Good news: Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour is happening. Bad news: Fans are already gearing up for a difficult time getting tickets, especially following Ticketmaster’s botched ticket rollout for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
Beyoncé announced the tour — which had been previously rumored — on Wednesday. In an Instagram post, the superstar posted simply “RENAISSANCEㅤ ㅤWORLD TOUR 2023.” Her website shows tour dates from May to September. Beyoncé will perform in cities around the world, making several stops in the United States. The site suggests tickets will be on sale soon.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the tour, but many are already bracing themselves for a Ticketmaster disaster, following the recent Swift ticket debacle.
“Hey @Ticketmaster you better have your servers ready!!!” one person tweeted. “Don’t screw this up,” said another. On the Ticketmaster site, a search for Beyoncé tickets led to a page that says there are no upcoming events. Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would be selling tickets or if it can handle the demand.
The Swift concert drama started even before tickets officially went on sale. In mid-November, Ticketmaster’s site overloaded when fans tried to purchase pre-sale tickets for just a handful of dates. Demand was so high that Ticketmaster ultimately canceled the public sale of the tickets. Swift was furious, calling the debacle “excruciating for me.”
Ticketmaster had to contend with more than just the ire of Swift and her fans. The fiasco prompted a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, designed to examine the lack of competition in the ticketing industry (and give senators an opportunity to quote their favorite T-Swift song lyrics.) The hearing gave members of the committee and others a chance to call out Ticketmaster’s power within the industry.
Over a decade ago, the company merged with Live Nation, despite fears that the conglomerate would create a monopoly in the ticketing sector. In 2010, a court filing that raised objections to the merger said that Ticketmaster had over 80% share among major venues. Ticketmaster disputes that market share estimate and says it holds at most just over 30% of the concert market, according to CFO Joe Berchtold, who spoke about the business on NPR.
Today, it’s widely criticized for holding too much power in the sector — effectively barring fans and artists from buying or selling tickets through a competitor.
Renaissance, which dropped this summer, has been widely acclaimed and was nominated for album of the year at the Grammys.
Ticketmaster's website says fans can sign up now at beyonce.livenation.com for Verified Fan, which Beyonce will use to help fans get tickets. "Verified Fan requires registration to help filter out buyers looking to resell tickets, so more tickets get to fans who are going to hold on to tickets and attend the show," the ticket-selling giant says.
An exclusive presale for BeyHive fan club members starts Feb.
Beyonce last played in the stadium, when it was called Heinz Field, on May 31
Beyonce performs during the Formation World Tour at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Beyonce calls this her Renaissance Tour, named for her seventh studio album "Renaissance," one of 2022's most critically praised releases, incorporating various dance music styles.
It's shaping up as a busy concert year at Acrisure Stadium, with dates already announced for April 29, Luke Combs; June 16-17, Taylor Swift; and July 8, Ed Sheeran.
The 2023 tour kicks off on May 10, in Stockholm, SE, making stops throughout Europe before continuing across North America.
This article originally appeared in Beaver County Times: Beyonce to play Pittsburgh stadium.
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