Rapper’s Nov. 19 Colonial Life Arena appearance called off due to scheduling issues
Drake’s highly anticipated Nov. 19 concert at the Colonial Life Arena was canceled Thursday afternoon by promoter Live Nation due to scheduling issues.
Tickets can be refunded at the point of purchase starting today at noon, according to a press release from the arena. Students, faculty and staff who bought discounted tickets with a CarolinaCard also need to return them to the box office for a credit on their CarolinaCard account. Both the tickets and CarolinaCard must be presented for a refund. Tickets purchased via phone, Internet or at the box office by credit card will automatically be refunded, according to the release.
Arena officials declined to comment, citing a Live Nation request that all comments be routed through the promoter. Live Nation officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday, aside from providing a press release of their own.
Second-year sport and entertainment management student J. Paul Fischer said he thought the show sounded “too good to be true,” even though other large acts such as Taylor Swift and Usher have come to the arena.
“It would have been cool,” Fischer said. “A bunch of people would have gone to see him; I would have gone to see him. It just sucks he had to cancel.”
But Jen Inglis, a third-year advertising student, was indignant.
“I don’t think it’s really fair that he told us he was going to come and canceled,” Inglis said.
She said since big acts don’t frequently come to Columbia, the announcement of such a high-profile concert had gotten her hopes up, and she waited an hour in line outside the arena to get a ticket.
“Now I feel like I wasted my time,” she said. “And there were people before me that had to have been there since 8 (a.m.).
“I’m happy that they’re giving us a refund, but I’m more disappointed that they canceled the concert.”