Aerosmith happens to be one of my favorite bands of all time. In high school, my friends and I immediately bought tickets when the band was scheduled to play at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND. I looked forward to the concert for months, and then all of a sudden it was in the news that Steven Tyler was sick and they were cancelling some shows. It was no surprise when North Dakota was one of the shows they ended up cancelling. We got our money back but I have never fully recovered not seeing them live in concert.
However disappointed I was at one of my favorite bands cancelling a concert I was looking forward to, I can’t imagine how fans in Hawaii felt in 2007. Over 8,300 people were SOL when the band cancelled a sold out concert in Maui to play a much larger concert in Chicago. These people, unlike myself, did not get their money back, and they were pissed.
Hundreds of irritated fans filed a class action lawsuit against the band. The suit claimed the cancellation cost Maui ticket buyers between $500,000 and $3 million in travel costs, handling fees and other expenses.To settle this lawsuit, Aerosmith is putting on a free concert in Maui. Each person who bought a ticket to the original concert will receive a free one to this concert. All of the out of pocket expenses will also be taken care of no matter what the cost. I am sure the fans were pleased to hear this.
A date for the concert has not been scheduled but it is likely to be later this year around September or October after Aerosmith wraps up its latest tour. Aerosmith’s attorney says that the band wanted to make this up in a way that really connects with the fans of Hawaii. He said that this band is about the music and wants the people of Hawaii to be connected with Aerosmith’s music.
The band should be about the music, but it is easy to get caught up in money. I think this was a cruddy thing for Aerosmith to do, but they are attempting to make up for it. Say what you want about the band, but they make some of the best music out there. If they ever come close enough to home here in North Dakota again, I am so there.
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I think it is really crappy when bands do this. Why do they think that it is okay to cancel concerts and not give people's money back. I think that they are making up for it with the Maui concert, though. Did you say they were paying people back who traveled to Hawaii just for the concert to get cancelled? It is a long flight to Hawaii to not get your money back. It is also very expensive.
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