Hayley Williams is embarking on a tour with a clear message for ticket scalpers: Stay away. The pop punk icon has just announced a slew of upcoming shows for next year, and her heart is set on ensuring that tickets reach genuine fans at a reasonable price, not just to resellers who will jack up the prices for those who missed out during the initial sale.
"I've had countless conversations with my team, and they've spent countless hours trying to find the best solution for fans to be able to buy tickets," Williams wrote in an Instagram story on Monday. "It's been tough, and unfortunately, there's just no way to guarantee that zero tickets get scalped. But we're doing our best."
Williams' tour will start in Atlanta next March and conclude with two shows at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in May. Her full list of show dates is available on her website.
For those hoping to get a chance at tickets for the tour, Williams has partnered up with the platform Openstage for presale. Prospective ticket buyers will have to verify their phone number and email to sign up. Williams will host a face-value ticket exchange so fans who can no longer attend can offload their tickets, with all other ticket transferability turned off (except in Chicago and New York, where state legislation prohibits making concert tickets non-transferable).
"I know this won't be perfect. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops to buy tickets to see the show, but unfortunately, it's a broken and convoluted system," Williams said. "My team and I are doing everything we can, and I am hopeful that the processes we've put in place will get as many tickets into the hands of my fans (at face value) as possible."
Williams is one of a growing number of artists who have sought to curb resale so fans don't have to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars more on secondary ticketing websites. The Cure has instituted a similar system for its 2023 North America tour, with the band also taking a stance against the much-bemoaned platinum ticket prices that artists often employ based on demand. Billie Eilish has also instituted non-transferable tickets last year.
As Williams herself acknowledged in her post, there is no system that will guarantee everyone comes away happy. Take Zach Bryan, for example, who instituted a similar non-transferable ticket policy for his tour back in 2023 as an effort to curb scalping, only to be inundated with fans voicing their displeasure that they didn't have a chance to get tickets after his concerts had quickly sold out. Still, while non-transferable tickets won't guarantee any individual fan gets a ticket, they certainly make it more difficult for resellers to mark them up at scale.
Williams' tour announcement comes days after the Paramore singer nabbed four Grammy nominations with her latest solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelor Party. Along with a nomination for best alternative music album, "Parachute" was nominated for best alternative music performance, "Mirtazapine" got a nomination for best rock performance, and "Glum" got a nod for best rock song.
"I can't wait to be back on the road and see all of your faces," Williams said Monday. "We'll dance, scream, and cry together. Love you all. Take care of yourselves."
