The Backstreet Boys announced their Toronto residency in 2027, with 12 shows, and is expected to be one of the biggest concerts in the city.
However, some fans who bought tickets to the first date feel they paid a premium price for seats, which now appear to be listed to have “obstructed views.”
Lisa Parent, of Thunder Bay, told CTV News that as soon as she heard the band was having their “Into the Millennium – Homecoming” residency in Toronto, she knew she wanted to go.
“I have been a fan since I was 11 years old, since 1996, when their single ‘Get Down’ was released,” said Parent.
The concert series follows the band’s successful residency in Las Vegas. Parent and a group of friends purchased eight seats for the February 20 show. With fees, the concert tickets came to $5,530.
When future dates were added, Parent told CTV News she checked Ticketmaster for pricing information and found the exact same seats were now considered partially obstructed view seating, and the total cost for those tickets would total $2,906.
“We bought the whole row three. They were being sold at half price with now a warning for the obstruction sign,” Parent said.
She told CTV News she contacted Ticketmaster to find out why the seat description had changed and prices had dropped but she said no one could tell her.
“I would like an answer. How come they didn’t confirm the sightlines prior to the ticket sales? Why would they change the classification midweek,” asked Parent.
She and her friends are seeking a refund of just over $2,600, or they would like unobstructed seats, she said.
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Fans with obstructed views to be relocated
CTV News reached out to Ticketmaster and Live Nation regarding Parent’s matter, and in a statement sent by Live Nation, a spokesperson said, “Following the initial onsales for the Backstreet Boys Toronto Residency, additional production details identified potential sightline concerns. Out of an abundance of caution, additional seats were subsequently flagged as possibly having obstructed views.”
“Once this was identified, Live Nation Canada began reviewing affected seating locations and implementing a plan to address them. Fans whose seats are impacted will be proactively relocated to comparable full-view locations in advance of their show. We expect to begin reaching out to affected fans in the coming days with additional information,” the statement added.
Parent said she doesn’t want to miss the concert and is hoping she and her friends will get better seats for the “larger than life” event.
“Essentially, I still want to go to the show, so if they can relocate me to an unobstructed view, great,” said Parent.
She added that if they have to stay in their assigned seats, they’ll accept a refund.
As for Live Nation, they say fans will be told their seating arrangements in the days ahead.
