Ticket masters on a different scale: Canadian musicians are doing shows their own way, without the machine

Fans who have been moved by John Samson Fellows’s thoughtful, poetic lyricism snapped up tickets for a rare opportunity to hear his songs live.

John Samson Fellows hasn’t performed a full show in around six years. But earlier this summer, the Manitoba-based artist announced that tickets would go on sale through his website in late June for two self-organized shows at the end of September.

Feeling a bit blue about the fact that so many people who wanted to attend might miss out, Samson Fellows added a third date after all 266 tickets for the original two shows sold out in two minutes. The added tickets also sold out swiftly.

It’s not particularly surprising that the tickets were scooped up so fast – for many years, Samson Fellows, as John K. Samson, fronted the much-beloved Winnipeg