Sleep Token Blames Bots, Scalpers for Presale Mess
Sleep Token fans fought vigorously for a chance to snatch coveted tickets to see the rockers on tour this year, but amid a presale mess with promoter AEG, thousands were left empty-handed. Now, the anonymous, masked group is pointing the blame to “bots” and scalpers.
Presale tickets to the forthcoming “Teeth of God” tour went on sale Wednesday, January 24, followed by a general on sale Friday, January 26. Fans were told they had to register for early access to tickets on Sleep Token’s website, where they would receive an exclusive presale code. However, the presale ended in many woes; fans complained they never received a code, they were kicked-out of the queue, faced long wait times, and prices were too high.
Additionally, some fans received the presale code an entire day late. When they tried to use the code on Thursday, tickets were no longer available. AEG apologized to fans in an email on Friday, writing that “while our intentions were good, to put it simply: we failed.”
“Our emails and sale codes were sent on time yet delivered to you late,” AEG said. “And while there are many reasons for that, there’s no excuse. We let Sleep Token and you down.”
AEG said that after “discovering the malfunctions,” they provided codes to fans who contacted them.
However, following the general on sale, Sleep Token is pushing the blame onto the secondary market.
“Tickets for the ‘Teeth of God’ North American tour have been swiftly depleted, save for limited remaining allocation in Montreal,” Sleep Token said in a statement on X. “In the meantime, so-called “bot/scalper” purchases are being identified and cancelled, before being redistributed for genuine followers to procure.”
Fans are now confused what this means if they already purchased tickets from other secondary sites. Others also spoke out against the band, asking how exactly they plan on “identifying” bot or scalper purchases, and called-out the group for using dynamic pricing.
This whole things is so confusing. So any other website ticket won’t work??? Bc I bought one off seat geek Wednesday and I spent $368 on it.
— 🍄saddiebaddie🍄 (@sadddgirlsclubb) January 27, 2024
What about those of us who bought tickets through Stubhub for shows in IL? Will we now lose our tickets and have to try again? I worked at getting tickets on Ticketmaster for 5 hours, and even with 2 codes had no luck. Finally resorted to stubhub since IL was exempt.
— Alyssa Sturm (@Lyssadawn88) January 27, 2024
Oh for the love, now I have to worry my secondary market purchase will be voided? Wonderfull.
— aaron park (@apark1199) January 27, 2024
Next time, don’t use the greed fueled dynamic pricing. $260 for GA in Toronto is an insane price
— Catman Fraiche 🍎 (@Walkingoctopus) January 27, 2024
Y’all dynamically priced the shit out of your tickets. Gotta take some responsibility for that.
— Marc T. (@TheLollipopking) January 27, 2024
How do you plan to identify and cancel “bot/scalper” purchases?
Also any comment on the shady move of dynamically raising your prices while fans waited in queue to get tickets?
— TICKETSHELP1 (@Ticket_Help2022) January 27, 2024
It’s common in the ticketing industry for artists, fans, and event organizers to immediately place the blame on the secondary market, not seeking the actual problem at hand. Over the past year, fans across all genres have been feeling the burn while trying to purchase tickets to their favorite acts via ticketing giant Ticketmaster.
It seems that concertgoers must jump through hoops to navigate Ticketmaster’s presale queuing system and waitlist. From Olivia Rodrigo and Bad Bunny to blink-182 and Morgan Wallen, fans of all genres have complained of the inability to get tickets due to incorrect codes, hours-long queues, and exorbitant ticket prices amid the ticketer’s “dynamic” and “platinum” pricing policies. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ticket debacle caused such an outcry from fans that the Department of Justice even launched an investigation into Ticketmaster’s 2010 merger with Live Nation.
While Sleep Token fans are the latest victims to endure the infamous ticket-buying process, they won’t be the last, as the process will repeat itself unless change is enacted across the industry.
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Find Sleep Token’s full list of upcoming tour dates below.
Those hoping to still score tickets to see Sleep Token can compare prices via secondary sites like MEGASeats (use code “TICKETNEWS” for 10% off your order), StubHub, or Ticket Club, where readers can obtain a free membership with the code “TICKETNEWS.”
Sleep Token “Teeth of God” Tour 2024
4/30 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
5/1 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel
5/3 – Austin, TX – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
5/4- Dallas, TX – Toyota Music Factory
5/6 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Center
5/7 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
5/8 – Asheville, NC – Exploreasheville.com Arena
5/10 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
5/12 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
5/14 – Des Moines, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
5/15 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
5/16 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
5/19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
5/20 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
5/22 – New York City, NY – Radio City Music Hall
5/24 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
5/25 – Montreal, QC – Place Bell
5/27 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
5/28 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
