Noah Kahan is hottest ticket in 2024; New England woman says watch where you buy
One of the hottest concert tickets this year is for New England's own Noah Kahan, but a local fan says you should take a beat before buying his tickets.
With most of the Vermont superstar's tour dates, including his shows at Fenway, Madison Square Garden and across the Canadian border in Montreal sold out, Andrea Johnson turned to the popular ticket resale site StubHub.
Johnson says what she ended up buying was a big headache.
She spent thousands but doesn't believe she'd actually have been able to get her tickets and warns others might not be able to either.
Johnson and a friend went through StubHub to buy 12 tickets to Kahan's upcoming concert in Montreal as a surprise 15th birthday gift for their daughters. The pair spent nearly $10,000 total. The cost includes about $200 in StubHub fees per ticket.
When she placed the order, Johnson says StubHub told her the tickets would be delivered by mobile transfer, and she supplied screenshots of her order proving this. It wasn't until Johnson realized she actually had a few more tickets than they could use and went to list the extras on StubHub that she got a worrisome email.
"When I listed [the extra tickets], I then received an email stating that mobile transfer might not be available for this show," she said. "And then I started thinking about it, and I thought, 'Well, wait a second. I have tickets that are mobile transfer, and if mobile transfer isn't allowed, how am I going to get my tickets?'"
The email from StubHub says, "It has come to our attention that ticket transfer is disabled for this event. In light of this, we have deactivated your listing(s) from our website. Please re-list your tickets for sale only if you can accompany each group of buyers into the venue by showing the tickets on your phone."
It's not just Kahan's Montreal show. It appears that all tickets for his tour, in every city, are non-transferable. That message is spelled out plainly on the landing page for Kahan's two Fenway Park concerts this July.
Getting rid of ticket transfers is an effort by some artists to control runaway prices, especially after the Taylor Swift ticket debacle last year. "The artist wants to give fans, not scalpers, the best chance to buy tickets at face value," is the explanation posted on the official ticket seller, Ticketmaster.
After receiving the email about not being able to use mobile transfer, Johnson says she called StubHub for a refund but was denied. Instead, they told her the ticket seller would meet her at the gate and scan her into the show.
"They told me that they guarantee somebody will meet me at the door," she said. "And then I said, 'Well, okay. So somebody will meet me at the door. How will I then get to my seats?' They said, 'You don't need to show your ticket after you get into the venue.' I said, 'Well that is not true.'"
Anyone who's been to a sporting event, concert or show knows you need a ticket to get into your section and verify your seat. But Johnson says her appeals to StubHub fell on deaf ears.
"I just feel pretty hopeless at this point," she said. "I have a 14-year-old daughter that still thinks she's going to the show."
Johnson likely isn't alone. NewsCenter 5 found numerous Noah Kahan tickets in both Montreal and at Fenway still for sale on StubHub, and they're listed as a mobile transfer.
StubHub told NewsCenter 5 it believes tickets can and will be transferred for both Kahan's Montreal and Fenway shows, although they didn't explain how except to say some ticket owners have already transferred tickets. They also say the email telling Johnson mobile transfer wasn't an option was sent by mistake.
Johnson fully supports what Kahan's trying to do around ticket prices but wants others to think twice before they buy tickets, which she says might not show up.
"It's sad," she said. "It's really sad because, you know, people really enjoy music, and you can't go to shows anymore."
In a statement, StubHub says it regrets providing what it called a "terrible experience" for Andrea and her friend. Due to that, the company offered both of them refunds, which Andrea is taking. Her friend is keeping the tickets as StubHub promised she'll get those tickets by mobile transfer 72 hours before the show.
StubHub also pointed out that all of its sales are backed by its "FanProtect Guarantee," which ensures a refund if a buyer can't get in the door. However, that would require Johnson - or anyone else - to actually show up at the venue and hope the ticket seller arrives and can accompany them throughout the show if the tickets can't be sent by mobile transfer.