an extensive world tour and new music.
Those with the hopes of seeing the ’90s punk icons have been having trouble ever since tickets went on sale yesterday (Oct. 17). Many took to social media to express their anguish, remarking on how difficult tickets have been to secure due to everything from site crashes to sell-outs.
One fan explained it took them nearly an hour to finally secure a ticket, while many others left Ticketmaster empty-handed.
“Me trying to carry on with my Monday morning after failing to get Blink 182 tickets,” @betsizzle posted on Twitter, alongside a gif of an emo Jonah Hill circa 21 Jump Street.
“Missing out on Blink 182 tickets has already ruined my week,” @JackRoles posted on the platform, expressing despair in the form of a distressed Ron Burgundy.
Blink’s bassist and co-lead vocalist Mark Hoppus acknowledged the struggles in a post on Discord. “I understand that the ticketing can be frustrating,” the musician wrote in a statement, which can be found on Reddit.
“I bought tickets for two of our shows myself just to see what the experience was like. I had tickets yoinked from my cart and the whole thing crash out,” he continued.
Hoppus then addressed the multitude of complaints over pricing. Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” model responds to demand, allowing the site to charge more for tickets as they first go on sale. Put in place to cut down on ticket touting, or “scalping,” the model is meant to keep money from ticket sales in-house for both seller and artist.
The bassist writes, “I’m not in charge of it. It’s meant to discourage scalpers. We’re trying to bring you the best possible show for the best price.”
He concluded his address to fans, saying “This is a tour celebrating new music and the band getting back together. Thank you for your enthusiasm and I hope to see all of you at the shows.”
(Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage)
