Furious country music fans have unleashed their frustrations online after iconic trio The Chicks pulled the plug on their Los Angeles show just ninety minutes before curtain call — leaving out-of-pocket concertgoers stranded with worthless tickets.
The band — made up of Natalie Maines, and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer — blamed sudden “illness” when they postponed their November 2 gig at Hollywood’s famous Dolby Theatre to November 4.
The eleventh-hour announcement sparked immediate fury, with over 300 enraged fans storming social media to blast the decision to pull the pin at the absolute last minute.
Interstate travellers and long-distance fans who had spent substantial sums on travel and accommodation were left reeling after their plans were upended.
“To say this an hour and 1/2 before the doors open is WILD,” one fuming fan vented after traveling up from San Diego with non-refundable accommodations booked.
“Flew in from Oklahoma for this” another devastated attendee posted.
“I flew into town and spent a lot for this show this fkn sucks… Excuse me if I don’t feel very respectful at the moment,” another furious follower commented.
Another exploded directly at frontwoman Natalie Maines: “Are you f–king kidding me @thechicks people came out of their way. NATALIE… Now YOU COST US MONEY.”
Compounding the chaos, scores of concertgoers received zero warning from official channels, only discovering the concert was off after physically arriving at the Hollywood venue.
“Didn’t find out until in the parking garage with my wife. And now tickets won’t be refunded because tonight wasn’t “cancelled”,” one concertgoer shared online.
Another fan revealed they drove for hours only to be greeted by dark doors.
“I drove 4 hours to the venue took time off of work and booked a hotel bought the outfit. And to drive up to the venue to read the sign was just so heartbreaking,” they said.
The band’s decision to reschedule rather than scrap the show has locked many interstate ticketholders out of standard refund protections.
People who used secondary sites like StubHub, SeatGeek, and Gametime found themselves locked out of automatic refunds and stranded with unusable tickets, all because the gig was moved by 48 hours instead of cancelled entirely.
“CANCEL THE SHOW. We do not get a refund. By not cancelling and simply rescheduling, anyone who purchased tickets on any other platform, loses the money. Our only hope is to relist. So I will lose over $1200. We all fly out,” one fan commented.
Another said: “Please cancel. Gametime won’t refund without cancellation. Already paid a lot for plane, hotel, ect. Please cancel so we can get something back!!!!”
Several fans pointed to the harsh financial climate, noting the brutal hit to ordinary fans’ wallets.
“This is not the economy for this,” they said.
“CANCEL THE SHOW!!! Please! Sorry y’all are sick but your fans are out time and money with this reschedule nonsense,” another fan pleaded.
The rescheduled Wednesday performance is slated to mark the final North American stop of the band’s 20th Anniversary Taking the Long Way tour.
