What happened with The Cure North American Tour tickets? Robert Smith makes Ticketmaster refund fees

Robert Smith, the frontman for English rock band The Cure has responded to the outrage over the ticket price hike of their North American tour, for which the band reportedly attempted to keep ticket prices low.

Fans pointed out that prices were still exorbitant due to the high fees that Ticketmaster imposed as part of its Verified Fan program which grants patrons access to early tickets immediately after their release.

After hearing about the outrage on social media regarding the high fees, which was often double the price of tickets, the Cure frontman reached out to fans, stating that, after a discussion with the band, Ticketmaster has agreed to refund prices to the tune of $5 and $10 depending on the ticket level.

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Robert Smith backs fans against Ticketmaster

Soon after the North American tour was announced by The Cure, the band released a detailed statement regarding tickets for the tour, as well as their association with Ticketmaster.

Part of the statement read:

"We want to tour to be affordable for all fans, and we have a very wide (and we think very fair) range of pricing at every show. Our ticketing partners have agreed to help us stop scalpers from getting in the way; to help minimise resale and keep prices at face value, tickets for this tour will not be transferable."

Despite the measures in place to keep ticket prices low, Ticketmaster's soaring prices earned backlash from fans.

Following the fiasco, Robert Smith explained that at the time the band had decided against participating in the dynamic pricing system of the Ticketmaster and were assured that this "debacle" would not happen:

Robert Smith also pointed out that scalpers would not be able to take advantage of the ticket market if artists didn't participate in the market. He also urged fans to stick to the official ticketing process.

The Cure ticket debacle represents the latest in a long line of ticket-related controversies that have plagued Ticketmaster, leading to a congressional senate hearing in January of this year, following the failure of the system during Taylor Swift's tour last year.

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More about Robert Smith and his career

Robert James Smith was born in Blackpool on April 21, 1959. He began his career at the age of 13 with a performance alongside his Notre Dame schoolmates as the band Obelisk, parts of which would later influence the formation of the Cure.

At 14, the singer also formed the Crawley Goat Band alongside his younger sister and some friends. He soon left Notre Dame for the high school of St Wilfrid's Comprehensive.

In 1976, Robert Smith co-founded The Cure alongside his former school mates, releasing their debut studio album, Three Imaginary Boys, in 1979. The album was a success, although Smith was not happy with the recording company, Fiction Records, and its hold over the content included in the album.

The band progressed from their debut album's soundscape into a more dark, goth-rock themed sound in subsequent albums, particularly with their third studio album, which marked the turning point of the band, with their subsequent albums gaining them commercial acclaim.

Aside from his work with The Cure, Robert Smith has also been a part of a number of other projects, first of which was the band Siouxsie and the Banshees, with whom Smith would go on to have a long-standing association. Smith played with the band on their tour in 1979, as well as briefly became a full-time member in 1982.

Smith also co-founded the band Cult Hero, and was part of the protest concert in support of singer-songwriter Hugh Cornwell, who was imprisoned on charges of drug use at the time.