Madonna fan 'humiliated' after dead phone delays concert admission

A man from Calgary who made the trip to Edmonton to see Madonna in concert says some failed technology and overzealous security staff ruined his night.

These days it's common to buy tickets online, store them on your phone, and have the ticket scanned when you walk through the doors. 

But Travis Robertson likely won't be relying on e-tickets again after the technology struck a sour note with stadium staff in Edmonton.

After Robertson and his friend arrived for Sunday's concert at Rexall Place, they made it through two security gates and took their seats. 

While the Queen of Pop was onstage, they were approached by security and asked to show their tickets a third time. However, the phone where their tickets were stored had died.

"We were just saying 'we have them, we have them,' " said Robertson, adding the security person became frustrated when they attempted to access the tickets on another phone.

Robertson says what happened next was "humiliating." Extra security guards were called and the friends were escorted out of the concert to police officers waiting outside.

"On a scale from assertive to aggressive, I would certainly define moments of the experience as quite aggressive," said Robertson.

The men were finally able to prove they had the tickets and returned to their seats. But by that point, Madonna was singing her final encore.

Robertson contacted Northlands management about his experience and is expecting a full response by Tuesday afternoon. A company spokesperson told CBC News Robertson and his friend will be offered free tickets to another show at Rexall.

Robertson would like to see Northlands come up with better policies to deal with e-tickets.

Robertson said he never would have imagined having a phone with a dead battery would get him "hauled off" out of the concert. There should be a backup system for people to access e-tickets on site, he said.

"So I think if the electronic ticketing policy is going to be enforced to that degree, I almost would say there should be equipment available for people to do that."