Tickets, WOW.

[Jcloughie]

I am still reeling after paying about £260 for two decent seats to see Andre Rieu in Birmingham next May. And a granddaughter today requested that we all send her vibes that she will be accepted for tickets as she was in a telephone queue. She got through and all they had left was standing at £280 EACH. To see Taylor Swift next August at Wembley.

She got them!

No wonder Taylor has the impact to significantly affect some country's gdp.

Her text conversation with her friend.




John

 

[Mr Grumpy]

That's just pure greed on the part of so called celebrities.
The Andre Rieu tickets, while pricey, can possibly be justified simply because of his overheads. The wages and travel expenses for the full orchestra and crew must be horrendous!
£280 for a ticket to see a solo singer is just a rip-off!

 

[shouldknowbettor]

It's all relative though. While Andre will have a full orchestra, the staging will be minimal from what I've seen on TV (it's on TV daily it seems ), but as I understand it Taylor Swift's concert is supposed to be literally the biggest 'show' ever put on. Apparently is pretty amazing to behold. It will cost way more to put on a swift show I expect. However she'll also have bigger capacity too.

I'd not pay that kind of money, but scalpers broke the ticket market and the reset has been more expensive for sure.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I wouldn't watch Andre Rieu or Flora Twisty even if they paid me £260.

Each to his own

 

[Buckman]

I wouldn't watch Andre Rieu or Flora Twisty even if they paid me £260.

Each to his own

Would you have paid a similar high price to see Rolling Stones, Beatles, Clif, Elvis etc taking into perspective your earnings at that time?

 

[Jcloughie]

Would you have paid a similar high price to see Rolling Stones, Beatles, Clif, Elvis etc taking into perspective your earnings at that time?

Good question.

When I was of that age I was bringing up a young family so going to such a gig was out of the question.

Before marriage and all the expenses that that incurred, we attended gigs every week. But then that was Liverpool in the ’60s. I spent some time as a roadie for an unknown group, though two of them went on to tour and make records.

I even went to the Cavern every Friday lunch for Cavern soup. (Minestrone with added alphebety safety).

If I had spare cash at that time, I very likely would have blown it like she is.

John

 

[otherclive]

I dare not ask what our tickets cost for Andrea Bocelli next year in Hyde Park or Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff. Plus we don’t have a caravan to retreat to afterwards. So accommodation may be required. And I’m under pressure to take our daughter to the ABBA thing in London for her 50th next July. My suggestion that Abba Reunion are playing the Cheese and Grain in Frome next month wasn’t welcomed. 😂

 

[otherclive]

Would you have paid a similar high price to see Rolling Stones, Beatles, Clif, Elvis etc taking into perspective your earnings at that time?

I don’t think in real terms concert prices were as high as they are now. Plus the gigs were far less sophisticated. Saw the Stones in Leicester Odean cinema. Queued all night for Beatles tickets at Leicester De Montfort hall but then exchanged them for an offer I could not refuse. Then they broke up so no further chance to see them live.

 

[shouldknowbettor]

Out of interest I looked this up - average price of a US ticket for Beatles in 1964 seems to be around $5. That's roughly $50 on today's money. Given that would be the Beatles, on a stage in a theatre or similar, basic lighting, ok sound, compared to the light/stage show you're getting for Taylor swift, it doesn't seem wildly out. Ok so you might not think it's worth, 5-6 times more, but I bet it's costing 50x more to put on the show, maybe 500!

 

[Raywood]

Have to agree with Mr Grumpy. I can see where there is a full orchestra that overheads can be high and the costs might be justified. To stand for Taylor Swift at that price seems to mean that they are taking the fans as fools. I accept they do have others involved as art of the [performance but it seems tickets are priced at what they think the market will stand rather than what they need to charge and the profits I see declared for some tours defy belief.

 

[Sam Vimes]

I think the sarcasm in my original post got lost in translation.

😃

 

[Jcloughie]

I dare not ask what our tickets cost for Andrea Bocelli next year in Hyde Park or Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff. Plus we don’t have a caravan to retreat to afterwards. So accommodation may be required. And I’m under pressure to take our daughter to the ABBA thing in London for her 50th next July. My suggestion that Abba Reunion are playing the Cheese and Grain in Frome next month wasn’t welcomed. 😂

My daughter is an ABBA fanatic, even had a tribute band to her 40th. She has been to the ABBA thing, and loved it.

Son has been to see the Boss. They don't tell us the cost as they know we will freak out.

John

 

[shouldknowbettor]

I think youre getting hung up on the fact theres an orchestra. Yes thats 60 well paid people, but aside them you're not needing tons of roadies and god knows what. The whole show runs probably with 100 people.

Taylor swift on the other hand has 50(!) truck drivers alone just to cart the sets around its that big. And she apparently paid all of them (in the US anyway) $100,000 bonuses each when the US tour was done. Everyone involved got bonuses I believe. So yes its expensive, but its a different league entirely. Not saying I would want to go, but I appreciate why some do and why they'd spend the money on it.

Do you think Andre's orchestra will all get 100k bonuses on top of their pay?

 

[otherclive]

My daughter is an ABBA fanatic, even had a tribute band to her 40th. She has been to the ABBA thing, and loved it.

Son has been to see the Boss. They don't tell us the cost as they know we will freak out.

John

Noted, but I guess you weren’t expected to go to ABBA Voyage also!

 

[Jcloughie]

Noted, but I guess you weren’t expected to go to ABBA Voyage also!

I would consider going there. It is the journey and hotel that put me off.

John

PS, it could be combined with another visit to the National Maritime Museum. Great day out.

 

[Jcloughie]

I think youre getting hung up on the fact theres an orchestra. Yes thats 60 well paid people, but aside them you're not needing tons of roadies and god knows what. The whole show runs probably with 100 people.

Taylor swift on the other hand has 50(!) truck drivers alone just to cart the sets around its that big. And she apparently paid all of them (in the US anyway) $100,000 bonuses each when the US tour was done. Everyone involved got bonuses I believe. So yes its expensive, but its a different league entirely. Not saying I would want to go, but I appreciate why some do and why they'd spend the money on it.

Do you think Andre's orchestra will all get 100k bonuses on top of their pay?

I have heard, (but don't actually know). At one time, acts would tour at a loss in order to make their money on the record sales.

But now, for the major acts, the money is in the touring.

When I was a roadie, I did it for free. How things change.

John

 

[Mr Grumpy]

I think youre getting hung up on the fact theres an orchestra. Yes thats 60 well paid people, but aside them you're not needing tons of roadies and god knows what. The whole show runs probably with 100 people.

Taylor swift on the other hand has 50(!) truck drivers alone just to cart the sets around its that big. And she apparently paid all of them (in the US anyway) $100,000 bonuses each when the US tour was done. Everyone involved got bonuses I believe. So yes its expensive, but its a different league entirely. Not saying I would want to go, but I appreciate why some do and why they'd spend the money on it.

Do you think Andre's orchestra will all get 100k bonuses on top of their pay?

I think you would be surprised at the size and expense of the Andre Rieu organisation.
It's a huge enterprise that about 4 years ago was estimated to cost around £1 million a month to run.
Along with the orchestra there's a whole fleet of buses, lorries, and aircraft plus all the set engineers etc, etc,etc.
As to carting the sets around how do you think so many of his sets look the same? Does he have one in every country he plays in?

 

[Mel]

Sir Elton had something to say about it in 2015

Elton John: Ticket prices 'disgraceful' - BBC News

Sir Elton John describes secondary ticket sites as "disgraceful" for selling tickets to his shows at vastly inflated prices.

www.bbc.com

Seems like the ticket prices are not at the behest of the performers
Mel

 

[shouldknowbettor]

It's a huge enterprise that about 4 years ago was estimated to cost around £1 million a month to run.

Sort of my point. Swift will be more like £1m per show. Rieu's show is small and cheap to run by comparison to Swift's. Whether that justifies the cost difference only a person whos been to both could say.

 

[Jcloughie]

Sir Elton had something to say about it in 2015

Elton John: Ticket prices 'disgraceful' - BBC News

Sir Elton John describes secondary ticket sites as "disgraceful" for selling tickets to his shows at vastly inflated prices.

www.bbc.com

Seems like the ticket prices are not at the behest of the performers
Mel

The tickets quoted in my original post are at face value. I think the industry has done much to clamp down on block purchasing, which is why my grandaughter had to wait in a phone queue for very limited tickets. But they will never prevent selling on.

It was not such a problem for Antre Rieu. But there is not a problem with selling out, hence the need to book 5 months in advance.

I think Taylor has a greater demand by far. But I would rather watch a spectacle in comfort.

However, it is the market forces that dictate the ticket price. As with most things.


John

 

[RogerL]

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that pricing is based on market demand, not costs - this is true even in non-democratic countries.

 

[otherclive]

I would consider going there. It is the journey and hotel that put me off.

John

PS, it could be combined with another visit to the National Maritime Museum. Great day out.

Would be a busman’s holiday, especially if taking a meal in Greenwich Painted Hall. But the museum is very good, not sure daughter would agree.

 

[Bluetonic]

Is that a recent release of Taylor Swift tickets?
My daughter managed to get 2 pairs of tickets at different gigs for £65 a ticket, although they are seated back in the spring.
Thankfully I know several Brit Pop bands so usually get on the guest list for their gigs.
It is the promotors that set the price, the performers take a fraction of the ticket price. Often the band will get a fixed rate and the promotor takes whatever they sell over that amount, or suck up any losses. Or do a runner with tens of thousands of pounds just as you are sat waiting in Heathrow airport waiting for a flight to the USA to start a tour

 

[Beachball]

Is that a recent release of Taylor Swift tickets?
My daughter managed to get 2 pairs of tickets at different gigs for £65 a ticket, although they are seated back in the spring.
Thankfully I know several Brit Pop bands so usually get on the guest list for their gigs.

That a great price hope she has nice time

 

[shouldknowbettor]

It is the promotors that set the price, the performers take a fraction of the ticket price. Often the band will get a fixed rate and the promotor takes whatever they sell over that amount, or suck up any losses. Or do a runner with tens of thousands of pounds just as you are sat waiting in Heathrow airport waiting for a flight to the USA to start a tour

Not for a Swift gig - I have to admire the way she does business. She runs the show directly through her own company, no messing about with middle-men, and she seems to be very generous to the people who work for her too. Good for her.

£65 seems pretty reasonable too. There must be some really expensive tickets as I read the US tour pulled in $13m per gig.