Three months into 2026, and some of music’s biggest names have made some pretty big moves. Artists such as Bruno Mars, Megan Moroney, Noah Kahan, Brent Faiyaz, Mitski, Charli XCX, and A$AP Rocky have all dropped music. But, if you’re like me, you may have noticed I left out one crucial person:. Harry Styles.
After four years since the release of “Harry’s House,” Harry dropped his fourth album on March 6th, titled “Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally.” Shortly after, he announced that he would be going back on tour for the third time. The “Together, Together” Tour is set to hit 7 international cities starting in May and wrapping up in December.
As a die-hard Harry fan, (my credentials being that I was at a One Direction concert when I was in kindergarten and went to Love on Tour 2022) I was PINING for these tickets. But as a college student, my wallet is filled with cobwebs, and I’m paying for not just a concert ticket but a plane ticket to New York so I could go to the concert. So, I was limited to the weekend of my fall break. I had faith (and my mom’s American Express card number so I could get the special AMEX presale). I was in the Ticketmaster queue, on multiple devices, on multiple accounts, in the middle of TH101 (sorry Dr. J!), and it amounted to nothing. Each time, I was given some outrageous queue number, like 40,000, and the tickets would sell out before I even got to the seating map. Oh, and I didn’t just lose a few battles; I lost the whole war. After being defeated by the AMEX presale, I tried the artist presale AND general sale. All nothing. I even got desperate and started waiting in the queue for other dates. I was willing to take the 10-hour train from Buffalo to NYC in order to see Harry live again. But alas, there was nothing. I had lost the great Harry Styles Ticketmaster War of 2026 (I should trademark this and sell it on a T-shirt).
I may have felt defeated, but I definitely didn’t feel alone. Many people lost this Ticketmaster war, and a big part of that was because of being priced out. Harry is doing a 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City, that being his only U.S. stop along the tour. In order to attend a concert, many people had to pay for traveling and hotel expenses, on top of an already overpriced ticket. It’s unclear why New York is Harry’s only tour stop, but many fans were priced out solely for this reason.
In September of 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it is currently taking legal action against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, for participation in illegal ticket resale tactics and for misleading artists and consumers on prices. Ticketmaster has become what the FTC considers a monopoly within the ticketing industry, having connections with venues and artists that lock them in to using Ticketmaster 99% of the time. This lack of competition then allows Ticketmaster to pile on fees at checkout. Not only that, but Ticketmaster can charge fees when a ticket is originally bought, as well as when it is re-sold, meaning that they make money off of scalpers and unethical re-selling. When you’re making money on scalpers, you’re less likely to stop them, and that’s what was happening with Ticketmaster. This is still an ongoing lawsuit, and an outcome has not been reached yet. (Federal Trade Commision)
The “Ticketmaster War” isn’t just applicable to Harry Styles either. Fans of Noah Kahan, BTS, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande (don’t talk to our president Maddy about this one unless you’re selling a ticket), Taylor Swift, and more have understood the struggle and have been in the trenches with a pre-sale code on standby.
Buying concert tickets in recent years has become so difficult, it could be considered an Olympic sport. Artists such as BTS, Blackpink, Raye, and Tyla have confirmed the release of new music, while Olivia Rodrigo has been hinting at her third album coming soon as well. It’s not wild to say that there will be more Ticketmaster wars very soon, and while there’s no timeline for the FTC and Live Nation lawsuit, fans can hope that action will be taken soon in order to make ticket buying more accessible and affordable.
P.S. If you are reading this and are selling a ticket to the Together, Together Tour, PLEASE hit my line.