‘Ow Much!? The secrets to dodging ripoff gig ticket prices

Rock fans around the world will be thrilled at the news of the legendary Guns n’Roses’ reunion tour and anxious for a ticket. Equally, Black Sabbath are literally at ‘The End’ as the seemingly indestructible force of Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi call it a day with no sign of a hedonistic afterparty. The problem is, as we all know, we can’t afford it.

If Londoners were not already addled by paying an average of two thirds of income on rent, the prospect of paying an eye-watering hundred pounds to look at the back of someone’s head in a crowded pit is not an enticing one.

Worse still if it’s someone’s phone everytime Ozzy’s now sober pupils can be vaguely made out of the white dot of a face in the distance. Add into this six pounds for a plastic beaker of lager, thirty pounds for a t-shirt, that big bloke who keeps shoving you from behind and the smug superiority of the American Express holders in the front row, we can only hope Axl Rose is actually going to turn up on time.

Ticket prices are extortionate. ‘Rock’n’roll will never die’ of course, but the rebellious spirit is now the property of the generations who can afford it. No wonder the airwaves no longer vibrate with guitar shredding.

The problems

Touts- someone with a bit of cash buys up a load of tickets to sell later to indecisive people with a bit of cash at an inflated rate.

Third-party ticket sellers– Buying a ticket is a confusing process. First you put in your selections. Then you are taken through a portal to another website where you have to make those selections again. There is a chain of supply and demand that ultimately means tickets are being bought up and sold wholesale. When these naturally sell out, the price goes up. In the last weeks before a gig the effect is extortionate. Metallica’s frontman James Hetfield has recently joined the call against these large scale operations, saying thousands of tickets are sold with no idea of just where they go.

Celebrity- The cult appeal of seeing a giant from thirty years ago seems to outweigh upcoming talent. With this comes the target consumer being older and therefore wealthier.

Solutions

Let’s take the example of Guns n’Roses, playing London on Saturday 17th June 2017.

Livenation £85 + 9.95 fees (Sold Out)

Getmein (Ticketmaster) Resale- £141.67 + £26.71 processing fee = £168.38 total

Stubhub- from £148 (14/12/20160 + 10% fee = £152.80 total

Viagogo– £127 + Delivery and Booking fee £53.45 = £181.02 total

Dice- A new app that registers individual tickets to buyer’s phones intends to prevent touts taking large batches of tickets. Unfortunately they do not have any for this high-profile gig.

Go to the venue website- London Stadium- This is too late for Guns n’Roses, but buying direct from the venue can often be the cheapest option. The downsides of this is the level of organisation required and, as in this case, you may well still go through Ticketmaster anyway and feel the hammer of additional fees. The benefit is you may be able to register for a pre-sale with tickets ‘from £85’. The immediate conclusion is time is everything, with the original Livenation price, now sold out, a solid third cheaper than those currently available. The good news is that, besides the American Express pre-sale, this is something open to everyone. The bad news is having to get organised beforehand and fighting through a queue on an overloaded website.

Alternatives

Ultimately, until legislative action intervenes it is unlikely things are going to change soon. At the end of the day, fat and balding ex-superstars are expensive while more niche talent goes largely unsung.

Smaller acts at smaller venues

Fans of metal (thrash, black, progressive blackened…) are guaranteed a good intimate gig at the Camden Underworld for around £10-15. The “famous if you know them” Akercocke recently played their first gig for seven years there with supports Talanas and The King is Blind.

Enjoyment per pound is likely to outweigh Metallica if you remove the brand idolism. You will be right up against the stage and much less likely to get into a crush. The more niche the band, the more dedicated the fans and so the risk of ending up in front of a rowdy group only there for one song goes down.

Consider- O2 Islington (Angel), The Garage, Roundhouse, Koko, O2 Forum Kentish Town, Brixton Academy.

 

 

Festivals

Festivals are also expensive. However, for £100-200 per ticket you are sure to see around 3-5 world class acts. This year’s Download Festival in Donnington featured Black Sabbath with a weekend ticket twice the price of their ‘The End’ Tour with the addition of Iron Maiden, Korn, Rammstein, Saxon and more.

Next year’s may be the only opportunity to see Aerosmith in the UK on their retirement tour. The real price here is not just the ticket but travel, food and drink. Add to this the inconvenience of slumming in a muddy field for three nights with minimal hygiene.

Outside drink is not allowed in the arena where Trooper is £5.50 per pint while the cheapest food is chips at £3.50 (and more if you’re posh and go for cheese). Unfortunately, with big acts pricing out the younger fan, this racket seems to be the only cost effective means for music fans to see their idols.

Stewart Vickers Instagram/Twitter @vickhellfire

 

The post ‘Ow Much!? The secrets to dodging ripoff gig ticket prices appeared first on Felix Magazine.