In a significant move to protect genuine fans, Ariana Grande and Ticketmaster have joined forces to ensure more tickets for her highly anticipated Eternal Sunshine Tour reach legitimate purchasers rather than opportunistic scalpers. The ticketing giant issued a detailed statement on Wednesday via social media, outlining new measures following the cancellation of a portion of tickets that breached purchase terms.
Ticketmaster's Plan to Reissue Cancelled Tickets
Last October, Ticketmaster collaborated with the tour organisers to identify and cancel tickets that violated their strict purchase conditions. The company has now confirmed that these tickets will be reissued directly to fans through a dedicated request process launching in February. "Our focus is ensuring those tickets are reissued directly to fans, through a request process coming in February," the statement emphasised, adding that this initiative aims to prevent tickets from falling into the hands of "bad actors."
While the selection process will be largely random, Ticketmaster has pledged to prioritise fans who innocently purchased resale tickets that were later cancelled due to the original seller's violation of terms. This nuanced approach seeks to rectify situations where supporters were unknowingly caught up in the secondary market's malpractices.
Ariana Grande's Personal Commitment to Fans
The global superstar, 32, promptly reposted Ticketmaster's announcement to her Instagram Stories, expressing gratitude to her devoted fanbase. "Love you all so much and thank you for your patience... more information soon," she wrote, underscoring her personal involvement in the ticket allocation issue. Grande's team has reportedly worked diligently to maintain affordable pricing, with a source revealing to People that they deliberately avoided dynamic pricing models like "platinum and price scaling," which adjust costs in real-time based on demand.
This pricing strategy was intended to minimise the number of tickets appearing on resale platforms at inflated prices. However, the singer had previously voiced her frustration when the tour sold out rapidly, and scalpers immediately listed tickets at exorbitant markups. In a heartfelt Instagram Story last September, Grande assured fans she was actively seeking solutions, stating, "I've been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution. I hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs. It's not right."
Mixed Reactions from the Fan Community
Despite these efforts, not all supporters were fully satisfied with the latest announcement. Some expressed concerns on social media about the persistently high resale prices for remaining tickets. One fan questioned, "We appreciate this but why not turn off the resale prices for each and every show? There’s no reason why the cheapest ticket for every show is like $800 dollars?" Another demanded more drastic action: "TURN OFF RESALE & HAVE THEM PRICED ONLY AT FACE VALUE."
Others pointed out potential inequities in the reissue process. A comment read, "Canceled tickets getting priority but what about people who couldn't even buy tickets initially. Not my problem that people bought resell tickets at $1k+." Suggestions from the fanbase included cancelling all reseller tickets and relisting them at face value with strict purchase limits of one to two tickets per order.
Tour Details and Grande's Recent Achievements
The Eternal Sunshine Tour, launching in June, marks Grande's first concert series in six years, following the release of her album of the same name in February 2024. The tour will commence with nine major North American dates before expanding internationally, including a notable five-night residency in London. This comeback follows a triumphant period for the artist, whose album recently helped her secure the Best Pop award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, with her single "Brighter Days Ahead" winning Video of the Year.
During her acceptance speech, Grande praised her "fiercely loving and supportive fans" and excitedly teased the upcoming tour, declaring, "We'll see you on tour!" As the February ticket request process approaches, both Ticketmaster and Grande continue to emphasise their commitment to fair access, reflecting an ongoing industry battle against ticket touting and inflated secondary markets.
