 Petty and his band are about to play 19 concerts around the US |
Almost 500 US concert tickets allocated to members of the fan club of guitarist Tom Petty have been cancelled after being resold online at higher prices. Petty's management and sales agency Ticketmaster took the decision because they feared touts had joined the club to obtain tickets for two gigs.
Petty will be supported by Pearl Jam at the shows in St Paul on 26 and 27 June.
The passes will be offered for sale again under stricter guidelines, with photo ID needed to collect them.
"We don't claim to have completely eliminated all reselling activity on these or any other shows," said manager Tony Dimitriades.
"But this is definitely a step in the right direction and a major strike on behalf of the good guys."
Against the law
The practice of joining the fan club simply to sell on tickets not only breaks the organisation's rules but is also against the law in the state of Minnesota.
Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, have confirmed 19 dates around the US between June and August.
The Grammy-winning group formed in 1975 and have enjoyed international success ever since, most notably with the album Full Moon Fever.
Released in 1989, it spawned hit singles including I Won't Back Down and Runnin' Down a Dream.
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