Angry fans see Phil Collins tickets sell out in seconds, then reappear online at £2,200

PHIL COLLINS fans were furious with the Albert Hall yesterday, after his new tour sold out in moments and they were officially redirected to websites offering tickets for thousands of pounds.

The singer’s much-publicised “coming-out-of-retirement” tour sold out in just 15 seconds, according to promoters.

And while fans persisted online and on the telephone, organisers appeared powerless to stop tickets being advertised online for vastly inflated prices. The Ticketmaster website, one of sev- eral official outlets, told unlucky fans that seats were no longer available, advising them instead to visit re-sale website Get Me In where tickets could be bought for up to £2,200.

A message on the website said “many fans are shopping and some may have let their tickets go”, advising people to go to their own sister website to search for re-sales.

The tickets were originally offered at between £55 and £175 plus booking fee, for dates in June next year.

VIP packages, which cost up to £420, were still available yesterday.

Angry fans described the system as a “disgrace”, arguing that true lovers of Collins’s music were being exploited by touts who snapped up tickets to then sell on.

One said: “Thanks to all the people profiteering from Phil Collins tickets. For some of us it was the chance of a lifetime and now we’re priced out.”

The Royal Albert Hall spent the morning trying to help members of the public, conceding there was little they could do in the face of online touts.

After one Twitter user lamented seeing tickets immediately on sale for high prices, their official service replied to say: “We share your frustration in this.” A member of staff pointed out the forward sale of tickets was “not illegal”, insisting tout-preventing policies were set by the promoter and producer of each show rather than the venue.

“Unfortunately some people buy tickets to resell them,” they said. “This breaks our T&Cs.” Announced just days ago, the Not Dead Yet tour will see Collins play five dates at the Royal Albert Hall.

In an interview on Radio 2, Collins confessed the venue had been booked by his team several years ago, just in case he “felt like” coming out of retirement.