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Ticket Prices Rant

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Scooke123
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Ticket Prices Rant

#1 Post by Scooke123 »

Ok, I don't normally complain too much over the price of the majority of shows but today I tried to purchase Motley Crue tickets for my daughter, her friend, my son and his girlfriend.
I offered because I buy a lot of Cardinals games at Busch Stadium and got a presale offer for being a ticket holder. Tried Wednesday to purchase tickets and only ones available were high priced tickets. Thursday tried the presale using the radio station code - same thing.
Today (Friday) sale to general public starting at 10 am. Log on at 10 - all $59.50 and $89.50 seats unavailable (not even single seats). The thing that really burned my A** was the handling fee: $35 PER ticket for a total of $175 on top of the ticket price. This was for nosebleeds!! Moot point anyway because you couldn't purchase the cheaper tickets anyway - already sold out?
Anyway not sure who was getting the handling fees but Damn!!!! On top of it the tickets were an app on your phone - no paperwork or mailing involved.
These shows aren't for the fans for sure - all about money in the pockets of the bands (mainly Motley Crue). Shame on Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett for signing on to this rape of the fans.

Sorry for the long rant, just bothered me some. Any opinions??
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tay666
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#2 Post by tay666 »

I am glad I had zero interest in this tour.
Those sound like highway robbery prices.

And don't even get me started on handling fees :evil:
One of the perks of seeing some of the younger / newer bands is you can usually bypass ticketmaster and/or livenation and their outrageous fees.

Also, my local venue in Erie doesn't even use Ticketmaster, they have their own ticketing system. Sure you get charged the 'convenience fee' but that is the tax that the city adds on to any ticket purchases.
Still don't like it, but at least I understand it. The city has to deal with the traffic and the extra officers to help direct it. And it is reasonable. (like less than 10% )
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Scooke123
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#3 Post by Scooke123 »

Anytime I hear a "Stadium Tour" I think extremely high ticket prices. I remember years ago at the Super Jams, etc at the old Busch Stadium in the 70's and early 80's you had 6 or 7 bands and a low ticket price.
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#4 Post by tay666 »

Hell, I remember thinking $25 was expensive for Monsters of Rock at 3 Rivers Stadium back in 88.
Now there are processing fees that are higher than that.

Like I said, I much prefer the smaller venues.
Tickets usually run me around $50-60 including tax / fees / and delivery.
And you get a better experience because you aren't up and back so far that you can't see what is happening on the stage.

Yeah, it limits my options sometimes, but it also saves a lot of headaches.
I hate driving in Cleveland. Doubly so if there is another event happening (like a ball game, or something at the Rock Hall)
And concession prices aren't nearly as bad in the smaller venues either.
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Scooke123
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#5 Post by Scooke123 »

I love the smaller venues for that too. A lot of times the bands playing put on a much better show that the Big Boys at the large venues.
Plus I like to actually see the band without having to use the video screens to see who is on the stage.
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#6 Post by tay666 »

I have to rant a bit about TM and their ridiculous fees.
That ticket I bought for Volbeat was $60, and they tacked on an additional $20 in fees.
1/3 the ticket price in fees [shakes head]
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Scooke123
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#7 Post by Scooke123 »

I'm having a hard time understanding these fees esp. when you go online to the site, find your seats and purchase the tickets then get an app sent to your phone. Who actually benefits from these fees? Is it the ticket handler, venue or artist (or all the above?)

:cussing: :angry2:
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#8 Post by tay666 »

Well, it's not the artist, they get cash from the ticket price, not the fees.
The handler gets the lions share, the rest is usually a tax levied by the city the venue is in.
Supposedly to help offset the costs of extra police, traffic control, and wear and tear on the roads.
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Scooke123
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#9 Post by Scooke123 »

Ticketmaster is getting terrible with their charges. We have them and Metrotix here and TM is slowly taking over. At least with Metrotix you could go to the venue and not get charged any fees there. At least the Pageant here will charge only ticket price if you go to their boxoffice and pay cash regardless of the handler.
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#10 Post by tay666 »

Yeah. That's why I wish there were more shows in Erie.
They do their own ticketing (online also)
The only fees are the ticket tax, which isn't that much.
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#11 Post by ShaneM »

I had been looking at ticket prices last winter and was appalled. So much that I decided I would not even go. The fees were double the price of the ticket.
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#12 Post by LOBOREX »

That is nuts. Anybody ever go to cbgb's? for around ten bucks in the 70's and 80's i saw at different times the Ramones, Patti Smith Group , Talking Heads, Blondie, The Damned, The Misfits, The Police, the Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law and Agnostic Front, Beastie Boys, The Dead Boys, Television. And the best part they never looked too hard at my fake I.D. (sorry for the slight derail signed nostalgic lobo)
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#13 Post by scuzzfink85 »

Sadly those days are gone..
I watch all 80's concerts free on youtube..
Nostalgia can be a bad thing, especially when you are led by it.
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#14 Post by ShaneM »

LOBOREX wrote:That is nuts. Anybody ever go to cbgb's? for around ten bucks in the 70's and 80's i saw at different times the Ramones, Patti Smith Group , Talking Heads, Blondie, The Damned, The Misfits, The Police, the Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law and Agnostic Front, Beastie Boys, The Dead Boys, Television. And the best part they never looked too hard at my fake I.D. (sorry for the slight derail signed nostalgic lobo)
Out on Long Island we had Sundance. Tickets were always $10 as were the band shirts. But, that was back in the 80's and early 90's
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#15 Post by tay666 »

I am curious to see how the pandemic will affect ticket prices.
Will they go down to help lure people out to shows?
Or will they go up to pay for all the changes due to the virus?

All I know, is I really miss live shows.
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Scooke123
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Re: Ticket Prices Rant

#16 Post by Scooke123 »

I'm hoping they don't take advantage of the situation and jack prices sky-high, with prices before covid some were already too high.
i'm ready for live shows again too!
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#17 Post by ShaneM »

I went to 5 shows since May all but one were $25 No fees
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#18 Post by tay666 »

Good to hear.
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#19 Post by ShaneM »

I went to see WASP on the 18th of november. Ticket price wasn't too bad.

The ticket was mobile only so I had to borrow someones smart phone for the night.

Even though I had a good camera and video capability I never even pulled it out as I was enjoying just being there and close enough to see everything clear as day. The idiots around me were another story.

I had been to several shows at that theatre but never seen it that full. Despite it being packed with everyone shoulder to shoulder I apparently haven't lost my touch, thanks to my resting bitch face. I had a 3 foot space in all directions.
Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality.

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#20 Post by bucketfoot-al »

I'm not a concert goer, have not been for 3 decades. (I make an exception for Bill "Monster" Jones & Kathy Murray of "Kathy & The Killowatts". Better music than the "pop acts" and much cheaper and friendlier venues - but I digress :wink: )

Its all about how badly you want to see a show and for what reason. Just for fun - or for the last opportunity in a lifetime.

I paid more than I ever paid for two (2) 25th-row floor tickets to the Elton John Farewell Concert at The 65,000-seat Alamo Dome in San Antonio last month. His 81st - and last - Texas concert ever. (Bought the tix in June 2021 when they were much cheaper than they would have been this year :lol: )

My son flew in from Oregon so we could share the experience. It was also the first time I had seen Elton in 30 years (but the 14th Elton John concert I've seen). Talk about life sending you a clear message about how old you've gotten! :D

Then again, I don't go to concerts, so this was a one-time splurge - it was mainly about doing it together with my son (he knows I was a HUGE EJ fan in the 1970s & 80s - I slept overnight in Central Park in 1980 to be upfront for that epic concert :rolf: )

I had little interest in seeing Elton John again just for the sake of seeing him (like I was doing in the 70s & 80s). But for the opportunity to share the experience with my 26-year old son, it was priceless. (When he was about 13 we watched the 1980 Elton John Central Park concert DVD - he picked me out in a couple of crowd shots before I even recognized myself :lol: )

Anyway, at 75 years of age Elton's piano jamming was still superb, though his voice is much lower and he lets the audience do the "La-la-las" in "Crocodile Rock" nowadays. :lol:

(His US finale from Dodger Stadium last weekend was broadcast on Disney and clips are all over youtube if you want to take a peek :wink: )

You only live once. (BTW, it was my wife who suggested I take my son - she wasn't interested in going).

This thread got me to do a separate thread with some photos from our trip to the Alamo Dome for the concert - check it out here:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=124800
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