U2 issues apology to fans for ticket woes

U2 has issued an open letter to its fan club members in hopes of dismantling their atomic bomb-level frustration at being shut out of prime tickets to the group’s upcoming Vertigo tour -- access that had been promised as part of club membership.

“Many people who joined U2.com and didn’t get tickets are understandably angry,” states the apologetic letter from drummer Larry Mullen. The note tells the fans they’ll be at the front of the line for tickets for the next leg of the Vertigo tour or will be given a full refund of the $40 club fee.

The loudest complaints surrounded the quick appearance on EBay and ticket brokers’ sites of choice general admission floor seats to virtually every show on the tour, while scores of longtime fans came away empty-handed when presale tickets became available through U2.com on Jan. 25.

“The idea that our longtime U2 fans and scalpers competed for U2 tickets through our own website is appalling to me,” Mullen wrote. “I want to apologize to you who have suffered that.”

Because of the deep bond U2 has forged with fans, many expressed feelings that went beyond disappointment.

“The worst part is how pathetic I feel as a 37-year-old English teacher joining a ‘fan club’ just to get dibs on some tickets, and then this,” fan Tony Wilson said after striking out last week in his bid for presale tickets.

Fans also had complained that in the days following the crush for tickets, the band had made no statement about the situation, prompting many to question the quartet’s commitment to its most ardent followers.

Those veteran fans said the group’s previous method of getting choice tickets into fan club members’ hands through its old Propaganda fan club worked smoothly, while criticizing the new system, run by a professional fan club service, Signatures Network Inc.

“I am now in the process of figuring out a way of distributing the tickets for our intended return to North America in the fall,” Mullen says. “The only fair way of doing this is to give U2 Propaganda members, who are now U2.com members, priority in the queue. After that, people will be given priority in the order in which they joined.... “

Mullen’s letter concludes: “I hope this will go some way towards reassuring you of our total commitment to our audience.”

On Thursday, fan Arnold Serrano, 36, of Corona, said, “Larry’s letter conveys that the band is appreciative of its most loyal fans

When U2’s North American shows went on sale to the public last weekend, 370,000 tickets for 21 arena performances quickly sold out, including shows added because of the heavy demand. The Vertigo tour now includes six Southern California stops: March 28 and 30 at the San Diego Sports Arena, April 1-2 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim and April 5-6 at Staples Center.