Ticketmaster Phones Downed by Calls from Big Event Ticket Holders
By JOHN DALY
Billie Eilish has canceled her Where Do We Go? Tour North American dates, and she is among the long list of major arena shows and large scale events to be postponed or canceled to slow the spread of Coronavirus.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Long Beach Grand Prix are among other events put on hold to help give healthcare facilities a better chance to handle a possible increase in Coronavirus-related patients. Coachella, Stagecoach and SXSW all announced postponements and cancellations.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order banning large gatherings of more than 250 people.
As for the Eilish dates, details on postponed shows are expected to be announced soon. All tickets will be honored for the new dates.
“i’m so sad to do this but we need to postpone these dates to keep everyone safe. we’ll let you know when they can be rescheduled,” Eilish said in a statement. “Please keep yourselves healthy. i love you.”
Around the country, and particularly in the big cities, many large events have been canceled. Eilish is one of many whose plans have been derailed.
POSTPONED ‘WHERE DO WE GO?’ TOUR DATES
03/13 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
03/15 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
03/16 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
03/18 – Capital One Center – Washington, DC
03/19 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
03/20 – Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
03/23 – Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
03/24 – United Center – Chicago, IL
03/25 – Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
03/27 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
03/28 – Enterprise Center – St. Louis, MO
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will be postponed indefinitely. The event was set for May 2 in Cleveland.
Live Nation, AEG, Walt Disney Concert Hall and other companies and venues have postponed or canceled large scale events. Smaller events continue to forge onward.
Closures through the end of March include shows at the Grammy Museum, Teragram Ballroom, Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, City National Grove of Anaheim and Goldenvoice shows at The Fonda, The Novo, the El Rey and The Shrine.
For more information on a particular event, it is recommended to check with the participating venue or company that issued tickets.
The Ticketmaster help request telephone number has been busy for more than 24 hours. The company has been sending out an automated response because of overwhelming demands for refunds and information requests that there is no email communication.
“Thank you for reaching out,” an email from [email protected] is sent in return to customer questions. “Due to the growing concerns surrounding the Coronavirus and the multitude of event changes that have resulted, we are experiencing extremely high contact volumes. We are continuously working with clients, venues, promoters and leagues to update the status of their events.
“Please note, at this time, email support is not available,” the email concludes in boldface. The original point of contact for ticketmaster.com is [email protected] and the telephone is 800-653-8000.
Gov. Newsom’s action does not apply to regular school classes, or essential services. In response to the situation, many companies are telecommuting and allowing employees to work from home.
