Sam Fender has rescheduled the pre-sale for his St James' Park dates to 9:30am tomorrow after a 'sophisticated bot attack' prevented fans from buying tickets on Wednesday. The announcement came after numerous supporters reported being unable to access the Gigantic ticket site during the pre-sale for the Newcastle shows on his Proper Massive Tour.
While other dates on the tour were selling well on Ticketmaster, the Newcastle dates were being sold through Gigantic. Many fans attempted to use the links they received when pre-ordering Sam Fender's upcoming album, but faced difficulties accessing the site and subsequently missed out on tickets.
Fans Complain on Social Media
Several people took to social media to express their frustration, with one user writing: "@Gigantic your website has blown up, looks like Sam Fender at SJP isn’t happening today…" Site officials communicated with Sam Fender and his team, and it appears a massive 'bot attack' was responsible for the morning's difficulties.
Sam Fender released a statement on his social media channels, saying: "Being told by the promoters that there's been a sophisticated bot attack to the gigantic ticket site which is impacting the St James' Park Pre-sale." He then officially announced: "We're going to have to move the Newcastle pre-sale to 9:30am tomorrow to ensure real fans get the tickets."
Tickets Already on Resale Sites
No word has been given on whether all tickets from today's sale will be cancelled ahead of tomorrow's pre-sale, leaving genuine fans concerned about the possibility of their tickets being taken away. Despite the rescheduled pre-sale, ticket reselling site StubHub is already listing tickets for both dates at St James' Park.
The lowest listed price is £199.14 for standing, compared to the face value of £85, while the highest price listed is £694.34, more than eight times the original cost. There has been no official public statement from Gigantic regarding the reported bot attack.
