Michigan Man Feels Scammed By Concert Tickets To Tribute Band

He admits it was probably his fault, but nevertheless, Aaron feels scammed by a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. You be the judge, here's the evidence.

The Red NOT Chili Peppers are NOT the Red HOT Chili Peppers

If you've ever scrolled through Ticketmaster or other ticketing websites, you've probably come to realize just how many cover bands there are out there. One rock fan was recently trying to score Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets, but accidentally bought them for a cover band instead – and he's pissed. 

A man identified only as 'Aaron' this week told the Detroit Metro Times that he was casually looking through his social media when he came across an ad for a concert that appeared to be RHCP, as in the real deal featuring native Michiganders Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith.

The show was set for Thursday night, April 28, at a Ferndale venue called the Magic Bag, which has a capacity of about 400 people. The tickets were under $20, and Aaron thought he'd hit the jackpot, so he bought four of them. 

Apparently, the act he purchased tickets for is called Red NOT Chili Peppers, but at a fast glance, he thought the N was an H. He explained that the logo was in all capital letters, so it's understandable that there was a misunderstanding. 

But Wouldn't Common Sense Tell You The Peppers Tickets Aren't $20?

Aaron justified his dumb move by saying the real Peppers HAVE been playing pop up shows at small venues to support their latest album release, 'Unlimited Love'.

A Google search reveals that this is 'kind of' true. The Peppers popped up at a couple of 3000 seat venues to promote the album, but I can find no venues as small as The Magic Bag.

The Red HOT Chili Peppers are about to embark on a stadium tour with the Strokes that will hit Comerica Park in Detroit this summer, but, alas, poor Aaron: tickets for that show start at $100. The Peppers are currently playing big venues in Europe.

Did Legal Weed Figure Into The Bad Decision?

Aaron said he was "completely sober" when he made the purchase, and that the logo was "kind of like slick advertising, basically.” He's also "fuming" because he attempted to reach out to the ticket vendor for a refund, and they refused him — not even the manager could help. 

He says he will likely still attend the show because he's a big RHCP fan, and if he can't get the money back anyway, what does he have to lose? 

A lot of artists have been known to sue tribute bands whose names and logos are a little too close to the originals, but RCHP seems cool with the NOTs using their very close to the original moniker.

I will say this...sometimes tribute bands are pretty damn good, and can be better than the originals. But not often. Good luck, son, we're cheering for you.

You be the judge...here's the NOT Chili Peppers performing. Are they as good as the original?