How are the tickets selling?
- Thread starter rennowba
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
The_acrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Flex pricing is the new industry norm. Charge high, then back off the prices closer to the date to get rid of the unsold tickets. Of course they prefer instant sellouts, but this was always part of the plan.
superchuk5
Refugee
I noticed these the other day. Want to see how low the lower bowls go (anyone have any ideas?).
d.darroch
War Child
True. Any unsold seats were always going to be reduced, even substantially, quite soon before showtime. But it certainly wouldn't have been in the plan to reduce them anywhere near to what we see above. $46 seats in perfectly good spots at an arena show, only just behind $330 seats. Previously these prices were reserved for the worst stadium seats, or seats with very limited views of the screen.
Certainly some oversaturation going on.
RH87
The Fly
Yeah, for LA1 I paid $330, but they are in Sec 108, Row 6. It's actually the 4th row of seats, 1 row behind the VIP section. I don't know how many upper bowl tickets I threw back that were $330 that are now priced at $46.
Somewhere, there's going to be some sap that paid $330 who will be surrounded by people who paid $46.
innominata8
War Child
Oversaturation and the fact that some of the markets just aren't very interested in seeing U2. I looked at Omaha today and there are still around a third of the tickets available. And, (as of this aftn) you can still get tix in GA and RZ there.
CosmoKramer
Rock n' Roll Doggie
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2004
- Messages
- 3,325
So glad I have a U2.com membership and get to take advantage of those $330 seats vs having to wait months later for $50 seats.
All kidding aside, I do feel bad for any U2.com member who paid top dollar during the presale and similar seats are going for $50
All kidding aside, I do feel bad for any U2.com member who paid top dollar during the presale and similar seats are going for $50
rosephile
Refugee
If I weren't going to still be in California I'd be all on Omaha GAs. Look at them. All blue and available on the map...
I was ready to say you guys are crazy and there aren't that many empty seats, and then I realized I was looking at Tulsa and not Omaha.
rosephile
Refugee
How much later was Omaha added anyway?
The remaining 5,000 seats were just purchased by the Manning brothers.
The_acrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
It was added in early March, I think. Same day as the Uncasville show.
I did a quick count, and there are roughly 2,500 unsold seats for Omaha at this time. U2 played to 16,134 in this venue in 2005, so we'll just say that's the capacity. That means that at this point, they have sold about 13,600 tickets. As somebody else pointed out, the 2nd rush for tickets is usually the week of the show, if it isn't already sold out. They'll easily clear 14,000 for this show, and probably 15,000 too. It'll probably look good enough to call a sellout. They have their ways.
Mac_Fly
War Child
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 529
Most shows have sold really well I think, especially with the prices drops.
One thing that stands out are the large section of empty seats on either side of the b stage for the St Louis show.
I happen to be attending that particular show, would hate to see big empty sections at that particular area of the arena.
Maybe there's another drop coming? The time is short.
One thing that stands out are the large section of empty seats on either side of the b stage for the St Louis show.
I happen to be attending that particular show, would hate to see big empty sections at that particular area of the arena.
Maybe there's another drop coming? The time is short.
The_acrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
They'll either get them sold, or transplant people from other parts of the arena. Either way, the lower bowl will be full. I think worst case scenario for a couple shows is there will be a few sections blocked off in the upper bowl directly behind the stage, and they'll move those people elsewhere (see Denver #2 in 2015). This has happened to me a few times at concerts, including Bruce Springsteen a few years ago.
Another possibility is radio station giveaways. Something like "every hour, we'll be giving away a pair of tickets to the 9th caller"... something like that. Or they can do like they did at one of the Zoo TV shows in London that undersold, and give a bunch of tickets away to the homeless.
It's just so weird that U2 aren't able to sell out shows in arenas. I know, I know... over-saturation, over-pricing, etc. Still doesn't seem right.
phommel
Refugee
Indeed oversaturation in US, and definately overpricing! There are many fans who don't wanna pay 300+ dollars for a ticket, even if it's U2.
But also don't forget the way they tried to sell the tickets in a complicated verified fan whatever system... after that they lost the momentum.
In Europe, different story. The pricing is the same, but they are just WAY bigger in Europe, many more fans, no saturation of the market and no verified fan thing.
Mac_Fly
War Child
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 529
One wonders had there been no JT30 show how this tour would have sold.
I mean, the SOI tour didn't exactly have Vertigo tour numbers.
I'm inclined to think this tour would have sold better, but not appreciably.
superchuk5
Refugee
Look at St. Louis. The stadium show last year presumably sold very well, but you'd expect the 1 arena show this year to sell well since the stadium show got cancelled and all that demand went unmet. JT 2017 met some demand that had been building since 2015, but it certainly brought a lot of casual fans out who wouldn't have come to a tour promoting a new album they haven't heard.
Yea this.
People aren't as interested in seeing U2 perform new songs as they are in seeing U2 play classic U2.
It's less a market saturation issue and more of a "play me the songs I know little man" issue.
Tulsa only has 40 tickets left for sale, theve gone really quick the past couple of days. Must be promoting it there
St. Louis has space in the 4 lower tier corners. Some of these seats are still really expensive, probably get dropped to sell the arena out completely
San Jose 2 has maybe 100-150 seats left to sell. Again they will probably come down and go over the next few days
Still plenty of tickets left in the upper tier at la 2. Prices have been dropped and they are selling.
Omaha still has a fair way to go but you can tell tickets are selling, stil GA left here though
Washington has availability in all 4 corners
New York 3 has a lot of upper tier spaces
Chicago 2 only has 100-200 seats left I'd say, sold really well over the past week or so
Looking at how tickets sell after the price drop and closer to gig day nearly all of these will be sell outs. If it isn't sold out your not going to be able to tell as it's going to be nearly full
St. Louis has space in the 4 lower tier corners. Some of these seats are still really expensive, probably get dropped to sell the arena out completely
San Jose 2 has maybe 100-150 seats left to sell. Again they will probably come down and go over the next few days
Still plenty of tickets left in the upper tier at la 2. Prices have been dropped and they are selling.
Omaha still has a fair way to go but you can tell tickets are selling, stil GA left here though
Washington has availability in all 4 corners
New York 3 has a lot of upper tier spaces
Chicago 2 only has 100-200 seats left I'd say, sold really well over the past week or so
Looking at how tickets sell after the price drop and closer to gig day nearly all of these will be sell outs. If it isn't sold out your not going to be able to tell as it's going to be nearly full
The MSG 3 map is fascinating and clearly shows that people don't want to pay top dollar for upper bowl seats (even if they would have paid that same price on StubHub).
Virtually every seat above and around the top priced upper bowl seats is sold out.
When they drop those uppers that show will be off the board in a hot minute
phommel
Refugee
Don't agree. Probably JT attracts more old school U2 fans. But Stadium tour 360 was huge in numbers and was also U2 performing new songs.
It's part a US market saturation issue in the US I think.
??
360 was 9 years ago and on the heals of one of the band's most successful albums.
Hardly a valid comparison.
I don't buy this market saturation theory at all. It's all down to ticket pricing, who in the right mind is gonna pay £200 to sit in the upper tiers. The pricing is ridiculous.
If the prices started a lot lower they would sell out in hours. Soon as they put the prices down they sell straight away. I get the whole livenation ticket selling tactic though, it happened on the Joshua tree tour, shows didn't look like selling out and come show time all tickets were sold. Their not stupid they know what there doing
Tulsa has sold out it had over 1000 tickets left before the price drop. St. Louis and San Jose 2 only have a handfull of tickets left. Shows a couple of months ago looked like they weren't going to sell out. Chicago 2 after a price cut see's tickets go.
If the price is right u2 could tour America every year a still sell out. 325 dollars for upper tier seats just aren't going to sell like hot cakes
Take a look at the msg 3 map. Bottom tier nearly all sold, some people will pay top doller for good seats. You will always have people that will. Now the upper tier is completely full at the back of the side tiers and full in the front and back tiers. The front sections of the upper tiers that cost $325 to sit in are completely empty. Who's gonna pay that to sit in the gods? They will eventually come down and sell
Last edited:
Bean_Counter
The Fly
I've been checking out stubhub as I need tix for Vegas.
I noticed Tulsa has tix for $14. That is nuts. Even tix in upper bowl can be had for $60.
On opening night, that's unheard of.
I noticed Tulsa has tix for $14. That is nuts. Even tix in upper bowl can be had for $60.
On opening night, that's unheard of.
Tulsa's not exactly a hot tourist destination
Bean_Counter
The Fly
LOL
True
Wish they would play other hot tourist destinations...say, like Boise, Idaho.
Make things easier for me; probably others too.
superchuk5
Refugee
We're looking at St. Louis as a test case for a market that:
1. Had stadium demand for a JT show last year, but that show got cancelled so all that demand went unmet
2. Has soft demand for a single arena show this year despite there having been demand for a stadium show just last year
Oversaturation isn't an issue in this market because it never got to be oversaturated. It's certainly an issue in a place like LA, but by looking at St. Louis in isolation it seems plausible that the hook of a Joshua Tree tour attracted fans who would have otherwise not bought a ticket. 360 may have drawn casuals because of the sheer spectacle of it all. Meanwhile, the hook for E+I is the continuation of a three-year old tour in support of an album that didn't make much of an impact. JT and 360 had strong marketing hooks to draw casuals, and St. Louis is a clear example of what can happen when that hook goes away.
Caveat we are not comparing ticket pricing, but it's still a question of meeting roughly 1/3 of the demand from last year. Super low prices is certainly a tool to counter the lack of strong marketing hook.
Last edited:
Similar threads
