Tickets to see one of the UK’s most popular rock bands in Dundee were being touted for five times the price – just hours after locals queued in the rain in vain for up to four hours to snap them up.
More than 100 music fans lined up outside the Dundee City Box Office in the City Square yesterday morning in the hopes of seeing the Stereophonics at Caird Hall on August 22.
However more than half were turned away after they sold out within 30 minutes, with several angrily confronting box office staff.
Devoted fans said they were “gutted” after braving the rain to snap up briefs to see the Welsh rockers – only to miss out. Many of those who queued had been attempting to order them online at the same time.
Within minutes tickets began appearing for resale on websites like Ebay-owned StubHub and Viagogo for as much as £200 per person.
They had gone on general sale at 9am priced at just £38.50 for both the standing and seating sections of the Caird Hall.
StubHub prices for the standing section of the venue were £200 each, whilst centre balcony ones were between £67 and £99.95 and gallery ones ranged between £89.99 and £175.
Viagogo was offering tickets for the gallery section at £69.98, while balcony prices were between £88.93 and £109.95 and those in the standing section were valued at just under £110.
Both websites describe themselves as online ticket marketplaces, enabling “fans” to buy and sell tickets.
Briefs which have been bought through Dundee City Box Office and then re-sold are being “policed”, with staff vowing to cancel any such bookings.
However those sold on through others websites such as Ticketmaster, or by the band themselves, are outside its control.
A spokesman for Dundee City Box Office, a member of Fanfair Alliance, said: “We do actively police the re-selling of tickets which we can identify have been purchased via Dundee City Box Office but cannot control any tickets sold through other agents.”
Adam Webb, campaign manager at the FanFair Alliance – which campaigns against “industrial-scale online ticket touting” – accused “low-heel operations” of “profiteering” by reselling the Stereophonics tickets through online marketplaces.
He added: “It is these kind of low-heel operations that dominate the so-called secondary ticketing market – all looking to make a quick buck at the expense of genuine audiences.
“StubHub and Viagogo like to advertise themselves as fan-to-fan marketplaces, but that carefully-crafted image is blown away when you look at who is actually reselling tickets.”
Angela Ferry was turned away empty handed having queued since just after 7am to get Stereophonics tickets.
The 51-year-old support worker said: “I was gutted, totally gutted. I half expected the queue to be bigger. I was at the door when I was told (they had sold out).
“A lot of people stood there for two and a half hours. I have seen them before, I have got all the albums. Why aren’t they playing Slessor Gardens?”
Jenni Mitchell also missed out. She said: “We tried online as well, they sold out within five or six minutes there. I am totally gutted, honestly I love Stereophonics.”
Dundee man Stewart Owen was one of the last people to grab a ticket in person, having to settle for a seated one.
The 36-year-old said: “I came down at 7am. I knew I had to be down here early. It is a major thing for Dundee. It is changing for the better. Before people used to have to travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
“Next time if I do come down for something, I will come down earlier.”
A StubHub spokeswoman said: “StubHub believes that when a fan buys a ticket, they are free to do what they wish with the ticket – use it, donate it, give it away, or resell it.
“It is inaccurate to say that ticket resale websites prevent fans from accessing tickets.
“Caird Hall has a capacity of over 2,000, and there are currently just 14 tickets listed on StubHub for the Stereophonics concert.
“We should instead be asking if all tickets for this concert were made available for public sale in the first place.
“StubHub is ticket marketplace which caters to different types of customers. The vast majority of sellers on StubHub.co.uk are private sellers – fans who occasionally sell a small number of tickets – but a mature ticket market will always have a small number of professional sellers.”
StubHub decided not to sell on tickets for the One Love Manchester benefit gig in June after being bombarded with pleas from music fans.
In February, the FanFair Alliance accused Viagogo of “moral repugnance” after advertising tickets to an Ed Sheeran gig in aid Teenage Cancer Trust for thousands of pounds.
Viagogo and Stereophonics have both been approached for comment.
“I knew I had to get up early for them”
A number of fans managed to grab tickets to Stereophonics at Dundee City Box Office before they sold out yesterday morning.
Dundee picture framer Louise Murray left relieved after queuing up in the City Square from 4.30am.
The 45-year-old said: “I knew I had to be up early to get them. I do think they probably could have filled a bigger venue.”
Keana Jardine, 23, said she decided to make her way to the Box Office in person off the back of bad experiences buying concert tickets from busy websites in the past.
She added: “I have always wanted to see them, I have never seen them before, and they are coming to the city I live. It is brilliant Dundee is getting a band so big.”
Retired postie Alex Walker selflessly queued to get three tickets for his son, Alex Jnr, and two grandchildren in Dunfermline.
The 70-year-old said: “I got tickets for my young lad in Dunfermline. He loves them. They are a good group. I do like them but I got the tickets for him.”
Pals Paula Carr and Jeannie Jack got the last standing tickets on offer at the Box office.
Miss Carr said: “I was here from 6am this morning. I have never seen them. I have wanted to see them for a good few years. i’m excited.”
Miss Jack added: “I have not seen them since 2010. They are one of my favourite bands. I wanted to come and get them in person. It’s worth it, you just can’t get them on Ticketmaster.”
