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A rush to buy tickets for Taylor Swift’s first tour in five years—and five albums—left fans scrambling and distraught Tuesday as Ticketmaster’s system was overwhelmed in markets across the U.S. and would-be buyers waited in long lines.
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Ticketmaster site, which is selling tickets for the 2023 tour via a system meant to give preferential treatment to longtime fans, crashed in New York and other cities amid a crush of fans trying to snap up what industry executives have anticipated will be the hottest tickets since the lift of pandemic restrictions on the live touring business.
Swift’s 52-date run is slated to be her most extensive U.S. stadium tour to date. Fans who have received a code are supposed to have the chance to purchase tickets starting at $49 up to $449, with VIP packages running from $199 to $899 a pop.
Ticketmaster’s site became so overwhelmed in some markets that even fans looking for tickets to other concerts and sporting events were unable to make purchases.
The company said there is historically unprecedented demand with millions showing up to buy tickets for Swift’s presale. Ticketmaster said hundreds of thousands of tickets have been sold and told fans who are in lines to “please hang tight.” The company also pushed off West Coast presales from opening at 10 a.m. local time to 3 p.m.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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