Concert delayed for hours? Here’s what your ticket actually guarantees

For months, Amandeep Walia had been looking forward to seeing Ne-Yo and Akon perform in Calgary.

Instead, he and his wife spent hours waiting at the Scotiabank Saddledome — first to get inside and then for the show to begin.

“It’s something that I’ve never faced before so I don’t think I really expected a delay of that magnitude, really.”

Walia estimates the night cost about $700, including tickets, a babysitter and food.

He said fans with floor and lower level seats had to wait in the concourse while the venue was still being set up.

“You couldn't even get to your seats, they weren't letting people,” said Walia. “More or less I was thinking this is a safety hazard, really.”

The Jun. 20 concert was initially advertised for 8 p.m. Ticket holders were notified earlier that day it had been pushed to 9 p.m.

“The show overall, it was fantastic. That’s what frustrates me the most, was if they were to start on time, we would have got that full experience like some other cities did get to experience,” Walia said.

The Calgary concert isn’t the only high-profile show this summer leaving fans waiting.

Jay-Z’s final Yankee Stadium show in New York on Jul. 12 began after midnight — roughly four hours late.

The New York Yankees, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Live Nation said in a statement entrances were shut down after large groups without tickets attempted to force their way in. Jay-Z apologized to the crowd and said the delay was to prevent people from getting trampled.

There are reports that heavy rain forced Harry Styles to delay his second night at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City earlier this month. That also prevented Jorja Smith, the opening act, from performing.

The circumstances are different but the incidents raise the same questions for fans: What exactly does a concert ticket guarantee?

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