Massachusetts
Taylor Swift ticket snafu leads Massachusetts dad to spend $21K for last-minute seats for daughter, friends
![Taylor Swift ticket snafu leads Massachusetts dad to spend $21K for last-minute seats for daughter, friends](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/swift-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1684638129&w=1024)
A Massachusetts dad said this week that he was forced to spend $21,000 on four tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, after the ones he bought on StubHub last year for his daughter as a Christmas present never arrived, according to a report.
Anthony Silva told WCVB-TV he originally spent around $1,800 for the four tickets last November on StubHub, a ticket reseller site, but the ducats were never delivered, and the company told him replacement seats weren’t available.
“That’s just not right,” Silva told the station, adding that he decided to shell out $21,000 on another reseller site for the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer’s Saturday show that his daughter and her friends had their hearts set on at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
He said while StubHub plans to refund his original purchase, he doesn’t think resellers should wait “until the day before for the tickets to be sent out.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to StubHub for comment.
The dad, who even got a limousine for the special occasion, added that he played a joke on his daughter and friends this week after he secured tickets, telling them he couldn’t get new ones, “and the look on their faces I never want to see again. It was tough, it was tough. One girl, I won’t tell you who, had a quivering lip.”
His daughter Katlyn Silva, 19, told the station she was “so angry” and “disappointed” about the ticket mishap “’cause I was looking forward to this for nine months.”
She said when she found out they had seats she started jumping on her parents, thanking them.
Friend Alyssa Camara said she was “getting ready to cry” until she found out Silva had gotten them “better tickets.”
“I was so excited. I was like freaking out!” she added.
Silva said the higher price paid for better seats but “of course, as you can see, this puts me back a little bit, and I think it’s for no reason but for incompetence through the third party or StubHub.”
Tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour have been notoriously hard to get and a botched presale on Ticketmaster last year highlighted both her popularity and the problems with ticket-selling sites.
Ticketmaster ended its general sale for the tour last November, because of “extraordinarily high demand” and tickets were listed on resale sites for exorbitant prices.
The Ticketmaster fiasco even sparked lawsuits from fans and a Congressional hearing.
In Massachusetts, lawmakers have introduced the “Taylor Swift Bill” that would aim to makes online ticket sales more transparent.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Massachusetts
Retired Massachusetts judge discusses next steps after Karen Read mistrial
![Retired Massachusetts judge discusses next steps after Karen Read mistrial](https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/02/213afcd7-ccec-4ed7-b06d-373ba8610970/thumbnail/1200x630/38918eb63d5cb1b27251a8c8b3ff0e5f/be04c64619fdbd713e20e655575a7d90.jpg?v=57e8061b2038d609da26e467de5ddfb8)
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Massachusetts
With Joey Chestnut out, Massachusetts resident Geoffrey Esper has ‘chance’ to win Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
![With Joey Chestnut out, Massachusetts resident Geoffrey Esper has ‘chance’ to win Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/AP19185625600046.jpg?w=1024&h=706)
Could a Bay Stater take the championship belt at the iconic Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
With world record holder Joey Chestnut out this year, the door has been opened for a new champ — which could be Massachusetts resident Geoffrey Esper.
The 49-year-old Oxford man, who finished in second place at last year’s contest, is one of the favorites for the legendary competition on the Fourth of July.
“I got a chance at the belt now,” Esper told the Herald ahead of Thursday’s contest.
“It’s still not going to be easy,” he added. “There are three other guys who are all pretty close, so it should be very close.”
The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship, an American holiday tradition, will be held at the iconic Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island.
Last year, Chestnut claimed his 16th victory with 62 hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest. Chestnut’s world record is 76 hot dogs and buns.
But Chestnut won’t be competing this year after he signed a deal with a rival brand. That means Esper, whose personal record is 51 hot dogs and buns, could get the top prize.
“It just depends on who has a really good day, and we’ll see what happens,” said Esper, who teaches electronics at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton.
“I’m just going to go out there and try to do my best,” he added.
The women’s competition begins at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and the men’s competition will start at 12:30 p.m. Nathan’s Famous will also make its annual donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City prior to the event.
“Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest is the ultimate American holiday tradition,” said Phil McCann, VP of Marketing at Nathan’s Famous. “Each year thousands of fans join us at Nathan’s Flagship on the corner of Surf and Stillwell to witness history in the making.”
Thousands make the trip to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island each year to watch the event in person. According to Major League Eating archives, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship has occurred each July 4 in Coney Island since 1916.
“The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest has transformed America’s Independence Day into an international affair,” said Major League Eating Chair George Shea. “The greatest eaters from around the globe will once again convene in Coney Island to fight for the honor of their respective nations.”
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man sentenced for bribing examiner to pass failed road tests
![Massachusetts man sentenced for bribing examiner to pass failed road tests](https://www.wwlp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2022/09/rmv.jpg?w=1280)
BOSTON (WWLP) – A former driving instructor was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to bribing a road test examiner to pass people who failed their road test, including some people who didn’t even show up.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 48-year-old Ngan Dinh of Boston was sentenced to two years in prison with the first six months to be served as home confinement with a GPS monitor. He must also pay a fine of $4,000 and a $5,450 forfeiture. Dinh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud in March.
Dinh is a naturalized U.S. citizen who speaks Vietnamese and some English. Vietnamese immigrants who didn’t speak English would work with Dinh to help them understand RMV rules and requirements for a license. Instead, Dinh would bribe a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV to pass his customers on the road test after they failed the test. Some customers never showed up to their tests as well.
Customers would pay Dinh up to $1,200 in cash only. Dinh would also persuade the customers to pay him larger amounts by lying to them. In some cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, he would lie to his customers, saying the RMV wasn’t offering road tests due to the virus, but that was false. He claimed he could get them licenses during this time because he was a “certified rep” for the RMV. Dinh paid the employee $100 cash for each customer and kept the rest of the money for himself.
Local News
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
-
News1 week ago
A Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of space debris crashed through their home
-
World1 week ago
Israel accepts bilateral meeting with EU, but with conditions
-
World1 week ago
New Caledonia independence activists sent to France for detention
-
World1 week ago
Netanyahu says war will continue even if ceasefire deal agreed with Hamas
-
News1 week ago
Arkansas police confirm 4th victim died in grocery store shooting
-
Politics1 week ago
DeSantis signs bill allowing residents to kill bears, vetoes bill that fines slow left lane drivers
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Film Review: Everyday of the Dead (2023) by Yuyuma Naoki
-
Politics1 week ago
Biden official says past social media posts don’t reflect ‘current views,’ vows to support admin ‘agenda’