RINGO STARR - MCCARTNEY & STARR CONCERT BOSSES APOLOGISE OVER BOTCHED TICKET SALES

MCCARTNEY & STARR CONCERT BOSSES APOLOGISE OVER BOTCHED TICKET SALES

Organisers of a New York concert featuring BEATLES SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY and RINGO STARR have apologised to outraged fans after hundreds were blocked from buying tickets online.
The stars are both booked to perform at Manhattan's iconic Radio City Music Hall on 4 April (09) at a bash to aid The David Lynch Foundation - formed by the director to promote meditation in schools.
The booking has sparked rumours the pair will take to the stage together and wow fans with a Beatles reunion duet, prompting an overwhelming demand for tickets.
But fans were left fuming after Ticketmaster.com began declining requests just nine seconds into Monday's (09Mar09) launch, while tickets appeared onsale online for upto $9,000 (£6,520).
The controversy has forced the foundation's programme director Chris Busch to write to fans, expressing his disappointment.
The note, distributed on Tuesday (10Mar09), says: "Ticketmaster suggested the demand was so great that internet ordering could easily claim 1,200 tickets in a matter of moments. We did hear from individuals who beat the scalpers (touts) and got a ticket on the Monday morning sale. But many didn't.
"We were alarmed seeing that tickets were listed on the scalping sites days before they went on sale. To our knowledge these tickets were only being held by Ticketmaster for the pre-sale and public sale. It is disappointing to us that we can not accommodate all the fans who want to attend. And very disappointing for us to see how many tickets are being sold on the ticket reselling sites from people who only care about making a buck."
Starr and MCCartney last played together in 2002.