How do I get rid of the pardon the interruption on Ticketmaster?

The “pardon the interruption” message that sometimes appears on the Ticketmaster website can be annoying and disruptive when you’re trying to purchase tickets. This message indicates that high demand is causing delays or technical issues on the site. There are a few things you can try to get rid of this message and complete your ticket purchase.

Refresh the Page

One of the simplest solutions is to refresh the Ticketmaster page. This will force it to reload fresh data and code and may resolve any temporary glitches that were causing the “pardon the interruption” message to display.

To refresh the page, simply click on the refresh icon in your browser toolbar or hit the F5 key on your keyboard. This should reload the page and hopefully remove the “pardon the interruption” popup. Keep trying this a few times if it doesn’t disappear on the first attempt.

Clear Your Browser Cache

An overloaded browser cache can also sometimes trigger the “pardon the interruption” message. The browser cache stores website data locally on your device so pages load faster. But after a while, the buildup of excess cached data can cause performance and display issues on sites.

Clearing your browser cache wipes this data and forces Ticketmaster to fully redownload current, up-to-date data when you visit. This can fix display quirks like the “pardon the interruption” popup.

Here are instructions for how to clear the cache in the major browsers:

Google Chrome

1. Click the 3 vertical dots in the top right corner
2. Hover over “More tools”
3. Click “Clear browsing data”
4. Make sure “Cached images and files” is selected
5. Choose the desired timeframe
6. Click “Clear data”

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner
2. Select “Settings”
3. Scroll down to “Privacy & Security” on the left
4. Click “Cookies and Site Data”
5. Click “Clear Data”
6. Select “Cached Web Content”
7. Click “Clear”

Microsoft Edge

1. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner
2. Hover over “Settings”
3. Click “Privacy, search, and services”
4. Under “Clear browsing data”, click “Choose what to clear”
5. Check the box for “Cached data and files”
6. Click “Clear now”

Try Incognito/Private Browsing Mode

Incognito or private browsing modes won’t use any cached data when accessing Ticketmaster. This ensures you get the latest code and content from the site. It also won’t save any browsing data from the session on your device when you close the window.

To enable this mode:

• Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N
• Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P
• Edge: Ctrl+Shift+P

Then visit Ticketmaster and see if the “pardon the interruption” still appears without cached data influencing things. Don’t forget to disable incognito mode after purchasing your tickets.

Try Another Browser

It’s also possible the “pardon the interruption” message is stemming from a browser-specific compatibility issue. Try accessing Ticketmaster from a different web browser like Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari and see if that changes anything.

Using another browser ensures you get a completely clean slate without any cached site data that could be conflicting. If the error goes away in the other browser, you can either continue using that for Ticketmaster or try clearing the cache and data in your usual browser to resolve the problem there.

Disable Browser Extensions

Some browser extensions like ad blockers, privacy extensions, or VPNs can inadvertently cause conflicts on some websites. It’s possible one of your active extensions is interfering with Ticketmaster and triggering the “pardon the interruption” message.

Try temporarily disabling all extensions and then load Ticketmaster again. If the message goes away, turn your extensions back on one-by-one until you identify the problematic one. You can then remove that extension or whitelist Ticketmaster so it doesn’t conflict.

Here are instructions for disabling extensions:

Chrome

1. Click the 3 vertical dots in the top right corner
2. Hover over “More tools”
3. Click “Extensions”
4. Toggle off any extensions you want to disable

Firefox

1. Click the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner
2. Select “Add-ons and themes”
3. Under “Extensions”, click the toggle switch next to any you want to disable

Edge

1. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner
2. Click “Extensions”
3. Toggle off any extensions you want to disable

Try Disabling Your VPN

If you access the internet via a VPN, try disabling it and accessing Ticketmaster directly through your regular network connection. VPNs can sometimes cause connectivity or caching issues that disrupt sites.

If the “pardon the interruption” message goes away after disconnecting your VPN, you can contact your VPN provider for troubleshooting tips or whitelist Ticketmaster so traffic to it bypasses the VPN. This would allow you to maintain privacy while eliminating conflicts.

Change Your DNS Settings

Changing your DNS server settings can also potentially fix connection problems to Ticketmaster behind the scenes. DNS (domain name system) servers translate web URLs into IP addresses. Your internet provider assigns you their preferred DNS servers by default.

But switching to alternate public DNS servers like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) could resolve any DNS-related issues getting to Ticketmaster and stopping the error message from appearing.

Here are the steps for changing DNS servers on some common operating systems:

Windows 10

1. Open Network Connections from the Start Menu or Control Panel
2. Click your Wi-Fi Network
3. Click Properties
4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
5. Click Properties
6. Select “Use the following DNS server addresses”
7. Enter 8.8.8.8 and/or 1.1.1.1
8. Click OK and Close to save

MacOS

1. Open System Preferences > Network
2. Select your Wi-Fi connection
3. Click Advanced
4. Select the DNS tab
5. Enter 8.8.8.8 and/or 1.1.1.1
6. Click OK and Apply to save

iOS

1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi
2. Tap the “i” next to your connected network
3. Tap Configure DNS
4. Tap Manual
5. Enter 8.8.8.8 and/or 1.1.1.1
6. Tap Save

Android

1. Open Settings
2. Select Network & Internet > Wi-Fi
3. Long press your connected Wi-Fi network
4. Tap Modify network
5. Change IP settings to Static
6. Enter 8.8.8.8 and/or 1.1.1.1 in the DNS fields
7. Tap Save

This will override your default DNS servers with public alternatives that could resolve any related issues.

Contact Ticketmaster Customer Support

If you still see the “pardon the interruption” message after trying all the self-troubleshooting steps above, it’s time to contact Ticketmaster directly about the problem. Their technical support team may need to investigate issues on their servers or your account.

You can reach their customer service by:

• Calling +1 800-653-8000 (toll-free in the US)
• Initiating a live chat on their website
• Emailing them at [email protected]
• Contacting via their @Ticketmaster Twitter account
• Messaging them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Ticketmaster

Explain your persistent trouble with the “pardon the interruption” message and the steps you’ve already tried to resolve it. Provide details like what device, browser, and network you’re accessing Ticketmaster from.

Their technical team should be able to dig deeper and determine if the issue stems from your account, your location, website technical problems on their end, or other factors. They can then advise you on the best way to proceed to eliminate that pesky interruption notification.

Wait and Try Again Later

During extremely high traffic sales events, demand on Ticketmaster can sometimes exceed the bandwidth of their servers. This can lead to slow connectivity and the “pardon the interruption” message appearing due to temporary technical issues on Ticketmaster’s side.

Your best option may be to just wait and try again a bit later when traffic dies down if no troubleshooting steps resolve the problem. The interruption notification going away after some time likely indicates transient server strain that later resolved.

Trying again in off-peak hours like very late at night or early morning can also help avoid peak congestion times that could be contributing to the message appearing. Avoiding the first few frantic minutes of a hot ticket on-sale may also circumvent the initial surge that overloads the system.

Use an Alternate Sales Channel

For extremely high demand events, Ticketmaster will sometimes intentionally pause website sales periodically and divert traffic to alternate sales channels to maintain stability amid overwhelming demand.

The “pardon the interruption” pop-up is often used in conjunction with promoting other ways to purchase when web traffic is intentionally being throttled.

Some alternative channels that may be offered include:

• Ticketmaster sales via the venue box office
• Phone sales
• In-person sales at fan clubs or sponsored locations
• Walmart ticket sales for select events
• Redirects to promoter sites like AEG or Live Nation

If you see the interruption message coupled with prompts to use alternate channels, try those avenues to see if you have better luck getting through. Utilizing other options can often successfully land you tickets even when the main Ticketmaster website is bogged down.

Use Presale Codes

Many major events on Ticketmaster have special presales before the general public on-sale time. These presales usually sell a portion of tickets to verified groups like fans who subscribed to the artist’s email list or members of a sponsoring company’s loyalty program.

Presales commonly have dedicated codes you enter to gain access. The limited amount of buyers able to access helps avoid the massive influx of traffic that can grind Ticketmaster sales to a halt.

If you have access to applicable presale offer codes, try entering those before the standard on-sale time. Getting your transaction through early on in the presale helps you avoid the peak congestion that triggers “pardon the interruption” messages later when the floodgates open to everyone.

Comparison Shop Other Vendors

While Ticketmaster has exclusive ticket sales rights for many major concerts and sporting events, that isn’t always the case. For some events, there are authorized primary ticket vendors besides Ticketmaster selling seats.

If you keep getting interrupted trying to buy from Ticketmaster, check to see if tickets are available on alternate vendor sites like:

• AXS
• Vivid Seats
• StubHub
• SeatGeek
• TickPick

If other officially approved vendors have tickets available for the event you want, you may have better luck purchasing from them while Ticketmaster struggles to keep up with demand. Just make sure to verify you are buying valid primary tickets rather than overpriced resales.

Leverage Fan Presales

Along with general presales, artists or sports teams offering tickets directly to their fan club members is an increasingly popular tactic. These fan presales reward loyal supporters with early ticket access before sales open to the general public.

Joining an artist’s email list or fan club to get access to fan presale codes can help you grab seats before the main Ticketmaster on-sale when technical issues are prevalent. Targeting fan presale allotments limits your competition and avoids website overload.

The earlier you can purchase in the sales cycle, the better your chances of avoiding “pardon the interruption” messages as demand ramps up closer to public on-sale times. Getting in early with fan presale codes gives you the best shot at smoothly completing a purchase.

Try Ticketmaster Verified Fan

For select high-demand events, Ticketmaster has rolled out their Verified Fan program. This requires registering ahead of time and getting a unique code to access the sale. The goal is limiting sales to genuine human fans vs. bots and scalpers trying to scoop up tickets.

Because Verified Fan caps registration, it essentially creates a presale for vetted individuals similar to fan club or sponsor presales. If the event you want uses the Verified Fan system, be sure to register well in advance. Verified buyers get to purchase before the general on-sale, avoiding Prime issues that plague the open public sale.

Use the Ticketmaster App

The Ticketmaster mobile app can sometimes be more stable than the desktop website when traffic spikes during busy sales. Testing has shown the app can handle crushing demand better without becoming overloaded.

Downloading the Ticketmaster app on your iOS or Android device and purchasing tickets through the app rather than browser may let you bypass issues that trigger “pardon the interruption” messages on the regular website. Apps don’t have to rely on temperamental browser caches and extensions that often cause conflicts.

As long as you are logged into the same Ticketmaster account, any tickets you buy on the app will still be visible and accessible later through the regular website after purchasing. Give the app a shot if the browser site continues struggling.

Try Ticketmaster Tuesdays

Ticketmaster has begun rolling out Ticketmaster Tuesdays for select popular events. This promotion releases a small number of tickets for sale exclusively on Tuesdays at 1PM Eastern time leading up to events.

Part of the goal is limiting sales volume to ease strain on their servers. Because only a small ticket allotment is released, purchasing demand stays manageable for the system.

Checking each Tuesday at 1PM Eastern for your event can potentially let you grab seats without facing website crashes that provoke “pardon the interruption” messages during hurried standard sales. Avoiding the worst peak traffic allows smoother Ticketmaster Tuesdays transactions in many cases.

Conclusion

The “pardon the interruption” notification plaguing Ticketmaster sales when traffic spikes can be incredibly frustrating. But there are several methods you can test to try and push through the message and complete your purchase:

• Refreshing the page
• Clearing your browser cache
• Trying incognito/private browsing
• Switching web browsers
• Disabling browser extensions
• Turning off your VPN connection
• Changing DNS settings
• Contacting customer support
• Waiting and reattempting later
• Using alternate sales channels
• Taking advantage of presales
• Checking other ticket vendors
• Registering for fan presales
• Signing up for Verified Fan
• Buying via the Ticketmaster app
• Purchasing on Ticketmaster Tuesdays

Persistence and systematically trying different tactics can help you finally break through and score those coveted seats even when Ticketmaster sales hit a snag. Don’t let the “pardon the interruption” stop you!