U2 ticket chaos in Brazil
2006-01-28 10:44
Sao Paulo, Brazil - Organisers of two upcoming U2 concerts in Brazil said on Friday they will sell tickets only through a telephone call centre, to avoid a repeat of last week's chaos, when nearly 100 000 fans overwhelmed stores and computer systems.
Heavy demand crashed the concert promoters' computers on January 16, frustrating fans who had waited in lines for more than 12 hours. The 73 000 tickets for Irish rock band's first show sold out despite the debacle, but organisers stopped selling tickets for the following night's performance.
Organisers said in a statement on Friday that they have established the new call centre to distribute the remaining tickets in "a more organised and democratic sale process."
Fans who call the system will be allowed to buy as many as four tickets each, the statement said, down from last week's limit of 10 per person.
Organisers said the call centre will operate at full capacity, but warned that "a waiting time was still likely."
U2 is scheduled to play at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium on February 20 and 21.
A supermarket chain issued a public apology following last week's mayhem, which saw the 12 stores selling the tickets forced to close by massive crowds. Police had to be called in to restore order after some infuriated fans threatened to break into the stores.
- AP