Fans who lined up for Shania Twain tickets Friday morning got a fright when a power outage threatened to shut down the ticket system at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
About 20 customers had lined up 30 minutes before the tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. The lineup erupted into cheers when an arena representative told them power had been restored.
“Our engineers have managed to rig up the terminals,” he told the crowd at 9:30 a.m.
More than 3,000 homes were without power in Oak Bay, Victoria and Saanich after a bird hit a power line, according to B.C. Hydro.
Among the relieved fans was Peter Moon, 42, who drove from Nanaimo to arrive 90 minutes before tickets went on sale.
Moon said buying in person is preferable to online purchasing, which doesn’t guarantee a good seat.
“Going online, it’s like gambling, so many people are trying to get tickets,” he said.
If the power outage had continued, customers would still have been able to purchase tickets online through selectyourtickets.com.
Twain brings her Rock This Country tour to SOFMC on Oct. 24 and 25.