Woman with ‘tainted feelings’ about Hedley awarded refund after buying concert tickets
An Ottawa woman who started an online petition urging TD Place to offer refunds to fans who no longer want to attend next week’s Hedley concert will get her ticket money back.
Ruqayyah Bobat, a 24-yearold Carleton University student, started the petition after learning about the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled at Hedley earlier this week.
“I could not, in good conscience, attend the concert or support a public figure such as this under these allegations and uncertainty,” Bobat said in an interview, “so I wanted an option to remove myself from the situation. It’s really tainted my feelings toward the band. I couldn’t imagine being there in the crowd, looking at the young girls around me and thinking about these stories I read on Twitter.”
She said it was “fabulous” to hear from the TD Place box office that she would receive a refund of $178.60 within a few business days.
However, a statement from OSEG, the group that operates TD Place, stopped short of publicizing any refunds, and referred to the “contractual obligation” to go on with Tuesday’s show. Officials weren’t available for further comment.
“OSEG condemns acts of sexual misconduct and fully supports the #MeToomovement,”thestatement reads. “As a venue, we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all of our guests. We are aware of the allegations against Hedley … and have a contractual obligation to stage this concert. We continue to monitor this evolving situation closely with the promoter. Ticket holders with any questions should contact our box office.”
News of alleged misconduct involving members of Hedley and underage fans surfaced on Twitter Wednesday, prompting the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to scrub the band from performing on the upcoming Juno Awards telecast, although they ’re still in the running for several awards.
The music magazine Exclaim! also reported an alleged police investigation involving an underage concertgoer who was found drugged outside a Hedley concert in London, Ont., in 2005.
The B.C.-based pop rockers, who say the allegations are “unsubstantiated,” have now been dropped by their management team, deserted by both opening acts and spurned by Corus radio stations and the CBC.
“Given the multiple allegations against Hedley, we have taken the decision to terminate our business relationships with the band, effective immediately,” said the statement from Watchdog Management and The Feldman Agency.
The Halifax band Neon Dreams, which had already performed eight concerts as a support act on the Hedley tour, posted a statement on social media: “We can no longer in good conscience continue on the Cageless tour,” they wrote. The other opening act, pop singer Shawn Hook, has also decided to pull out, apologizing to fans who wanted to see him.
Meanwhile, there’s been a deafening silence from officials at Live Nation Canada, promoter of the tour, despite repeated attempts to contact the company.
Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, and bandmates Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Jay Benison, are on the road to promote their seventh studio album, Cageless. Thanks to a string of multi-platinum-selling albums and Top 10 hits, they have been one of the most successful bands to come out of Canada in the last decade. Their high-energy concerts are usually packed with young female fans.
The current cross-Canada tour began Feb. 5 and ends in Kelowna, B.C., on March 23.
Hedley is scheduled to perform in Ottawa on Tuesday, in Montreal on Wednesday and in Kingston on Feb. 27.