Rap fans were caught on the hop yesterday morning when tickets for Eminem's Irish concerts went on sale a day earlier than originally announced.
Tickets for the controversial rap star's concerts at Punchestown Racecourse on June 27th and 28th were due to go on sale this morning but, following consultations with the Garda, Ticketmaster and representatives of Eminem, promoters MCD brought the sale forward to 8 a.m. yesterday. The second concert was announced at the same time and tickets for both shows sold out within a few hours.
A statement from MCD said ticket sales were brought forward 24 hours in the interest of public safety and the well-being of fans who were planning to queue outside all night for tickets. Even with the announcement of a second concert, says MCD, there would not have been enough tickets to meet the demand. MCD felt it would have been inappropriate and unsafe to have fans queuing up outside overnight.
In March 2001, there were angry scenes in Grafton Street when hundreds of fans, some of whom had queued outdoors all night, failed to secure tickets for U2's concert at Slane Castle.
Tickets for the Eminem concerts priced at €52.50 were sold in 72 Ticketmaster outlets and were simultaneously put on sale via the Internet and credit card hotline. Within an hour, 40,000 tickets had been snapped up, and by lunchtime, all 85,000 tickets were sold.
Eminem's popularity has been boosted by the huge success of his movie, 8 Mile.
