Okanagan concert-goer angry at last minute lineup change

Tyga was dropped from a scheduled appearance at UBCO April 1, angering many of those who had already purchased tickets. Image Credit: wikipedia.org

March 26, 2016 - 2:30 PM

"IT'S JUST NOT WHO I PAID TO SEE"

KELOWNA – Penticton resident Karli Johnston was so excited to see Tyga perform she purchased two tickets for herself and a friend the first day they went on sale.

Just eight days before the April 1 show at UBC Okanagan the promoter Blueprint Promotions announced on its Facebook page there would be a change in lineup.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Tyga is unable to make his scheduled appearance for Recess 2016,” the post says. “In his absence, Omarion will be performing live along with Deorro's scheduled DJ set. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.”

Johnston says the last minute notification is bad, but even if they had known earlier they still would not be eligible for a refund.



“There will be no refunds with this change,” Blueprint states. “As this is a festival style/end of school event, any and all unforeseen circumstances including artist changes are anticipated to occur at any given time. This is stated in the disclaimer you accept and click on before confirming your purchase for a show/event.”

Johnston says she posted her concerns to the Facebook page along with many others, but soon after the administrator shut down public comments and deleted all posts.

“They took advantage of and ripped off hundreds of students and are now refusing to give a refund,” she says. “People had been gathering hints that Tyga was performing elsewhere because of his own recent social media posts saying he's going to perform in Dubai on the same day.”

Blueprint, she says, addressed the rumors on their page saying the time difference would allow Tyga to do both shows. The next day, however, the post was taken down and the replacement was announced.

“I’m pretty upset. It’s just not who I paid to see," Johnston says. “I bought ticket to see Tyga and now I am being robbed. It’s like I put a down payment for a Porsche and got a Civic.”

Blueprint Promotions has not responded to a request for comment.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.