It's impossible to get tickets to gigs these days

[Oto]

DD and I both tried and failed to get tickets for Taylor Swift. Now, Olivia Rodrigo tickets are invite only. How do you even get an invite?

It wasn't even just a case of booking a half day off work - the presale releases were split over about four days and were at different times. We didn't find out until very close to the presale so it was too late for some of my friends to book time off work.

I think the first London sale was 10 July at 10am so meant joining the queue at 9.30 and being glued to your device for several hours. Then the next London release was two days later at about 2.30pm but as you were only allowed to buy up to four tickets you had to decide whether to wait for London or try to buy Dublin or Cardiff in the meantime. I got kicked out of booking several times because it thought I was a bot. It's difficult to describe how incredibly stressful it was to buy tickets to a concert but it was truly horrendous. I booked Killers tickets and numerous others but TS was on another level.

Or you could have waited and got them on Twickets.
Seriously, stop the insanity.
Take That tickets are doing the same wait list nonsense.
I'll get mine nearer the date.

I do exactly what @sm40 advises. Follow the accounts on all platforms and register for presales etc. i got Harry, Taylor and Olivia all at face value, and all really quickly when it came to the actual queueing bit. It is like the Hunger Games but î actually prefer it.

It is so sad for the younger generation (and me, I wanted to see Olivia Rodrigo!!!). So difficult to get tickets and mostly unfair. Plus the cost now is insane, ridiculous the premium tickets they put out!!!

I got Olivia Rodrigo tickets. My daughter is delighted. I'm not.

Why? Were they really expensive?

No they aren't

They were expensive, yes, but it's more that I think she is crap, and also that the O2 is a terrible music venue.

You need to learn to love less mega famous acts, OP! 😉 I never have any trouble getting tickets to see my favourite singer, never pay any more than £22 for tickets, and afterwards he chats and signs everyone's records, CDs etc. and poses for pics. Sorry, not helpful, I know!

I registered and even received a code but my DD said that she’s not very interested so I gave up. It was also about overall costs as well as we would have to stay a night after apart from tickets costs.

I agree OP. Tickets are very expensive nowadays plus the venues are so big, you can see and hear obviously but it’s still so far away. Plus travel costs. And it’s good to say just register and log in - people can’t take time off work for this surely.

I agree with you OP
Fans should go on ticket strike.

Good point someone made about going to see up and coming local bands instead.

You just have to be really organised as pp said. Get friends and family on the case as well. Between us we got tickets to a couple of Taylor concerts for all us and our kids. We've never failed to get tickets to see anyone we've wanted but it's requires serious dedication. 😅

My son adores Olivia Rodrigo. I registered a few different ways for tickets, one of them being a presale on the co op app. Didn’t realise that was only for Manchester (when I’m in London) but still decided to go for it when I was offered presale. Pleased I did as by the time I was allowed to try for tickets on the waiting list for London there was literally nothing left, including VIP tickets. It’s sad it’s now like this.

Not all of us have jobs that allow us to take days off to book concert tickets.

We go to the theatre instead. Still costs an arm and a leg but at least you can get tickets.

Twickets.
I've said it several times, easy to get, even for big names the day before and they're all at face value.
Theatre tickets can be hard to get/very expensive too, I either buy when they first come out or get them from Todaytix.

It was showing up for me that you had to register?
I can't afford them now anyway so I'll just grab one nearer the time.
I pop everything I want on my calendar with a note to say if I still need to buy!

I can't understand how you pay these prices and then complain. Acts charging 100s, making you wait, put in codes, face dynamic pricing. If Tesco raised its prices on Saturdays between 10 and 6 and made you queue for hours you wouldn't shop there. I saw everyone back in the day when it was cheap yet artists still seemed to get rich. If you can afford it that's fine but if you can't just say No.

Take That is a presale for Wednesday which they've done before. It gives early access to tickets before the general sale on Friday. There's no waitlist like Taylor Swift.

Mine honestly said something about a waitlist?
Anyway it's a moot point since I'll be getting them nearer the time but thanks 😊

£100s, multiple?
I paid £110 for Billy Joel, his only show outside of America, and he's well known for not touring.
Same price for Harry Styles, right on the stage.
If you pay £100s you either have it to spend, and good for you, or you're doing something wrong.
Every other gig I went to last year and this has been much cheaper, and they are all well known.

I can't believe anyone can afford them.

I think that but arenas and stadiums full of people prove me wrong. MCR now has 2 x 20k seat arenas

So expensive too. We tried for Olivia Rodriguez. Got the code after signing up on Ticketmaster but by the time I got through only super expensive tickets left so didn't bother. I don't want to be paying £150 per ticket.

It's true. Even to see artists who aren't relevant anymore to younger people (Christina Aguilera for example who's audience is 30+ and for the hits/nostalgia) you have to be online the second the tickets go on sale. Getting tickets for current stars such as Taylor Swift must be impossible!

I got an email on Thursday at 7pm, saw it an hour later, went on the site and got the tickets that were available.