Tom Morello is asking Rage Against the Machine (or RATM) fans to Wake Up after trying to drill information into their heads about the band’s efforts to counter ticket scalping on the upcoming North American leg of their long-awaited comeback tour.
Since tickets for the “Public Service Announcement” tour went on sale last week, thousands of fans have been criticizing the anti-capitalist rap/rock band for their “ridiculous prices” after failing to get their hands on any good tickets at a face-value cost.
Though 90 per cent of tickets were sold at US$125 plus fees (or $190 in Canada), most of those sold out in minutes, leaving fans with only the option to purchase “Official Rage Against the Machine Charity Tickets.”
What is a “charity ticket,” some may ask?
Well, as confirmed by the RATM guitarist through Twitter last Saturday, the remaining 10 per cent of tickets from each venue have been listed at a much higher price in order to deter scalpers from buying and re-selling them, but still give fans a chance to go see the band.
While many ticket-less fans have been stewing in anger at the thought that Rage Against the Machine would ever “become the machine” by overcharging them for tickets, Morello, 55, is trying to explain that all proceeds from each charity ticket will be donated towards specific foundations in each city.
“100 per cent of money above base price on each ticket goes to charities in that city.”
He added that the band disabled Ticketmaster’s surge-pricing system — best known as the outlet’s “Official Platinum” ticketing system — for this tour and have been fluctuating charity ticket prices (between $300-$600) consistently in order to effectively counter scalpers.
Additionally, Morello revealed that within two days, the band had raised US$3 million for charity with sales from the taxable charity tickets in question.
Morello has even threatened that the band will sue anyone selling a standard ticket for higher than face value.
“If it’s on Ticketmaster for more than the base price it should be a Charity Ticket and say so. If not, send a screen shot and we will sue them,” he tweeted.
Despite his seemingly tireless explanations, it seems some supporters are still not quite understanding what the Killing in the Name rocker’s intentions are.
“Rage Against The Machine’s ticket prices can go eat a giant d–k,” tweeted another user.
Furthermore, RATM has issued an official statement regarding the 38-date North American tour on its website. They wrote:
“We will donate 100 per cent of the money, over the fees and base ticket price to charities and activist organizations in each city. We are confident this will help many more fans get tickets at face value and put a big dent in the aftermarket gouging.”
“We hate scalping as much as you do,” they added, “and will continue to try to find ways to combat it. Additionally, we are donating all profits from our first three shows to immigrants’ rights organizations and will support multiple charities and activist organizations throughout the tour,” the band concluded.
Though general admission tickets for most of the band’s tour dates sold out in a matter of hours, select tickets — primarily RATM’s charity-priced tickets — are still available for purchase.
As Morello has reiterated on several occasions, 100 per cent of proceeds from tickets above face value will go to a specific charity based in the city for that show.
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For additional updates and information, you can visit the official Rage Against the Machine website.
March 26 — El Paso, Texas @ Don Haskins Center
March 28 — Las Cruces, N.M. @ Pan American Center
March 30 — Glendale, Ariz. @ Gila River Arena
April 10 — Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
April 17 — Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
April 21 — Oakland, Calif. @ Oakland Arena
April 25 — Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
April 28 — Tacoma, Wash. @ Tacoma Dome
May 1 — Vancouver, B.C. @ Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
May 3 — Edmonton, Alta. @ Rogers Place
May 5 — Calgary, Alta. @ Scotiabank Saddledome
May 7 — Winnipeg, Man. @ Bell MTS Place
May 9 — Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 11 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
May 12 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
May 14 — Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
May 16 — St. Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center
May 19 — Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
May 23 — Boston, Mass. @ Boston Calling
June 19 — Dover, Del. @ Firefly
July 10 — East Troy, Wis. @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
July 13 — Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
July 15 — Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
July 17 — Ottawa, Ont. @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 18 — Québec City, Que. @ Festival d’Été de Québec
July 21 — Hamilton, Ont. @ FirstOntario Centre
July 23 — Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena
July 25 — Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena
July 27 — Buffalo, N.Y. @ KeyBank Center
July 29 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
July 31 — Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena
Aug. 2 — Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena
Aug. 4 — Washington D.C. @ Capital One Arena
Aug. 5 — Washington D.C. @ Capital One Arena
Aug. 7 — Camden, N.J. @ BB&T Pavilion
Aug. 10 — New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 11 — New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 13 — New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
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