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Original poster

To think that £72.00 is too much to go see Prince concert!

58 replies

Scarletohello · 30/04/2014 19:02

Just heard Prince is playing 4 gigs in the UK IM May. Am a huge Prince fan so checked price of tickets. CHEAPEST is £72.00! ( highest is £135.00)

Is this ridiculous or is this normal these days?

So disappointed.

When he did a residency at the O2 a few years ago he only charged £32.00, so really wasn't expecting it to be so much. :(

OP posts:
BeCool · 30/04/2014 20:20

I don't think that is out of line for big artist concerts. Normal for these days.

Original poster
Scarletohello · 30/04/2014 20:22

Slightly off the point but in the eighties I saw Culture Club at Leicester Polytechnic when they were just starting out. Do you Really Want To Hurt Me? had gone to No 1 the week before. The tickets cost £1.75..!

OP posts:
TidyDancer · 30/04/2014 20:25

I've paid nearly £100 to see Bon Jovi before now. Standard tickets, nothing special about the seats.

£300 for tickets with a face value of £74? You were definitely on the resale site. Even ticketmaster wouldn't charge booking fees that high.

Sidge · 30/04/2014 20:41

I'd pay that to see Prince live - shame he's not playing darn sarf at all Sad

I paid £80 to see Fleetwood Mac at the O2 last year. I don't think it's too expensive for a good night out.

Andrewofgg · 30/04/2014 20:52

McFox Your DH is either stark staring bonkers or likes living dangerously or both!

Good luck if you do go, and in fact good luck if you don't go.

Tinkerball · 30/04/2014 20:58

Scarlet - I'm so jealous, I was a huge Culture Club fan, even knitted their names into a jumper when I was a teenager proud

mummratheevertired · 30/04/2014 21:02

I wanted Libertines tickets (I know! Blush ) but they were £61! I just can't afford that so won't buy them - i'm sure lots of people will though. Sigh.

Original poster
Scarletohello · 30/04/2014 21:08

Tinker ball, yes I was a massive fan too. Even spent a whole day plaiting my own hair into fake hair I bought from an Asian shop so I could have waist length plaits/ dreadlocks!
I saw Boy George a few years ago in a club but was too scared to talk to him in case he turned out to be an arsehole...

OP posts:
TwinkleSparkleBling · 30/04/2014 22:08

Oh I am just so excited now. I want to try and get tickets but I'm being really stupid...

Tickets for LG go on sale 12pm Friday, so is that 1) Thurs night into Fri morning 2) Fri night into Sat morning or 3) 12 lunchtime Fri????

Original poster
Scarletohello · 30/04/2014 22:10

It's lunchtime Fri ( I think!)

OP posts:
FreudiansSlipper · 30/04/2014 22:11

it will be worth it

but yes it is expensive

SoonToBeSix · 30/04/2014 22:17

I think Spider was jk

Tinkerball · 30/04/2014 23:42

I made my own Boy George wig for a fancy dress party a few years ago, it was great fun, plaiting and twisting and tying in all the ribbons! My DH bought a orange jumpsuit and took a brush and also went as him - in his community service phase!

Caitlin17 · 30/04/2014 23:55

Ticketmaster and Ticketweb are primary sale sites. There will be booking/admin fees but that shouldn't add much more than a fiver. Anything significantly over the face value is a re-sale site.

I wouldn't pay £72 to see Prince because I don't like him. I do pay in the range of £75 -£100 for The Royal Ballet and have just paid £95 for the Marinsky Opera in this year's Edinburgh festival.

nickstmoritz · 02/05/2014 17:45

I am going woohoo!!! It is a lot of money but after missing out on Kate Bush tickets I am chuffed. I bloody love Prince and I have seen him 3 times already over the years. He is fantastic live. Going with my best mate on a Monday night and I can't wait!!! :)

MsRinky · 02/05/2014 17:50

I'm going too, am very excited.

ilove · 02/05/2014 18:33

I'll keep quiet about what we paid for Monty Python tickets then...

augustusglupe · 02/05/2014 23:52

Have a great time nick & Rinky!! I got 3 tickets for Manchester!! Still can't believe I got them...I also missed out on Kate Bush tickets and Fleetwood mac, but now I don't care!! Give me Prince anyday Smile Last saw him at the 02 in 2007 and paid a fortune so really glad to get these at face value....and so was DH Hmm

WilsonFrickett · 03/05/2014 00:02

I got tickets for Glasgow Grin soooooo excited.

Op, think about it this way: he is playing the four largest venues outside the south. The venue will Charge ££££££ - they have staff costs, taxes, the cost of actually building the venues (the hydro is brand new and cost a few mill to build) and they have to make a profit.

Then there is the cost of the tour itself - he has to pay for his musicians, crew, set, transport, rehearsal costs etc etc and also make a profit.

And he's only doing 4 nights total, so the start up costs are huge to then not do a massive tour. (the last O2 residency was 17 nights, hence the ticket prices could be lower because he was playing longer)

I'm not pretending gig tickets don't cost a lot of money, of course they do. But the product you are seeing also costs a lot of money...

melodycool · 03/05/2014 07:18

As you can guess from my name, I'm a HUGE fan. I'd pretty much pay anything to see him - just the most amazing and talented artist ever.
His shows are on another level and even non-fans agree.
I chased him around London in February during his Hit and Run tour pt1 - ( concerts were announced on the same day and you had to queue up and buy tickets in the door ) - prices ranged from £10 to £70 for those, with no "middle man" taking a cut.
I can't believe he's returning to the Uk so soon!
I'm going to Birmingham to see him ????????????

Morgause · 03/05/2014 07:47

I don't like him, so I wouldn't!

But I'd spend twice that to see a band I do like. And have.

Figster · 03/05/2014 07:50

Id pay it I'd even pay the higher rates as I think they the cheapest.

Saw him at the 02 he was amazing unfortunately can't go this time but my friend is v jealous

FelixFelix · 03/05/2014 07:52

A few friends got tickets for Leeds for 90 odd quid. Massive rip off.

I was desperate to see Fleetwood Mac last year but it was £130 a ticket Shock

MidniteScribbler · 03/05/2014 08:07

Sounds fair to me (even taking in to account the exchange rate). I can just imagine the costs involved in putting the productions together, and by the time the venues take their cuts, the ticket sellers, all the performers, agents, producers, promoters etc get paid, there's probably not that much left for the artists considering the work involved. I am also aware that the additional costs in getting the shows to Australia would be pretty huge. I probably shouldn't tell you what I paid for a front row seat to Mythbusters Live in August.

Ticket scalpers here can be arrested and fined. For most events, sellers have put limits on how many tickets a person is able to buy to an event so that someone can't ring up and buy 20 tickets to resell. You can legally sell/buy a ticket (eg if you can't make it to the event, or someone pulls out on you, etc), but not for more than face value.

fairyfuckwings · 03/05/2014 08:10

Go and see Foo Fighters instead. They're much better and I've just got 4 tickets for £13 each for Manchester. In fact it's so cheap I thought I'd buy some for Liverpool too!