MEXICO CITY — For some fans, going to Bad Bunny’s Estadio Azteca show Friday night in Mexico City was a dream come true. But for others, it turned into a nightmare after they became victims of a scam, with Ticketmaster Mexico canceling their tickets at the entrance to the show saying they were fake and a throng of angry fans at the door demanding to go inside.
Dozens of people who had arrived hours and some days earlier — coming from different places in Mexico and the U.S. — were not able to get inside Bunny’s fist night in Mexico City, which also marks the end of his tour.
Valeria Carrillo, a young fan who came from the seaside town of Isla Mujeres and said she had paid over 9.000 Mexican pesos (some $455), was one of the unlucky ones. She stood in line since early in the morning to be one of the first to get inside the stadium. She couldn’t.
“I didn’t come all the way from Isla Mujeres to have this happen to me!” she told Billboard Español, in tears.
Some desperate fans climbed over the main gates of the stadium trying to get inside but were blocked by security.
In a press release posted Saturday, Ticketmaster Mexico admitted that “the issues with access were the result of an unprecedented number of fake tickets, which led to a not normal agglomeration of people and an intermittent operation of our system.
“The above generated confusion and complicated the entrance to the stadium, with the unfortunate consequence that people with legitimate tickets were denied access,” added the release.
Mexico’s Federal Attorney for the Mexican Consumer (PROFECO) said it had opened an investigation and asked those who had been affected to present their complaint on a website provided by the institution. By Friday evening, PROFECO said in the same release that only seven people had submitted complaints, but more were expected.
On its end, Ticketmaster said it would refund ticket-holders who hadn’t been able to get into the venue and would also provide additional compensation of “no less than 20% of the price paid for the ticket, in accordance with the terms of article 92 Bis of the Federal Law of Consumer Protection, which states that right when a service is deficient or is not rendered.”
Issues with tickets delayed the show for nearly 60 minutes. Originally scheduled for 9 p.m., it started at 10 p.m. But once the lights went out, it was party time. Benito Ocasio Martínez took the stage in front of 85,000 attendees, with a slew of special guests that included Bomba Estéreo for “Ojitos Lindos,” Chencho Corleone for “Me Porto Bonito,” Mora for “Una vez” and Jowell & Randy, with whom he sang “Safaera.” Bunny finally brought up his friend and fellow hitmaker Jhayco for “Tarot.”
One of the highlights of the evening came when the Puerto Rican star paid homage to the late Mexican music idol Juan Gabriel by sampling his hit “Querida,” and later, when performing “Yo No Me Visto Así,” which also references “Querida” and Juan Gabriel in its lyrics.
For Bunny’s second Mexico City show on Saturday, PROFECO had personnel at the entrance to the stadium beginning early in the afternoon, and there were reports on social media of fans with fake tickets being turned away.
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