Recently, the concert ticket-buying public from here to San Diego rejoiced over free vouchers issued by Ticketmaster, part of a settlement over its charging of excessive and deceptive service fees. At first, many were stoked at the chance to catch some free live music, but as Ticketmaster slowly unveiled their list of eligible shows, disappointment began to settle in.
Here in Massachusetts, the initial list included 14 summer shows at the XFinity Center in Mansfield, and then included select dates at the House of Blues in Boston. In the offer, there was a lot of bro-country, that new Rage Against The Machine/Public Enemy/Cypress Hill supergroup, and Black Sabbath.
Last night, Stephen Colbert took Ticketmaster to task for the apparently “lame” selection of shows.
“Anyone is eligible if they used Ticketmaster between 1999 and 2013,” Colbert said on The Late Show. “So you’re included if you saw Smash Mouth in their prime at the Staples Center, or just a few years later in a parking lot of a Staples… I like Smash Mouth. I love Smash Mouth. They’re fantastic.”
Hey, maybe he’ll show up to Outside The Box next month, when Smash Mouth headline the free festival on Boston Common.
A local visit from Colbert could happen, especially since he doesn’t seem happy about New York free concert possibilities.
“Ticketmaster just unveiled the list of available concerts and it’s a Who’s Who of ‘Definitely not the Who,'” Colbert said. “Some of the concerts they’re offering in New York City include a Black Sabbath cover band, a Rolling Stones cover band and a Guns N’ Roses cover band. What gives, Ticketmaster? If I wanted to see a lame Guns N’ Roses cover band, I’d go and see Guns N’ Roses.”
Guns N’ Roses, by the way, play Gillette Stadium next month, July 19 and 20.