Blake Shelton Addresses Upset Fans Over Concert Ticket Refunds: ‘It’s Been a Nightmare’
Blake Shelton turned to social media to quell the tensions of some upset fans on Wednesday (Aug. 12), after those fans posted about difficulties they were having in obtaining refunds for concerts he was forced to cancel in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Shelton was slated to perform across the U.S. on his Friends & Heroes Tour in 2020, which featured Lauren Alaina, Trace Adkins and the Bellamy Brothers. The tour kicked off Feb. 13 in Portland, Ore., and played all the way through March 11 in Wichita, Kan., before Shelton turned to social media to announce that the rest of the dates would have to be rescheduled due to the pandemic.
After some exchanges with fans on Twitter Shelton issued a formal statement, seen above. The tour was canceled and while he may return to many of the venues in 2021 or later it won't be the Friends & Heroes Tour with the same artists. He laid out a few steps for fans to get refunds via Ticketmaster but conceded some third party ticket vendors may be out of business and others may only offer credits. He only works with Ticketmaster so he can't help if tickets were purchased after-market.
The online discussion between Shelton and various disappointed fans began on Wednesday when a fan posted to Twitter, asking Shelton to formally cancel his concert that had been slated for Allstate Arena in Chicago on March 19 so they could get their money back.
That snowballed into posts from other fans, sharing that they, too, had encountered trouble in getting refunds. Shelton clarified over and over again that the problem lies in second-tier ticket sellers. The shows, he stated repeatedly, have been formally canceled and there is no legitimate reason for any ticket seller to deny or delay a refund.
Most recently, Shelton and his girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, have been quarantined together with her family on his ranch in Oklahoma, where they have been making a series of from-home TV appearances to promote their recent singles, "Nobody But You" and "Happy Anywhere." The couple also recently purchased their first home together, a lavish mansion in California.
Scroll through the pictures below to see the couple's jaw-dropping new home.
See Blake Shelton + Gwen Stefani's Stunning California Mansion
Gwen Stefani's Other Mansion Was Mind-Blowing!