Daily Times

When it comes to Beyoncé’s upcoming tour, the Senate is not here for any déjà vu. As fans in the U.S. are getting in formation ahead of her Renaissance Tour tickets going on sale starting Feb. 6, the Senate Judiciary Committee made it clear they’re also on standby when it comes to Ticketmaster.

The ticket release for the “Partition” singer’s upcoming tour, which kicks off in Europe in May, comes nearly three months after Ticketmaster’s infamous debacle over tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, set to begin this spring.

In response to a Feb. 2 video from CNN debating whether the organization was, in fact, ready to handle the demand, the Senate Judiciary Committee simply tweeted, “We’re watching, @Ticketmaster.” In late January, lawmakers held a hearing about the lack of competition in the ticketing industry after Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation faced heavy scrutiny over their pre-sale release roll out for the “Shake It Off” singer two months earlier.

Many fans expressed their frustration after experiencing hours-long wait times and technical issues that prevented many from getting tickets during the pre-sale release dates, with Ticketmaster canceling the general public sale altogether. This, in turn, led the Grammy winner to address the matter, calling the experience “excruciating.”

During the Jan. 24 hearing, Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted that the debacle served as an even bigger issue beyond the fanbase, with other artists running into similar problems.

“As millions of Taylor Swift fans found out last fall, there are few consequences for failing to deliver the service,” she said in her opening statement, per NBC News. “Whether it’s Bruce Springsteen or BTS or Bad Bunny, fans, artists and venues are facing real issues with Live Nation.”

After the three-hour meeting, Amy said the company’s handling of Taylor’s upcoming tour was a “fiasco,” but explained their hope to see change in the immediate future.

“Concertgoers today should be able to have those same experiences I had when I was in high school,” she said. “When it didn’t cost much to go see a band and remember it forever.”