Charity concert marred by tout

A charity concert by the Saw Doctors has seen money that should have gone to Unicef’s Haiti appeal lost to a tout selling fake tickets outside the event.

The tout approached a number of students in front of the Helix offering to sell them tickets for a substantially discounted rate of €3. Student tickets for the event should have cost €13.

Richard Carter, a fourth year financial and actuarial maths student in DCU was one of those who was approached by, what he labelled, the “pretty uncharitable” tout.

He says that the tout – who was aged around 21 and who Carter believes was most likely a DCU student – told him straight out that the tickets were fake, showing him one of the tickets he had in his hands.

According to Carter, the tickets he was offered contained the perforated strip that were found on the official tickets for the event and looked “very authentic”.

“In the light it was difficult to see if the ticket was the right colour or not,” he says. “But it seemed ok, certainly enough to convince whoever was collecting them at the door.”

The tout showed him the stamp that he had already got from the Helix after having used his ticket to gain entry, telling Carter that he had already sold “a few that night… and that they worked fine.”

According to Alan Keegan, the Students’ Union president however, “there is a special security seal on the tickets that we get and the security working are aware of the fake tickets that occasionally turn up. This has happened in the past and whoever has had one has never gotten entry.”

Keegan said he was adamant that no tickets had been stolen from the SU reception by the “pathetic” tout as each ticket is individually numbered.

Leo Moran, the lead guitarist in the Saw Doctors told the College View he thought it was, “awful that someone would do that just to make a couple of quick bucks for themselves.”

He said: “They really don’t care… it’s all very cynical, isn’t it. They we’re obviously just looking to make a quick buck.”

The Unicef on Campus society were hosting the event along with the Students’ Union, with all profits going to Unicef’s Haiti appeal.

Moran says that the tout put aside, it was a “brilliant gig” with a “great buzz” at the event.

The amount raised by the event for charity is still being worked out by the Students’ Union as some bills still have to be paid.