Comedian and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who is planning two free concerts in Detroit next month, is angry that tickets for the shows were being scalped on eBay.
Leno planned the Comedy Stimulus Plan shows as a free benefit for residents of Detroit and the surrounding areas, which have been hard hit by the recession. The shows are being sponsored by Pepsi, and Leno, a car enthusiast, picked Detroit because he has enjoyed playing there in the past and because of the difficulties the automobile industry is experiencing.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Leno spoke Monday night during his television show about his frustration over people trying to scalp tickets for the April 7-8 concerts. “Here is something that annoys me. I look on eBay today and I see four tickets to my show for sale. … You’re out of your mind to pay $800 to see me. … I would like to ask the people on eBay to take the tickets down. There is nothing for sale here,” he said.
The free tickets for the April 7 show were snapped up quickly, which prompted the addition of the second show. Tickets for the April 8 free concert were scheduled to become available on a first-come-first-served basis today, March 17, at the Palace of Auburn Hills box office. A check this morning on eBay did not turn up tickets for the shows.
TicketNetwork, parent company of TicketNews, sells tickets to several of Leno’s upcoming shows, but it has not listed any tickets for sale for the free Detroit concerts.
