Tickets to Chance the Rapper's sold out Magnificent Coloring Day music festival at U.S. Cellular (soon to be Guaranteed Rate) Field are a hot commodity, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that scalpers are trying to make a profit off the event. As of this writing, a single ticket on the field is being sold on StubHub for $5,000—a rather considerable markup from the ticket's $75 face value.
To his credit, Chance has been trying to make sure that anyone who wants to buy a ticket can get one at a fair price, going so far as to open up access to seats at the Cell with a limited view of the stage.
This morning, Chance tweeted an image of nearly 2,000 Magnificent Coloring Day tickets that he reportedly reclaimed from scalpers. The Chicago native hasn't revealed how he'll be getting these tickets into the hands of fans, but he has repeatedly used his Twitter account to promise his followers that he's doing everything in his power to allow his supporters to purchase tickets for the festival at face value.
I took back almost 2k #MCD tix from fuckboy scalpers and made them into physicals. And these are just floor seats pic.twitter.com/EaFfoFeuIA
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) September 9, 2016
Just like any city that hosts a variety of high-profile performers and events, Chicago is a place where ticket scalpers are alive and well, profiting on the back of high demand. While it may be tempting to swallow your pride and purchase a ticket to a sold-out show, buying a ticket on the secondary market is never a sure thing (just ask anyone who was turned away from Lollapalooza after buying a fake wristband).
It's nice to see an artist with the visibility of Chance the Rapper taking a stand against those who try to turn a profit by exploiting the passionate nature of music fans. Here's hoping all those tickets Chance reclaimed find their way into the hands of folks who will scream their hearts out during the inevitable rendition of "No Problem."
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