Fans of The Tragically Hip have been scrambling to acquire tickets to see the band this summer on what is expected to be their last tour.
But thanks to resale sites and scalpers eager to make a gigantic profit off of fans eager to see frontman Gord Downie perform, ticket prices have skyrocketed into the thousands of dollars.
'Don't f***ing start, man'
That's why Jesse Modz, a host with rock station 97.7 HTZ-FM, wanted to give a "big FU to the scalpers on behalf of all of us." The DJ calls up a scalper who was selling Hip tickets on Kijiji for $850 each.
After some negotiation and offering $2,000 for two tickets, he convinces "the idiot" to drive for an hour from Mississauga, Ont. to St. Catharines, Ont. — without any intention of buying anything.
When the scalper arrives, the host calls him up. "You feel good about selling those Tragically Hip tickets for $2,000?" he asks.
"Don't f***ing start, man" the seller responds. Modz then asks the scalper if he feels good "taking advantage of dying man," referring to Downie's recent brain cancer diagnosis. The conversation quickly escalates from there.
Have a listen to the phone call below: