http://www.musicweek.com/default.asp

Prince is set to extend his record-breaking 15-show run at the soon-to-launch O2 Arena, by adding a further six shows.

Promoters AEG Live and Marshall Arts will announce details this week, but Music Week has learnt that the Vegas-style residency at the North Greenwich venue will now see Prince playing 21 nights at the new venue – further beating Status Quo’s arena record of 14 nights. The new dates are August 24 and 25, and September 6, 16, 20 and 21.

In addition, tickets are going on sale for after-show jam sessions at the 2,300-capacity sister venue The Indigo, where The New Power Generation will perform after every O2 Arena show, with some mooted to include appearances by Prince himself.

The extra dates come as the singer last week finalised a deal to distribute his new album Planet Earth via Columbia Records. The album’s first single Guitar will be available as a free download via Verizon, to anyone who participates in a demo of its online music identification service.

AEG Live senior vice president Rob Hallett says the shows have exceeded everyone’s sales expectations. “We’re talking about 385,000 tickets in total,” says Hallett. “That hasn’t just broken the arena’s record, it’s smashed it.”

Tickets for the Earth Tour dates, which begin on August 1, were imaginatively priced at £31.21 each – a reference to Prince’s last album, 3121. Concert goers will each receive a copy of Planet Earth, mirroring a similar initiative during his US tour in 2005 when audiences were given copies of the Musicology album. That distribution boosted his position in the Billboard charts, but the resulting furor prompted Billboard to change its rules, making such initiatives chart ineligible.

In last month’s press conference to unveil the London dates, the artist referred to the CD giveaway as “direct marketing, so I don’t have to be in the speculation business of the music industry”.

Hallet explains, “People will be physically handed the album when they come to the shows. There has been a lot of gossip about this just being a way in which Prince could boost himself in the charts, but the album won’t be chart eligible, so that is a lot of nonsense.”

Addressing the ticket price for the gigs, he continues, “People have been talking about the low prices and speculating that it is a ploy to encourage higher merchandise sales. But the truth is that Prince has simply taken notice of pricing and made it his priority to make sure that his concerts are affordable.”

Contrary to some reports, the London shows will not see Prince playing his greatest hits “for the last time”. Instead, he says his band has rehearsed about 150 songs, including a version of the Beatles’ The Long And Winding Road and Amy Winehouse’s Love is a Losing Game, which he hopes to perform with her on stage.

NOOOOO!

He was to play Spain on August 25th

check

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

and please move to concerts forum

How about....In addition, tickets are going on sale for after-show jam sessions at the 2,300-capacity sister venue The Indigo, where The New Power Generation will perform after every O2 Arena show, with some mooted to include appearances by Prince himself.

NOW they're releasing Front Row Auction?!?!? Ticketmaster. You gotta love 'em!

leecaldon said:

So golden tickets are now rows 2-10.

Blimey.

Can we hope aftershow tix are £31.21?

What is Front Row Auction?

We've truly been fucked over in this. Ticketmaster, what a bunch of wankers.

I see it now. All us hardcore fans in shitty seats at the back of the arena - and loads of empty good seats.

Sly said:

I'd second that!!

pandemoniun6 said:

You can always hope.
As the writeup says Prince might attend some of the aftershows it appears as if him being there is not the norm.. sort of an extension of what he did in the 3121 cuisine in Vegas. Prince would be there but frequently opted to play only little bits here and there, with the band being center stage for much of the night.
If this is indeed the case then ticket prices will be low.
If these are envisioned as bring-the-house-down shows, then get ready for more ticket auctions.

blacksweat said:

Is it beyond the possible that Prince had any involvement with this?

m3taverse said:

it'd make sense for him to wait and see if the the tickets are selling before he announces an extension. But this staggered release of tickets, the deliberate confusion over gold seating, vip seating, etc etc.. and now this auction bullshit. Ticketmaster don't give a shit if people attend the shows, jsut as long as money's spent on the tickets.

A sold out show with massive empty sections. Nothing more depressing.

wow - I deliberately got tickets for the 13th thinking it was his last nite - and then this happens..... and this front row auction thing?? what a disgrace for those who paid for VIP tix
This leaves a seriously nasty taste in my mouth..
[Edited 6/11/07 14:18pm]

xenophobia2002 said:

moving to concerts forum makes sense

but sourcing a front page story to ticketmaster, generally speaking, is a little silly when there are actual press articles that can be cited.

I posted this on another thread, but it's relevant to this one too, so I'm re-posting:

I think this front row auction for the London shows is an absolute disgrace and another insult to those of us who have parted with hard earned cash to pay for VIP packages which were advertised firstly as being seats in the first 10 rows of the floor level.
This suddenly changed to 'gold circle' seating which encompassed the first 10 rows of the lower side tiers.
Now we are informed that there will be no potential for any VIP ticket holder to be in the front row at all. That's some serious bullshit.
I'm totally disillusioned.

Well they did say 21 dates in London.

ZARIA7ETAN said:

ZARIA7ETAN said:

I agree - I am very upset, sad, disappointed and disillusioned with the whole thing - this is my first - and possibly only - Prince gig - all this confusion and sneaky ticket selling is taking the shine off my excitement and just makes me worry that my only experience of Prince will be from the back of an arena where he is no bigger than an ant - lets face it, if there was an artist you need to see close up it's Prince.

I am deflated & unhappy.

So Prince's much advertised 21 night run in London has been extended to, errr... 21 nights. Wow!!

In other news, christmas day will fall on the 25th December this year.

TheEnglishGent said:

so what will the "face value" show on these ticketmaster auction tickets? I can't believe TM actually go down the route of auctioning now. I think it's a very slim line between what they're doing and what scalpers do on auction sites or selling on the street corners outside the arena...

Aftershow at Indigo???

Does anyone know where this is and when the tickets go onsale?

blacksweat said:

ooh i wudent mind tring too go there!any info on the club and how too get tickets?

indio is next to the 02 . its there smaller nite club .go to the o2 website

The additional dates I'm not bothered by, it was expected wasn't it given the whole 21 night in London thing? But the front row, VIP, Gold circle seating debacle is just ridiculous. It's so disgustingly unfair to those that have shelled out a heap of money in the hope of being right in fromt, or possibly even on the front row! That can't even happen now despite what they've paid.
Really narked about this!

Kitten said:

And how do you know that every single front row seat for every single concert is being auctioned on Ticketmaster?

I can understand why peeps who have bought gold circle tickets are upset but rather than bang on about it here, has anyone actually rang ticketmaster to explain there actions and find how this front row auction will effect their chances of a getting a front row ticket.

Is there a case of mis selling here? Cos if there is why not ask for a refund on your vip ticket and pile that cash into the auction. If they dont budge and you think there is a case, ask them who their governing body is and report TM to them.

plumbcrazy said:

I'm one of the people 'banging on about it here', and yes I did call Ticketmaster customer services this afternoon. This is what happened.
First I asked how they could possible justify the front row auction when they had been selling VIP tickets describes as the 'best seats in the house' and they were including front row. I then said that, to get technical, it could be construed as applying a false trade description to goods, which makes it a strict liability offence. To change what they are offering once tickets had already been sold is a breach of the Trades Description Act 1968.
Ticketmaster have already been skating on thin ice since changing the description of the VIP package to the 'Gold Circle' and adding the first 10 rows of the lower side tier. This auction is just the icing on the cake.
They guy I spoke to was a little flustered at the legal stuff and went to speak to a superior. He came back and offered me a refund straight away. Practically an admission of guilt.
But I told him that he was missing the point - I don't want a refund - I want the VIP package they promised. I want at least the chance to sit in the front row.
He then said that not all the front row seats were being auctioned. I then asked how many seats were being auctioned, or what percentage of front row seats but he didn't have that information - what a surprise.

I could of course have take the refund and taken my chances at the auction tomorrow, but at what risk? We have no idea how high the prices will rise in this auction, and it could be way higher than the £240 I paid for the VIP package. I can't take that risk, especially as I have flights and hotel already booked.

Whoever said that Money Don't Matter 2 Night????