Zep promoter piles into eBay

Veteran promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who's handling Led Zeppelin's forthcoming renunion gig at London's O2 Arena, is a little hacked off with eBay after tickets for the show inevitably popped up on the world's favourite tat bazaar.

According to the Guardian, Goldsmith slammed eBay as "the biggest rip-off merchants in the world" and splendidly thundered to Kerrang! Radio on Sunday: "I wish eBay would drop dead and die... I have begged them to take [the tickets] off and they have basically told us to fuck off. So I will do everything I possibly can to ruin their lives."

Tickets for the 26 November spectacle went on sale back in September, but the estimated 20 million people who joined the stampede to grab a seat quickly brought down the registration website.

Those fans who were picked out of the hat in the online ballot were given a password to validate their purchase, although the Guardian explains that "over the weekend that [their tickets] may be cancelled if the password holder's name did not match the credit card holder's name".

Goldsmith clarifies on his blog that lucky winners have to pay for their tickets with their credit card, and are then expected to turn up to the gig with photo ID and the same credit card to verify their identity.

He warns: "Now for the small minority, if you think that you can beat the system by buying from eBay or any other website you are wrong, you will NOT be allowed in to the concert and your application for tickets will be cancelled within the next 14 days."

Regarding those genuine Zep fans who might not have a credit card, Goldsmith concedes: "Of course there are a few people who genuinely want to come but may not have had a suitable credit card to pay for them. The answer to those people is very simple; if you are GENUINE you will contact us and give us a justified explanation." ®