Paramore began their six-show UK and Ireland tour with Bloc Party on Thursday, April 13, in Dublin. The concert featured a tranquil cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams” and a justified criticism of Ticketmaster.
“I want to say one more time how special it is that you’ve all made it tonight,” Hayley Williams said, as reported by NME. “We don’t take it lightly. We know, honestly, especially now, it’s a huge sacrifice to come to a show because Ticketmaster needs to get their act together. We’ve put a lot of pressure on ourselves, too, because we were like, ‘People are spending money they don’t have to come and hang out with us, and we better give them something that’s worth that.’ We just love you so much.”
Ticketmaster is disliked by numerous fan bases due to the service’s excessive fees and faulty interface, including Swifties after a disastrous The Eras Tour presale that led to a Justice Department investigation. Swift released a statement in November, stating it was “excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.” The Senate Judiciary Committee even issued a warning to Ticketmaster ahead of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour sale earlier this year.
Artists such as Zach Bryan and Maggie Rogers have found creative ways to bypass the system.
Paramore will tour North America from May 23 to August 2, and devoted fans will likely be grateful they overcame obstacles — Ticketmaster or otherwise — to see them perform.
Paramore is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.