$300 for Upper Deck - What Are They Smoking?

[BGD75]

....
Most of the seats this tour will be filled by rich folk, hipsters or otherwise, politely nodding their heads and sipping beer with bored looking faces. .....

Nightmare waiting to happen! I had a similar experience during one of the Vertigo shows in Toronto. 2 of my friends and I had seats for that night - ended up being stuck beside a group of Blackberry employees who were there only because they got free tickets. They started compiling that we were singing too loud and were upset that we were not sitting still in our seats

 

[U2FanPeter]

That is little steep nonetheless.... didn't encounter the same pricing when I was buying tickets for Berlin. The only tickets in 230 euro range were the best seats in the house. Then the seats further up were 109euros and nosebleeds were 61euros.

They are varying it from city to city. Some cities on 360 tour had an average ticket price double that of another city.

Oseary was also big on shifting ticket prices on Madonna's last tour. Seats were $300 for months and dropped to half that for a couple days before the show, then back up to $300 that afternoon, back to $175 and hour before she hits the stage.

 

[Kenekila]

It's immoral and it's a punch in the face of everyone who's strugglin trough the economic crises to sell most of the arena at the high price. I don't know how someone here even try to defend U2 by saying that's normal.. BS!!!
In the same arena I see other singers and the range for GA was 45/55 euro, the 2 ring (medium seats) was sold for 60/75 euros. The 1 ring was the expensive one and I don't know how were te tickets.. but even so, Let's count the U2 are international stars and bla bla bla..
this is the maps of our ticketone yesterday: you cannot choose your seat, neither the sector, just the price range..

As you can see, not only the 1 ring was the higher price, but even the 2 and the 3 was also.. and that's useless to say in 3 minutes I've managed to enter the waiting room, look at this image and esitate a bit because the 3 sector was already gone, I hit refresh and bum, the only ticket was best seat.. My hubby was determined to make me happy and buy them anyway, but I feel guilty for this.. and pissed off, automaticly the site got us 2 ring.. why on earth I have to pay like I was in the first seat ring!?!
Explain me that.

 

[Kenekila]

I forgot to mention the location, it's Palalpitour in Turin, the 4 of september.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Weird how the Turin "map" has the red zone by the B-stage while the San Jose one has it by the main stage.

I've also wondered if RZ have areas by both stages and can basically go anywhere they want on the floor.

 

[Marcust99]

What's strange is that now for Toronto you can pull up the "interactive seat map" on Ticketmaster.ca and choose your seats. There's a few whole empty rows of seats
available. There are "VIP party package" tickets for $635 each. WTF!

 

[Wendyandkevinca]

What's strange is that now for Toronto you can pull up the "interactive seat map" on Ticketmaster.ca and choose your seats. There's a few whole empty rows of seats
available. There are "VIP party package" tickets for $635 each. WTF!

I posted this up thread. It's as if they all upped on sold on their own after being empty this week. I call bullshit. All those in 320-322 and on the other side in the first 11 rows did not all of a sudden sell at 300 each. Manipulation is going on.

 

[Moser]

Nightmare waiting to happen! I had a similar experience during one of the Vertigo shows in Toronto. 2 of my friends and I had seats for that night - ended up being stuck beside a group of Blackberry employees who were there only because they got free tickets. They started compiling that we were singing too loud and were upset that we were not sitting still in our seats

That's why I do only GA. The idea of a seat and music does not agree with me. I know most people won't be sitting, but I'm afraid I will be bothering those who do want to sit and sip beer.

 

[mama cass]

for those complaining about high prices, Leonard Cohen played fairly locally to me a couple of years ago, very small arena, and tix started at around 200 euros (needless to say i didn't go, though would have loved to), but the smaller the venue the higher the price

whether they play a stadium or arena, it's still a night's work for the band and crew, with massive logistical costs and overheads etc. so it's only normal for arena prices to be higher than stadiums, plus the furthest seat in an arena is still miles closer to the stage than the nearest seat in a stadium... so it's not really such a horrendous deal...

 

[Kenekila]

Yes and why other artist don't do the same prices for the exact same location? And even so.. we're talking about 3 times the "normal" fares, TO ME that's not normal.. and it is so for everyone I talked so far!!

 

[Wendyandkevinca]

for those complaining about high prices, Leonard Cohen played fairly locally to me a couple of years ago, very small arena, and tix started at around 200 euros (needless to say i didn't go, though would have loved to), but the smaller the venue the higher the price

whether they play a stadium or arena, it's still a night's work for the band and crew, with massive logistical costs and overheads etc. so it's only normal for arena prices to be higher than stadiums, plus the furthest seat in an arena is still miles closer to the stage than the nearest seat in a stadium... so it's not really such a horrendous deal...

we will have to agree to disagree on this. i respect your views.

 

[Wendyandkevinca]

Yes and why other artist don't do the same prices for the exact same location? And even so.. we're talking about 3 times the "normal" fares, TO ME that's not normal.. and it is so for everyone I talked so far!!

silly led zeppelin...selling tickets for the 02 for 125 pounds each to the lucky 16000 lottery winners.

 

[Marcust99]

The whole thing stinks.

Another thing that stinks is that they're taking hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales 6 months in advance. There's some nice interest to be made on that cash. But this is nothing new. Obviously there ARE people willing to pay $300 for nosebleeds anbd even "regular" seats or they wouldn't have announced more shows.

Until the market can't bear these crazy prices anymore, we'll never see a stop to the crazy price increases. Pro sports is the same way. Sucks but that's reality.

 

[DeVaul]

the furthest seat in an arena is still miles closer to the stage than the nearest seat in a stadium

What wacky venues are you talking about?


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[mama cass]

What wacky venues are you talking about?


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Europe, Stade de France versus Bercy in this case (80,000 vs. 18,000 capacity - huuuge difference in scale here at least)

 

[mama cass]

Yes and why other artist don't do the same prices for the exact same location? And even so.. we're talking about 3 times the "normal" fares, TO ME that's not normal.. and it is so for everyone I talked so far!!

depends on the artist - maybe if they asked higher prices they wouldn't be able to sell the tickets...

all artists are equal but some are more equal than others

(sadly tis how Capitalism works - if the demand is great, fleece the fuckers)

 

[_underwhelmed]

That's why I do only GA. The idea of a seat and music does not agree with me. I know most people won't be sitting, but I'm afraid I will be bothering those who do want to sit and sip beer.

Indeed! Have only seen U2 3 times, all GA, wouldn't do it any other way

 

[Kinsa]

This is why I haven't bought tickets yet - I screwed up and missed the presale window at the beginning, but when I finally got on, all I could find were upper tier tix for $300 in LA or Vancouver, the 2 cities I'm interested in.

I can definitely afford to pay that, and much more, but will I? Hell no. Not even for my favorite band. No sir. Its a rip-off. I honestly don't know what this band is thinking with pricing crappy seats at that much.

 

[Hawkmoon269]

The whole thing stinks.

Another thing that stinks is that they're taking hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales 6 months in advance. There's some nice interest to be made on that cash. But this is nothing new. Obviously there ARE people willing to pay $300 for nosebleeds anbd even "regular" seats or they wouldn't have announced more shows.

Until the market can't bear these crazy prices anymore, we'll never see a stop to the crazy price increases. Pro sports is the same way. Sucks but that's reality.

That's not new, I paid for 360 tickets 9 months in advance. And yes, people are willing to pay those prices for the shows/games, my hubby and his friends just paid 300+ per nosebleed for an NFL game (for a team that is not his favorite)

Not that it is good or bad, no one is forcing anybody to pay those prices.

 

[Hollow Island]

I can't believe anyone would pay $300 for any concert, let alone for an upper bowl ticket for U2 20+ years past their prime. It's fucking insane.

How many people are going to push themselves further into debt because of their love for U2? Sure, they have the choice to not buy the tickets, but buying a concert ticket isn't just another purchase. A good concert from a band you love can be intensely spiritual, and U2 know this. It's exploitative, particularly in a time of high unemployment and low job security. U2 don't need the fucking money, and Live Nation...well, they're criminals. They've proved that crime doesn't pay, it gets paid.

 

[Wendyandkevinca]

That's not new, I paid for 360 tickets 9 months in advance. And yes, people are willing to pay those prices for the shows/games, my hubby and his friends just paid 300+ per nosebleed for an NFL game (for a team that is not his favorite)

Not that it is good or bad, no one is forcing anybody to pay those prices.

what game is that. not that i am calling bullshit or not...well, i sort of am.

i think your hubby is telling you he bought them in the rafters but they are club level. i dont see any games that remain this season for tickets that expensive.

perhaps 49ers at seattle is commanding some large $$ and "MAYBE" dallas at philly.

 

[Marcust99]

what game is that. not that i am calling bullshit or not...well, i sort of am.

i think your hubby is telling you he bought them in the rafters but they are club level. i dont see any games that remain this season for tickets that expensive.

perhaps 49ers at seattle is commanding some large $$ and "MAYBE" dallas at philly.

Perhaps she meant they DID pay that kidna dough for crappy NFL seats, but from a broker, and not from TM. No NFL teams have regular season upper level tickets priced that high at face. No way.

 

[Wendyandkevinca]

Perhaps she meant they DID pay that kidna dough for crappy NFL seats, but from a broker, and not from TM. No NFL teams have regular season upper level tickets priced that high at face. No way.

at face, no, resale, perhaps some games could get that high. but that would probably be some huge rival or the play offs. [this is in reference to the tickets in the "rafters"]

 

[deep]

I can't believe anyone would pay $300 for any concert, let alone for an upper bowl ticket for U2 20+ years past their prime. It's fucking insane.

How many people are going to push themselves further into debt because of their love for U2? Sure, they have the choice to not buy the tickets, but buying a concert ticket isn't just another purchase. A good concert from a band you love can be intensely spiritual, and U2 know this. It's exploitative, particularly in a time of high unemployment and low job security. U2 don't need the fucking money, and Live Nation...well, they're criminals. They've proved that crime doesn't pay, it gets paid.

but if you don't go you won't be able to take pictures and put them on social media, those pictures will last a life time, you will be able to show them to your children and grand children and tell them you were one of the people that stepped up and supported a great band that gave away its music for free

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Here's an idea. We need a "shadow tour" to accompany the actual one, b/c it's clear to see that hardly any actual U2 fans will be attending the indoor tour. Since so few folks were actually able to get tix, and I read tales now of *fan club tickets* being put up for resale by TM, (wonder why there was a 2-ticket presale limit?) it seems we are owed a free mini-gig by the band in each city they play, so actual fans can see them live.

Most of the seats this tour will be filled by rich folk, hipsters or otherwise, politely nodding their heads and sipping beer with bored looking faces. And that's just for the "rock" shows. I wonder just how loud the relative silence in the arenas will be, as the band will be expecting sing-alongs for the acoustic shows but very few people in the stands will know any of the words--or even care. I hope they don't think that any of this will be their fault.

I think it was noted by the band during the last tour at the tepid audiences for many shows, the lack of audience response. Granted, No Line wasn't one of their gems, but there were a few great ones on there.

Someone needs to warn Bono as he lies in bed in Dublin: don't expect too much from the U2 audiences this tour, b/c you simply will not see them. They won't be there.

This just might be the first U2 tour with more fans outside the arena than in. And just a thought to those lucky to still have unused presale codes--or those who still have allotted tickets to buy--if these are the prices, jacked-up nosebleeds and otherwise, for the ARENA tour, what will the stadium ones be?!?!

this post is complete nonsense.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I can't believe anyone would pay $300 for any concert, let alone for an upper bowl ticket for U2 20+ years past their prime. It's fucking insane.

How many people are going to push themselves further into debt because of their love for U2? Sure, they have the choice to not buy the tickets, but buying a concert ticket isn't just another purchase. A good concert from a band you love can be intensely spiritual, and U2 know this. It's exploitative, particularly in a time of high unemployment and low job security. U2 don't need the fucking money, and Live Nation...well, they're criminals. They've proved that crime doesn't pay, it gets paid.

oh for fucks sake...

if you can't afford the tickets, you shouldn't buy tickets. that's called prioritization. if you purchase anything that you can't afford, it's your own damned fault.

this is what happens when a band that can sell out stadiums with ease plays arenas. they have to offset the costs somehow, so they charge a lot of money. everyone does it, it should come as a shock to nobody.

for years all we heard on this site was how nobody wanted stadiums again... everybody wanted arenas. they're so much more intimate. ok. great. you got what you asked for. so now everyone just bitches that the prices are ridiculous? no fucking shit. you couldn't see this coming?

GAs are still relatively inexpensive. There are still nosebleeds available that are very cheap considering. if you can't afford to pay for the most expensive seats, don't fucking pay for them. if you got closed out of the cheaper seats and that's all that's left? relax... there's a ton of people here on interference who'll be more than happy to help you out when it comes to tickets. give it some time and patience and you'll get what you want, at face.

 

[KEVIN051269]

A question for the elders amongst us...
When did concerts change from a flat rate to enter the arena/stadium to the tiered prices we see now? Was it a particular tour or has it just crept into existence and now evolved to being the norm for a major artist?

For all these prices, by that I mean the original venue price, none of this platinum bollox. I wonder what the average price for a ticket is at a venue?

 

[The_acrobat]

I remember Popmart had some $55 tickets and some $37, and then elevation had 50, 90 (majority) and 150. I remember seeing the stones in 1999 and it having many different price levels. Late 90s is when the concert business changed into what it is now, I'd say.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

There are some acts that still do flat rate, one price for every ticket no matter where it's located.

Pearl Jam does that. I believe Springsteen as well.

 

[Hollow Island]

oh for fucks sake...

if you can't afford the tickets, you shouldn't buy tickets. that's called prioritization. if you purchase anything that you can't afford, it's your own damned fault.

this is what happens when a band that can sell out stadiums with ease plays arenas. they have to offset the costs somehow, so they charge a lot of money. everyone does it, it should come as a shock to nobody.

I don't know how easy they'd sell out stadiums right now. There are still tickets left for the Toronto shows in an arena. Granted, they're $300. But there were $100 tickets left yesterday. I remember when they sold out two shows in a baseball stadium in 1997 in under five minutes. That's 120,000 tickets. Now they couldn't even sell 40,000 in two days. But as for offsetting costs...come on. You're saying that U2 need to charge twice as much as NIN? That's absurd. They're charging as much as they can, and they're taking advantage of how much they mean to people. Sure, that's capitalism, but it's not moral.

In 2001, seats that now cost $300 cost me $60, after fees. And that was an arena tour following a stadium tour. They clearly don't give a shit about their fans.

It's great that there are people here willing to help others out with tickets - that's really nice. But that doesn't mean that U2 aren't greedy little shits. Well, I guess Edge could use some more cash to fight California in their attempt to prevent him from ravaging the local environment with the complex he wants to build. And I bet Larry doesn't use the shitty botox like regular people do.