Sudbury scandal goes on...

That's why they call it the blues in Sudbury: Elton ticket flap angers some fans

18 minutes ago

SUDBURY, Ont. - Sorry seems to be the hardest word, after an Elton John ticket flap in Sudbury.

Local hoopla over an upcoming concert by the pop music legend turned to scandal when it was revealed that city councillors got first crack at buying tickets, resulting in an apology from the mayor. Local media coverage prompted accusations of unfairness, with some citizens vowing revenge at the polls.

"They raise our taxes, do almost half of the meetings in camera," one anonymous poster griped on the Sudbury Star website.

"These people have been voted in with our trust and when that trust is broken it's time to go. Where would you draw the line?"

John's hotly anticipated March 2 show - one of just two Canadian stops on a greatest hits tour - saw 6,000 seats sell out in less than an hour in the city of roughly 85,000.

But disappointment turned to anger for some empty-handed fans when the Sudbury Star reported that 100 advance tickets were made available to city councillors.

The ruckus forced Mayor John Rodriguez to issue an apology last week before a city council meeting.

"My decision to offer so many advance purchase tickets to council was rushed and not given sufficient consideration. For that I apologize," Rodriguez said in his address, adding that the practice was not so unusual.

"These tickets are not free: the cost is paid in full by the councillor. This same practice occurs in the City of Kitchener, where Elton John is also playing next month."

Rodriguez did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday.

A spokesman for concert promoter Live Nation says it's common practice among most venues to let city officials have first dibs at tickets.

"Their practices are no different from all the other arenas I deal with in this country, whether it's privately owned or city owned," Riley O'Connor, chairman of Live Nation Canada, said from his Toronto office.

"I don't even know what the big deal is."

O'Connor said the Sudbury arena has sold an extra 1,200 seats for the pop star's show, including those located behind the stage and at the extreme sides. A typical front-of-stage set-up offers only 4,800 seats, he said.

"In fact there was more tickets available for this concert than any concert in the history of that arena, probably since 1978, April Wine," he said.

The manager of the Kitchener Auditorium says 61 advance tickets were sold to councillors in that city, plus another 382 advance tickets were made available to other city staff, venue suppliers, concert sponsors, and arena tenants like the minor hockey team.

"When somebody doesn't get access to something, I'm sure they're upset," manager Kim Kugler said from Kitchener.

"It does limit people's access but we try to make it as open and as available to people via (sales on the) Internet, phone, and in person."

Just over 6,500 tickets were sold in Kitchener, but Kugler said ongoing renovations to the auditorium could make more seats available for the March 3 concert.

John, whose hits include "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Bennie and the Jets," "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" and "Rocket Man," follows up the Ontario shows with a string of dates in Las Vegas.

-By Cassandra Szklarski in Toronto