Drake reschedules Auckland shows, fans scramble to change flights, accommodation

Drake has announced changes to his New Zealand shows that have caused major disruption for fans. Photo / Getty Images

Drake has landed himself in hot water after the five-time Grammy Award winner rescheduled his two New Zealand shows one month out from their original dates, sparking panic among fans both at home and abroad.

Announcing his Anita Max Win tour of Australia and New Zealand in November last year, the Hotline Bling singer revealed he’d return to Aotearoa after an eight-year absence for back-to-back shows at Auckland’s Spark Arena.

Drake had originally scheduled to play in the City of Sails on Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1, after he wrapped up his Australia shows in Brisbane.

However, fans gearing up for next month’s events were notified by Ticketmaster on Wednesday that the original dates had been changed because of “scheduling conflicts”.

The revised dates for his Auckland shows are now Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16.

It is not known why Drake postponed the shows by two weeks, but two more shows in Australia were recently added on March 4 (Brisbane) and March 7 (Sydney).

Drake fans received an email on Wednesday notifying them of the postponement of the rapper's two Auckland shows. photo / @certifiedloveral

Fans expressed their dismay on social media after Ticketmaster emailed to inform them of the changes, with dozens flocking to Facebook ticket resale groups to try to sell or swap their tickets immediately after the announcement.

A Reddit user shared the new dates in a forum and questioned why “artists always pull this s***” when visiting New Zealand.

“Sounds familiar doesn’t it,” one person replied.

“Convinced I jinxed this happening,” wrote a TikTok user from the United States who was planning to fly into the country for one of the shows. “Such an L.”

Another fan travelling from the US to see Drake asked others to “pray” for them as they attempted to change their itinerary.

“I was flying from California to see this show. Now I’m on hold with my travel agency hoping I can move my dates around,” they wrote on Reddit.

@the.pop.cult

KIWI DRAKE FANS: Drakes two NZ shows have been rescheduled from Feb 28 and March 1 to March 15 and 16 due to “scheduling conflicts” ‼️ give me your thoughts on this below 😬 #drake #draketour #drakenz #newzealand #anitamaxwynn

♬ Champagne Poetry - Drake

Others weren’t so convinced that the move was a big deal.

“So he gave you over a month to accommodate yourselves ... this isn’t a last-minute thing,” a Reddit user said.

The God’s Plan rapper last graced New Zealand shores in November 2017 when he held two sold-out concerts at the same waterfront arena as part of his Boy Meets World tour.

Drake isn’t the first artist to have been called out by Kiwi fans for the disruption made and costs accrued from rescheduling shows, but his move highlights a trend led by international artists that is becoming a regular occurrence within Aotearoa’s events industry.

Travis Scott faced backlash in October last year after he moved his Eden Park concert forward by one day and significantly dropped ticket prices, while earlier that year, Blink-182 cancelled their performance in Christchurch just two weeks before the concert was set to take place.

RNZ recently reported on the growing number of concerts and festivals that have been cancelled or postponed in New Zealand, providing an overview of the rights consumers have in such situations.

US rapper Travis Scott faced backlash in October last year after he moved his Eden Park show forward by one day. Photo / Getty Images

Ticketholders are immediately entitled to a refund if faced with a cancellation or change to an event. However, whether they’re able to claim money back for expenses such as travel and accommodation depends on how culpable the seller is deemed to be within the Consumer Guarantees Act.

“If they’ve breached one of the guarantees, you may be entitled to claim for any reasonably foreseeable consequential losses. If not, a seller probably isn’t required to compensate you for other costs like accommodation or airfares,” ticket holders are advised on Consumer NZ’s website.

Fans who cannot make it to Drake’s shows in Auckland on their new dates are advised to request refunds through Ticketmaster by 5pm on February 11.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based digital producer and editorial assistant for the Herald who covers lifestyle, entertainment and travel.