State lawmakers in Michigan voted Tuesday to repeal a longtime ban on legal ticket resale in the state . A pair of bills passed the house by wide margins – 93-12 and 91-14 – and will now be considered by the Senate. The upper chamber had passed legislation removing the ticket resale ban in January, and will be deciding whether the newly passed bills by the lower chamber are similar enough to their legislation to be moved to the governor’s desk. Introduced by Sen. Erika Geiss (D) and Sen. Tom Barrett (R), the legislation approved this week removes the penalty for selling tickets for above face value, which has been in place since 1931. Currently, those found to be in violation of the provision can be charged with a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail or a $500 fine. If it passes, the legislation will remove the outdated ban on ticket resale, with some restrictions. Those engaged in ticket resale would be required to have tickets listed for sale in their possession or inform the purchaser if they do not at the time of the sale and again at 48 hours prior to kickoff. There are also restrictions on how websites can market tickets listed for sale including the use of venue or team names in certain contexts. Resale opponents frequently push for such language in any ticketing bill claiming such restrictions clamp down on misleading websites, but the end result is conveniently advantageous for venue and primary ticket company search engine optimization and customer acquisition. The bill also bans the use of automated programs (AKA “bots”) to purchase tickets in bulk. Violations of the provisions in the new law carry penalties of up to 93 days in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. Similar bills have been pushed in recent years by Michigan lawmakers, but failed to pass the full body despite the law itself being seldom enforced (and more or less impossible to impose on resale marketplaces located outside of the state). In 2018, such a bill passed the House by a 71-36 margin , but failed to pass the senate. The post Michigan House Votes to End Ban on Legal Ticket Resale appeared first on TicketNews .

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Elton John farewell tour dates for the United States and Canada have finally been updated, with a resumption in 2022 . The singer’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was halted in March by the coronavirus, and now stretches all the way into 2023. European dates for the tour are scheduled to begin in September 2021. “I’ve been enjoying my time at home with the family while the world navigates its way through the COVID pandemic. But, I really miss being on the road and performing for my beloved fans in my Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” the singer said in a statement. “While the scientists are making great progress, we are making big plans for a return to touring that will allow us to ensure the health and safety of everyone. I will be starting my tour again in Europe and the UK in the Fall of 2021. And I will be back in North America starting in January 2022.  This means my New Zealand dates will be postponed until 2023. Don’t worry about me.  I’m using my downtime to keep myself fighting fit and healthier than ever. I’m raring to go! As always, thank you so much for your loyal support. I look forward to seeing all you wonderful Elton John fans soon. In the meantime, please stay safe and be well. Thank you!” With the delays, the farewell tour will cover a period of five years assuming all goes to plan. Elton John farewell tour dates kicked off in 2018 with a show in Allentown, PA. Dates ran through 2019 and into 2020 before the pandemic hit. U.S. dates currently scheduled begin in new Orleans on January 19 and conclude with an April 28 show at Miami’s American Airlines Arena. In between are more than 40 performances, including multiple dates in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, New York, and St. Paul, MN. U.S and Canadian dates announced for the run are included below. For the full set of Elton john farewell tour dates, visit his website . Elton John Farewell Tour Dates – North America Wednesday, January 19, 2022 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center Friday, January 21, 2022 Houston, TX Toyota Center Saturday, January 22, 2022 Houston, TX Toyota Center Tuesday, January 25, 2022 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center Wednesday, January 26, 2022 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center Saturday, January 29, 2022 N. Little Rock, AR Simmons Bank Arena Sunday, January 30, 2022 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center Friday, February 4, 2022 Chicago, IL United Center Saturday, February 5, 2022 Chicago, IL United Center Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena Wednesday, February 9, 2022 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena Monday, February 14, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena Tuesday, February 15, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena Friday, February 18, 2022 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Saturday, February 19, 2022 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Tuesday, February 22, 2022 New York City, NY Madison Square Garden Wednesday, February 23, 2022 New York City, NY Madison Square Garden Friday, February 25, 2022 Newark, NJ Prudential Center Tuesday, March 1, 2022 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center Saturday, March 5, 2022 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum Sunday, March 6, 2022 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum Saturday, March 19, 2022 Fargo, ND FARGODOME Tuesday, March 22, 2022 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center Wednesday, March 23, 2022 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center Saturday, March 26, 2022 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena Sunday, March 27, 2022 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena Wednesday, March 30, 2022 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center Friday, April 1, 2022 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday, April 2, 2022 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum Tuesday, April 5, 2022 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena Friday, April 8, 2022 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday, April 9, 2022 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center Wednesday, April 13, 2022 Hershey, PA GIANT Center Saturday, April 16, 2022 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center Tuesday, April 19, 2022 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena Saturday, April 23, 2022 Jacksonville, FL Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena Sunday, April 24, 2022 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena Wednesday, April 27, 2022 Orlando, FL Amway Arena Thursday, April 28, 2022 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena The post Elton John Farewell Tour Dates For U.S. Rescheduled to 2022 appeared first on TicketNews .

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With COVID-19 cases increasing overseas, authorities have decided to press pause on reopening in the United Kingdom , including a planned return of fans to sports stadiums. The decision means that clubs will need to continue to play in front of empty stadiums for the foreseeable future rather than allowing a small number in on October 1st and more down the road. “We do want to, in due course, allow people to return to watch football and other sporting events but it is the case that we just need to be cautious at the moment and I think a mass reopening at this stage wouldn’t be appropriate,” Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told the BBC Monday. Boris Johnson indicated on Tuesday that restrictions are likely to remain in place – including the ban on sports attendance and other live events where crowds have been largely banned since March – for another six months. The news was not well received by officials involved with teams and league organizations, as it means many more months of drastic revenue reductions will continue into 2021. “The announcement that supporters will not be allowed into stadiums for up to six months cuts off crucial revenue for clubs who have already suffered significant financial losses from suspending the season and playing matches behind closed doors since March,” Premiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said . “We believe the lack of supporters in our grounds could cause irreparable damage to our clubs and the communities they serve, so we must find a way forward to avoid this.” Plans had been hatched to pilot a return of fans to the sporting grounds as of October 1st over the summer, as case numbers plummeted from an average of nearly 5,000 per day in April and May down to under 1,000 by late June. Numbers began to climb again, however, in August. By the end of the month, the seven day average of new cases had risen to 1,322. As of September 21, that average has nearly quadrupled, rising to 4,368. The rate of fatalities attributed to the disease, thankfully, has not seen a similar rebound, though health authorities often point to the fact that case fatalities often trail new cases by several weeks, in terms of timing of the impact of a surge. “We have to acknowledge the spread of the virus is now affecting our ability to reopen large sporting events,” said Johnson. The post Spike in COVID-19 Cases Pauses Fan Return to UK Sports appeared first on TicketNews .

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joined the Broadway League to drum up support for the Save Our Stages (SOS) Act in New York City Friday . The legislation proposes federal assistance for productions, concerts, comedy shows and other positions within the industry, which has been brought to a near-complete halt by the coronavirus pandemic. “The Great White Way has, for generations, led the way in what has made this city the envy of the world in the arts, and that’s why it’s so important to provide dedicated federal assistance to Broadway—because it really is a part of what defines New York, and we have to fight for it,” Sen. Schumer said. “The Save Our Stages Act will help Broadway and other live venues keep the lights on and the curtains calling when this is all over, and so I’ll fight to include this funding in upcoming legislation.” Passage of another round of stimulus has become a political football of late, with democrats and republicans fighting for vastly different amounts of suppor t. Democrats support funding of a package totaling as much as $3 trillion, while the republican party tried passing a bill about 1/3 that size, with the White House indicating it would be comfortable with meeting somewhere in the middle. SOS was introduced in July by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX). It proposes as much as $10 billion to help support entertainment venues and companies through the ongoing halt on their businesses. It has language indicating it will “narrowly define independent live venue operators, promoters, and talent representatives to prevent large, international corporations from receiving federal grant funding.” That means companies like Live Nation would be deliberately omitted from applying for the funding program. With its businesses shuttered since March and scheduled to stay that way through at least early January of next year, Broadway is keen on seeing such support pass. Such funding would help organizations maintain debt as well as continue paying employees until government restrictions on live events can be scrapped and house lights come up once again. “Broadway is labor. That’s why we must support the tens of thousands of costumers, musicians, stagehands, performers and theatre staffs who make up Broadway’s 14 unions,” said Thomas Schumacher, Chairman of the Board of The Broadway League Friday. “We are indebted to Senator Schumer, our most valuable partner in Washington, for his leadership on the Save Our Stages Act (SOS). He knows that Broadway is essential to the heartbeat of New York, bringing in nearly $15B annually and supporting 97,000 jobs. New York needs Broadway and Broadway needs SOS.” “Broadway in NYC and our presenters and venues in every state are facing the worst crisis in our history. Our vibrant national industry provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, supports small local businesses, and generates $20 billion of economic impact in NYC and in over 200 cities nationally each year. We are urging Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act and support live theatre across the country,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. As part of their pitch for support in favor of SOS, the Broadway League provided a form letter for supporters to use to contact their lawmakers. That form letter is pasted below: I, YOUR NAME, of YOUR CITY, YOUR STATE urge Congress and SENATOR OR REP’S NAME to pass the Save Our Stages Act to save our independent live entertainment venues and extend pandemic unemployment assistance to help thousands of struggling workers. Our nation’s venues and their thousands of workers are struggling to survive – through no fault of their own – and need assistance NOW. Senators Contact Information | Representatives Contact Information The post Broadway, Sen. Schumer Call on Congress for SOS Support appeared first on TicketNews .

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With the NFL season underway, the Indianapolis Colts have announced that it will host up to 7,500 fans for the team’s second home game of the season on September 27. That’s three times the cap of 2,500 that Sunday’s home opener against the Minnesota Vikings will allow. Season ticket holders and team partners have had first dibs on tickets in the limited capacity scenario thus far, but the team plans to allow a limited number of single game seats to be purchased. Tickets begin at $46 and are on sale as of this morning at Colts.com/tickets or Ticketmaster.com. With a patchwork of local regulations determining attendance for the 2020 season, fans have been looking week-to-week for what the guidance is for their teams . For the coming week, Indianapolis is one of four franchises allowing fans in the stands, with its cap at 2,500. Thursday’s Cincinnati-Cleveland game saw a capacity of 6,000 in Ohio, while Miami (13,000 capacity) and Dallas (undetermined, but up to 25% stadium is possible) will allow more. Some ten fans are reportedly in quarantine  related to potential coronavirus exposure at the Kansas City Chiefs’ home opener. A day after the September 10 contest, a fan tested positive for COVID-19, leading organizers to contact ten individuals who sat nearby in the stadium’s “pod” setup and advise them to quarantine until they were sure to be clear of infection. The action was touted as an example for the limited seating plans and contact tracing efforts working as they should be amid a most unusual year. “By design, the stadium’s COVID protocol plan limited potential exposure to a single seating zone within the stadium,” the Chiefs said in a statement related to the news of the quarantines. The post Colts Plan Increased Capacity As NFL Attendance Plans Evolve appeared first on TicketNews .

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Oak View Group (OVG) announced updated plans for its new Coachella Valley Arena project in California, moving to a new location after its initial land deal broke down. Planned for land in downtown Palm Springs belonging to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the 10,000 capacity facility will now be located near the City of Palm Desert in an unincorporated portion of Riverside County. “After more than a year of good faith negotiations we were unable to finalise an agreement with the Agua Caliente tribal leaders for OVG to lease, develop and operate the privately funded arena,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group. “We appreciate the ongoing support and encouragement from the community and are very pleased to be partnering with the Berger Foundation who share our vision for creating a world-class venue for the Coachella Valley and what will be one of the most premier music and professional sports arenas in the world.” The location will play host to the Seattle Kraken’s American Hockey League franchise affiliate. The Kraken are owned by OVG, which is headed up by Leiweke (formerly head of AEG) and Irving Azoff, formerly head of Live Nation. Live Nation will remain in its planned position of promoting its touring artists through the building despite the location shift. The post Oak View Group Announces Changed Coachella Valley Arena Plans appeared first on TicketNews .

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Soccer supporters in St. Louis are apparently excited about their Major League Soccer franchise. The league reported that the St. Louis City SC expansion team set a new record for season ticket member deposits in 24 hours – actually exceeding the prior record in less than an hour. It’s official: STL is a Soccer CITY. We broke the previous 24-hour ticket deposit record in the first 15 MINUTES! To everyone in our region who placed a deposit, thanks for showing @MLS the passion of our CITY. We’re still accepting deposits at https://t.co/HrnjdHEafI #stlCITYsc pic.twitter.com/lXzXxtl7xA — St. Louis CITY SC (@MLS4theLou) September 17, 2020 Over 50,000 deposits were received in total, with 30,000 coming in the first 15 minutes according to the league. The team, which will begin play in 2023, also set a league record for merchandise sales by a new franchise. “I’m once again blown away by our fans, supporters and community, and how they continue to rally around City,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, St. Louis SC owner and CEO, in a statement. “This is just another testament to why I love St. Louis so much. When given the opportunity, our region shows the rest of the nation why we’re a force to be reckoned with.” Construction is underway on a 22,500 seat stadium with adjacent training facility in St. Louis . Sporting Kansas City, located approximately 250 miles west of St. Louis along I-70, has drawn average crowds of between 18-21,000 fans in each season since 2012, after it opened its soccer-specific Livestrong Sporting Park grounds. It is unclear how many actual sales the deposit numbers will translate to, despite their being more deposits than seats in the new venue. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , fans were able to request as many as eight tickets with one $50 deposit. Some “may have chosen to err on the side of more seats than they’ll actually need,” though the high amount of deposits reflects that sales are likely to be strong once fully underway in 2021. The post St. Louis City SC Announces MLS Record for Season Ticket Deposits appeared first on TicketNews .

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With a number of its live entertainment venues shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic, Live Nation is offering them up for a new purpose – voting. The entertainment behemoth announced plans to examine the feasibility for the use of more than 100 of its venues as polling places, with four – The Wiltern and Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Emo’s in Austin and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta already approved. Beyond offering its buildings up for communities that need them, the company is also providing employees with paid time off for the purpose of voting, enabling employees to volunteer as poll workers and partnering with organizations dedicated to spurring participation in the action on November 3. “Core to what we do at Live Nation is helping amplify voices on stage around the world, and supporting voting is another important way we want to continue making voices heard,” said Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation. “We’re honored to work with such incredible partners and will do everything in our power to support and empower voter engagement among our employees and the public.” Live Nation is partnering with several organizations as part of its support of voting in the upcoming elections. It is working with More Than A Vote, Civic Alliance, Power the Polls and HeadCount. More Than A Vote, a coalition of Black athletes and artists dedicated to the protection of voting rights, is helping to convert the spaces chosen to host polling. Power the Polls is helping support Live Nation employees to participate as volunteers at their local polling station (and identifying areas in need of volunteers), while HeadCount promotes voter registration and participation in democracy using music to inspire. “By converting their concert venues into voting locations, Live Nation is creating a safe and convenient way for people to exercise their right to vote this fall,” said Michael Tyler, EVP of Public Affairs More Than A Vote. “Similar to the sports arenas More Than A Vote has worked to convert into voting locations, many of Live Nation’s venues are located in the heart of the communities that we are committed to empowering in this election and offer the same COVID protections due to their large capacity.” The post Live Nation Offering Empty Venues as Polling Places for Election appeared first on TicketNews .

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Harry Styles took to social media Tuesday to inform fans that remaining 2020 dates for hits Love on Tour jaunt were formally postponed, due to the ongoing pandemic. “Everyone’s health and safety remains our top priority, which is why I unfortunately have to postpone all 2020 shows in South America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand until further notice,” the tweet read . Fans had been increasingly vocal in recent days about the tour, which was set to resume with dates in Mexico in late September. Complaints began to mount that Styles and his handlers were hanging on to fans money for shows that had no realistic hope of occurring. In response, Ticketek tweeted that it had no control over the tour plans, which were determined by the promoter and artist (in this case, as with so many others, that was Live Nation). Update to Harry Styles Fans: Ticketek takes its instructions on any news on the Harry Styles tour from the promoter, Live Nation Australia. We are urgently seeking clarification from the promoter and will be back to fans as soon as we have further information from them. — Ticketek Australia (@Ticketek_AU) September 14, 2020 It is unclear when the shows will be performed, which Styles pointed out in a follow-up tweet following the announcement. “I really hope to play the shows as planned for 2021,” he said. “But will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks and months. I can’t wait to see you all on the road as soon as it’s safe to do so.” It is unclear whether or not fans holding tickets to the postponed shows will be able to request refunds from the promoters or not, though that has generally been the case for pandemic-postponed shows after fan outcry over refunds not being available earlier this spring for gigs postponed due to the coronvirus. The post After Fan Complaints, Harry Styles Postpones Remaining 2020 Shows appeared first on TicketNews .

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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit announced that they will be performing in front of a live audience this fall, beyond their recently announced drive-in shows in Georgia . The band is taking to the stage at the Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee for three gigs on October 9-11. As with all performances amid the coronavirus, things will be different. Per Rolling Stone : Instead of playing in the venue’s natural, underground amphitheater, however, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will set up outdoors for what’s being called “The Caverns Above Ground Concert Series.” Fans will watch the shows from a hillside in socially distanced pods arranged a minimum of six-feet apart. The pods can accommodate parties of two, four, or six and will require fans to bring their own chairs. Other pandemic precautions include mandatory masks (except when in the pods), staggered arrival times for ticket-holders, temperature checks, and Covid-19 screening questions. Concessions and merchandise will be sold, with contact-free delivery, via an app. “We’re grateful our above-ground land gives us the opportunity to be among the first venues in the country to bring people together in a responsible manner for socially-distanced concerts,” says Todd Mayo, owner of the Caverns. Tickets for the Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit performances will be available from Friday and run $125 per person. One dollar from each sale will be donated to the National Independent Venue Association, a lobbying and support organization for independent spaces impacted by the ongoing governmental restrictions on live entertainment and mass gatherings. The post Jason Isbell to Perform October “Pod” Shows in Tennessee appeared first on TicketNews .