High Demand and Long Queues
Popular concert tickets sell out quickly, making them difficult to acquire. Ticket-selling platforms often struggle to handle the high traffic, leaving many buyers frustrated.
“When I went onto the [tickets] website to see the prices, it didn’t even let me pass through because there was too much traffic. I thought I was the last in line and that there was no hope to get tickets. It was pretty stressful,” said Enzo Peixoto (‘25).
Presale portals attract thousands of buyers, leading to long queues. Even those who manage to get through sometimes lose their tickets due to system errors.
“I tried to get tickets for Tyler the Creator – I wanted them so bad and was very disappointed when I didn’t get them. It is way too hard to get tickets during the presale [phase],” said Dane Colombo (‘27).
Resale Price Surge
Many buyers attempt to get tickets during presale because resale prices skyrocket. Sites like StubHub and Ticketmaster often list tickets at double or even triple the original price.
“People who don’t actually want to go to the concert end up buying tickets just to sell them for higher prices. I know a lot of people who wanted to go to a concert but didn’t get presale, and the resale sites were just too expensive,” said Rachael Norton (‘27).
Frustration with Ticketing Systems
Buyers often wait for hours only to find no tickets left. System crashes add to the frustration, making the experience even more stressful.
“I tried to get concert tickets and waited in the queue for an hour to get through. The site [didn’t] work properly, leading me to get no tickets. There are so many people that get on the pre-sales that they are just like regular sales now,” said Norton.
Possible Solutions
Many believe ticketing platforms need better systems. Holding tickets during checkout and limiting presale access could help improve the process.
“I think in [the] concert pre-sale [phase] they could be more organized and update things quicker, such as [with the] availability for tickets,” said Carol Zhou (‘27).
