Scalpers don't miss a beat

Minutes after the Dunedin Fleetwood Mac concert sold out, scalpers started listing tickets online.

But a concerned promoter says fans should refuse to pay the inflated prices as tickets can be secured other ways.

The concert on November 18 sold out within less than an hour of going on full public sale on Wednesday.

An auction for a pair of tickets worth $398 closed with a winning bid of $807 yesterday.

Another pair of tickets worth about $600 sold for $1530 when the auction closed yesterday.

Live Nation Australasia chief executive Michael Coppel said scalpers taking advantage of fans by extorting inflated prices for tickets were a concern.

Tickets were still available to American Express card-holders at standard prices, and limited VIP packages were available.

''There is no need to go to a scalper to secure your ticket,'' Mr Coppel said.

The entertainment company was working to make more tickets available for the only South Island show and hoped to have ''good news'' in a couple of weeks.

A second Fleetwood Mac concert was announced for Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium, with concerts on November 21 and 22 completing the New Zealand leg of the band's On With The Show world tour.

A Live Nation spokeswoman said more than 28,000 tickets had sold for the Dunedin concert and a second Dunedin show was unlikely.

The tour features all five members of the best-known incarnation of the band, with Christine McVie having reunited with Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

TicketDirect chief executive Matthew Davey said he was ''stoked'' the Dunedin-based ticketing service could help get the event to the city.

He apologised for a ''glitch'' delaying the presale on Monday by an hour.

The presale tickets sold fast and the ''last handful of tickets'' sold on Wednesday was a great result and ''bodes well'' for other big events coming to Dunedin, Mr Davey said.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

 

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