Mexican president requests free Bad Bunny concert after fans turned away due to fake ticket surge

Bad Bunny may have had the time of his life on his record-setting “World’s Hottest Tour,” but some unlucky fans were left feeling the burn of foul marketing.

The reggaeton superstar wrapped his international stadium tour, which saw the Puerto Rican singer play shows across North America and Latin America, at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Saturday, the second of two shows at the venue.

“Thank you Mexico!!! Thank you America for the best experience of my life!!!!” Bad Bunny tweeted Sunday in Spanish. “I’ll hold this tour in my heart forever. ... From Puerto Rico to the whole entire world.”

However, Bad Bunny’s Friday concert at Estadio Azteca left a sour aftertaste for some fans. Several were denied entry to the concert after an abundance of fake tickets overwhelmed Ticketmaster’s system, resulting in some authentic tickets being voided.

In the days following the incident, mounting scrutiny plagued Ticketmaster México, including the announcement of a fine by the Mexican government. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has also weighed in, requesting a free Bad Bunny concert for affected ticketholders.

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Ticketmaster México blames surge of fake tickets for denied admission

Ticketmaster México issued a statement Saturday addressing the admission fiasco at Bad Bunny’s concert.

“Ticketmaster offers an apology to fans and is announcing a reimbursement for customers who bought legitimate tickets and weren’t able to access today’s Bad Bunny concert,” the company wrote in Spanish on Twitter.

The ticket retailer went on to explain an influx of fraudulent tickets was the primary cause of some concertgoers’ botched entry.

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“The access issues were a consequence of an unprecedented number of false tickets presented, which caused an extraordinary crowd and an intermittent operation of our system,” the company continued. “This generated confusion and complicated admission to the stadium, with the regrettable consequence that some legitimate ticketholders were denied entrance.”

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In an interview with Radio Fórmula, Ricardo Sheffield, PROFECO's federal consumer lawyer, pushed back against Ticketmaster México's claim that the presence of counterfeit tickets caused fans to be turned away.

“Ticketmaster claimed the tickets were fake, but they were all issued by them,” Sheffield said in Spanish, claiming that an "overselling" of tickets by the company was the core issue.

Sheffield said Ticketmaster México should issue full refunds to affected ticketholders, as well as pay these individuals a 20% compensation fee.

Sheffield also said Ticketmaster México will be fined for the incident, with the fine potentially totaling 10% of the company's total sales from last year.

Ticketmaster México said the event was highly sought-after but denied the concert was oversold. A company statement said 4.5 million requests had been received for just 120,000 available seats. Fakes then kept some legitimate ticketholders from getting in, it said.

"On Friday, an unprecedented number of false tickets, not bought through our official channels, were presented at the gates,” the company said, adding that the situation at the entrances caused “temporary interruptions in the ticket reading system, which unfortunately momentarily impeded recognition of legitimate tickets.”

Bad Bunny fans react to ticket drama with tears, defiance

For concertgoers on the receiving end of Ticketmaster’s ticket debacle, Bad Bunny’s concert quickly turned into a frenzy.

One video, shared by Twitter user @MonickHuitron, shows a group of huddled fans singing outside. “This is not normal,” @MonickHuitron wrote in Spanish. “A million-dollar collective demand is coming.”

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Another video on Twitter shows what appears to be a fan attempting to climb over a gate. According to Billboard, some fans at the venue “climbed over the main gates of the stadium trying to get inside” and were subsequently blocked by security personnel.

“It's chaos!” Ana Rent tweeted alongside the video in Spanish.

Valeria Carrillo, a distraught fan who came to the show from the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres, told Billboard Español she spent over 9,000 Mexican pesos (approximately $455) on her ticket.

“I didn’t come all the way from Isla Mujeres to have this happen to me!” she said in tears.

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Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador requests free Bad Bunny concert

Mexico’s president made a public request Wednesday to Bad Bunny to play a free concert in Mexico City, to make up for the ticket scandal that left thousands frustrated outside his sold-out appearance Friday.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he couldn’t offer the singer any money, but the government would pay for the lights, stage and sound system, and even install a zip line in the capital’s massive main central plaza.

López Obrador suggested Bad Bunny would perform for free because he's "sensitive" and feels "solidarity" with those who couldn’t get in.

"I would tell him how deeply we were touched to see young people sad because they couldn't get in, because they had faked tickets, because they were victims of fraud," López Obrador said.

Bad Bunny's representatives did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking if he'll take up the president's offer.

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Despite the Ticketmaster drama leading up to the "World's Hottest Tour" finale, Bad Bunny fans were treated to a star-studded lineup of special guests Friday and Saturday.

The “Un Verano Sin Ti” singer brought out a number of his famous friends to join him onstage, including Rauw Alejandro, Li Saumet of Bomba Estéreo, Jhay Cortez, Mora, Sech, Jowell & Randy, and Gabriela Berlingeri.

Bad Bunny’s “World’s Hottest Tour” kicked off in August and served as a follow-up to the singer’s "El Último Tour del Mundo," which ran from February to April and grossed $116.8 million, according to Billboard.

The “World’s Hottest Tour” generated $232.5 million on its U.S. leg, Billboard reported in October, becoming “the biggest tour by a Spanish-speaking performer in Boxscore history.” He is also the only artist to launch two $100 million tours in the same year.

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Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bad Bunny wraps tour; Mexican president requests follow-up concert