Diehard Maggie Rogers fans braved the Chicago cold early Friday morning, hoping to snag tickets to her House of Blues show, as the indie-pop songstress took a stand against bot-driven online ticketing woes. Since the crack of dawn, the queue for Rogers' concert tickets ballooned, snaking its way past Dearborn Street and over the Chicago River, a testament to the singer's dedicated following and her crusade for a fair ticketing system.
In what can only be described as a mix of nostalgia and modern-day fandom, the lines formed hours before the box office's 10 a.m. opening, "See you tomorrow Chicago," Rogers posted on Instagram before the event - a missive that was apparently treated like gospel by her fans; according to CBS Chicago. Some campers were seen pulling out all the stops, equipped with laptops, blankets, and an ad-hoc soundtrack courtesy of Rogers' hits. The slogan for the "Don't Forget Me" tour might as well have been a rallying cry - "Come buy a ticket like it's 1965," pitched as both a nod to simpler times and a savvy move to "eliminate bots and lower fees."
This is more than just a trip down memory lane; it's a savvy shot across the bow of major ticketing companies. With Ticketmaster recently entangled in accusations of price-fixing and fraud post the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco, the tour's in-person-only approach is painting Rogers as a sort of folk hero in the music industry. Fans were capped at two tickets each to ensure as many could enjoy the show as possible, WLS reported.
Rogers' hands-on involvement, even to the point of manning the box office herself in various cities, has earned her the applause of fans seeking to bypass the exorbitant fees commonly associated with online ticket purchases. "She's fighting Ticketmaster because she's giving us non-fees and some cheap tickets," one fan told, CBS Chicago in an interview, highlighting the artist's commitment to her fan base.
Meanwhile, Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, is bracing for an anti-trust lawsuit from the government amid public outcry over their ticketing practices. As Rogers and her fans literally bridge the gap across the Chicago River for a night of music, it seems they might also be charting the course for a new direction in live event ticketing.
