Word came Monday that songwriter's songwriter, John Prine, will bring his timeless tunes to the Ryman for a two-night stand in March.

But, unbeknownst to the singer, his record label said, the Ryman released pre-sale tickets Wednesday, and let's just say some fans were not happy when the sale ended with them either empty handed or paying what they considered exorbitant prices for them.

One commenter on a post on announcing the sale on Prine's page said he paid $371 for a front-row balcony ticket, although he did not note whether he made his purchase through a third-party site like StubHub (which operates legally in Tennessee) or through Ticketmaster, which hosted the pre-sale.

But tickets did not go on sale for hundreds of dollars on Ticketmaster.

Another commenter on a separate post announcing the pre-sale said, "Really disappointed. Was online at 10 a.m. yesterday and all it kept saying was 'Sorry No Tickets Available.' Then other sites were selling them for hundreds of dollars."

For what it's worth, pre-sale tickets are typically limited to a small batch of the general pool of tickets. All of the best seats in the house aren't always reserved for pre-sales and a sold-out pre-sale doesn't mean it's a sold-out show.

Still, Prine's label, Oh Boy Records, took to his Facebook page this morning to tell fans the singer did not approve.

"As crazy as this sounds, we were not informed that the shows were being announced this week," the Facebook post, which has since been taken down, read. "Typically, we get pre-sale info a day or two ahead of time. This did not happen on this occasion. We found out when you did, and to say we were irritated is putting it mildly."

Here's the full post from Prine's Facebook page:

A Message from The Prine Family at Oh Boy Records. We know that many of you were frustrated and upset this week with how difficult it was to get tickets for John’s March 2016 shows at the Ryman in Nashville. We feel the same way and want to take this opportunity to explain what happened. There were several issues involved…… As crazy as this sounds, we were not informed that the shows were being announced this week.Typically, we get pre-sale info a day or two ahead of time. This did not happen on this occasion.We found out when you did, and to say we were irritated is putting it mildly. Secondly, the Ryman allows only 25% of tickets for pre-sale (unlike most other venues) and of those pre-sales some are for the corporate relationship the Ryman has - hence the big ticket price that many of you were asked to pay. These tickets may include free parking and some other perks - we have nothing to do with setting that price and have no idea what additional benefits are offered. John has the utmost respect and gratitude for his fans. He is not at all happy that fans might think he would ever ask hundreds of dollars for a ticket to his show. We hope that everyone who wants a ticket can get one today at the regular price. We look forward to seeing you at the Ryman, and in many more cities along the way! Lastly, John wants to wish you all a happy and safe Labor Day weekend - one of his favorite holidays! Love, The Prines



But after the Scene reached out to the Ryman for comment, Prine's post came down and the following statement came back from the concert venue:

The Prines have removed the post and we’ve asked them to post a retraction because of inaccuracies. Here is our statement: Pre-sales are comprised of a limited amount of ticket inventory to insure that they greatest number of tickets are available during the public on sale. This is a standard industry practice. All tickets, whether purchased through presale or during the regular public on sale (unless specifically designated as VIP packages by the artist, which these were not), are for tickets only and do not include parking or any other perks. Ticket prices and ticket on sale dates are set by the concert promoter and the artist, not by the venue. The Ryman does not have a corporate sales program.



Oh Boy Records posted the following retraction on Prine's Facebook page Saturday morning: