why are shows today so expensive? sting and annie lennox are charging $127 for the best seats in the house. fleetwood mac is charging 125 for their best available. madonna is asking people to drop 300 bucks for her prime seats. all this, by the way, is before taxes, shipping and ticktmaster service fees. i know there will always be local shows and smaller shows that are low in price but even lesser known names like rufus wainwright charge 50-something for their shows. it's pretty bad when i feel that paying 80 bucks for a prince concert is cheap! i'm not a cheap guy...several peeps on the org can attest to that (purplegypsy, lemonpie, iwishyouheaven, speak up). i'm actually quite frivolous with money. when i saw madonna's ticket prices, though, all i could think was "this bitch is crazy." just because dolce and gabbana dress her for free doesn't mean everyone else gets free perks. for my man and i to see that show, it would cost us about $650 dollars...that is half the cost of a vacation! sting and annie...man, i'd love to see annie perform and i've never seen sting but i can catch them seperately for half the price and see longer performances. and mick fleetwood should just be ashamed of his greediness. i know nobody forces you to make one decision or another but, honestly, it is pretty disappointing to be excited about a tour only to find that you can't really justify the huge expense. these entertainers have lost all sense of reality.

sorry for the rant...i haven't had my coffee.

I totally agree.You know that I LOVE Madonna,but I really don't know if I'm gonna pay $300 to see her.I might just pay $45 for the nosebleed seats.In 2001,I made "excuses" for her when fans complained about the high ticket prices.I said....


***This could be her last tour (of course,it wasn't)
***She rarely tours
***Her show is really expensive for her to put on
***If Barbra Streisand can charge an arm and a leg,why not Maddy?


But this time around,I don't think it's logical to spend $300 for a two-hour concert.I'll have to seriously think about it.

I TOTALLY agree with you!

The price of top seats to Madonna equals airfare to Londong from the US in the winter. Once I realized that I realized there was no way in Hell I'd payy $300 plus a gagillion dollars in ticketmaster fees to see Madonna.

DavidEye said:

OMG! The world is ENDING!



actually this makes me feel MUCH more sane if you are thinking about getting cheapseats!

tickets are already up on eBay-can someone explain why they are starting so cheap? what's the catch?
[This message was edited Tue Mar 23 6:29:58 2004 by purplegypsy]

endorphin74 said:

this is the way I look at it...


For the DWT,I had a GREAT seat just to the left of the stage.I paid $275 for the ticket.So I've already seen a Madonna concert up-close.I don't really need to do it again.I'll be glad just to be there.Besides,inevitably,one of these shows will be filmed and then released on DVD anyway.Then we'll all be able to see it "up-close".

purplegypsy said:

How much are they going for? Are they prime seats or the nosebleeds?

purplegypsy said:

it must be someone with a connection to the venue.

DavidEye said:

total nosebleeds

you know,one of the few artists who NEVER charges outrageous prices for his concerts is Carlos Santana.Even during his 1999/2000 Supernatural heyday,his tickets were only around $50,the same price he has been charging for years.And at many of his outdoor shows,kids are admitted free on the lawn section.He's really a wonderful guy.

The reason that concert tickets are so expensive is because people are willing to pay it. If I were an artist and I was told that I could either charge $300 for the front row seats or $50 I think I would choose the $300 because if I don't then the person paying $50 can turnaround and make the $250 I gave up on ebay.

If you want the system to change you need to boycott concerts and hopefully everyone will follow suit. People also need to stop using ticket brokers and Ebay.

But another question is, Why do you feel the need to sit in the most expensive seats? Usually side of the stage seats are cheaper and I find them to be very good.

Yet another question is, Can anyone believe just how far back Prince is charging the full $75 on this tour. Wow!

Garth Brooks is another artist who refused to raise his ticket prices. He always kept his tickets in the 25 dollar range and his t-shirts in the $15 range which is where they should be.

lovemachine said:

Great point,lovemachine.Please gimme the strength to boycott the Madonna tour

DavidEye said:

look, i know p's tickets are pricey but i'd have to skip all 4 that i'm attending to cover the cost of one madonna how with the same quality seats. CA-RAZY!
no, i'm honestly disappointed. i'm one of those 650,000 people that bought american life in the US and the thanks is a ridiculously high ticket price. too bad. i'd have loved to go. and annie...i guess i'll see her when she comes around by herself again because i'd rather go out to anelegant dinner with my man or buy a plane ticket somewhere. plus, i need to be saving for morocco...lol...

SassierBritches said:

why don't you just get the $45 nosebleed seats for Madonna? Yeah,I know it sucks but at least you'll be there.

DavidEye said:

i have thought about it but i only wanted to go if i could be in viewing distance. if i'm gonna watch it on a big screen i'll just watch it at home on hbo. i went to the last tour and sat 3 rows frmo the top and i was cool with that since i bought the tickets the day of the show. i decided i was not going to miss it. but, if i can't be close enough to watch the performers this time, there is no need to spend that kind of money. i don't think her voice is all that great...certainly not worth 300 bucks. i don't know, man, i'm just disappointed that she's such a cash cow.

SassierBritches said:

you may not be tryin to do this but you may be convincing me that this is a bad idea!

endorphin74 said:

but not my intention...hey, if you'll have a great time nonetheless it is probably worth it. if i wasn't a waiter, where money comes and goes with the wind, i may be feeling differently. as it stands i just paid for my spring break trip, just bought some tickets to multiple p shows, still have a 500 balance left for my spring quarter at school (plus books) and am trying to plan a holiday to africa. madonna just doesn't fit into all that. if her highest ticket was 125 or 150, i would be sour but my ass would still be excited about going. but, lke i said, for my man and i to go it would cost upwards of $650. that is my entire school bill and some of my books! uh uh.

if you ge the tickets, endo, i know you'll have fun! don't let me bring you down...that's soo not my intention.

SassierBritches said:

you aren't bringing me down, you are talking sensibly

I just had to buy a car with my taxes, and am about to finish school. This means by the end of this year I will be paying student loans. Also, I will be dealing with getting licensed in my area which will cost about $500 initially and then about $200 a month after that for supervision fees...

Those are all reasons why I chose not to go to Europe this summer, and now I'm thinking bout throwing wads of money at Madonna? It just may not be the right time for me to go. If she was playing MPLS, it would be easy, but the expense of the show PLUS traveling may be more than I should spend. Besides, HBO is gonna be broadcasting a show, maybe I should just make THAT my MAdonna party of the summer...

not to mention, this new career I've chosen in Social Work isn't quite putting me in any high paying jobs, lol....oh, what to do...


...greedy biaaaatch edit.....
[This message was edited Tue Mar 23 7:31:59 2004 by endorphin74]

SassierBritches said:

co-sign. I'm sooo torn right now. It pisses me off that they're so expensive, but I'd still really like to see it. On the other hand, if it continues in the same vein as Drowned World, there isn't really a NEED to see it live -- there is not a spontaneous moment in the entire show. And with getting shut out of the NY and Chicago dates, I'd have to do Vegas, which would mean losing on the 2 Prince tickets I already bought (for less than her one!)

ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I caved...but at least in some vain attempt at self-control, I got the "cheap" seats

anywho...Chi-town, here I come!

endorphin74 said:

No ! -- it'll definitely be great to see. Have fun!!!

I made up my mind for sure when I saw Vegas tickets are $367.50!!!!
I'm not bitter though -- Madonna definitely needs MORE money!!!!

Just spoke with a broker in the area-he offered me floor tickets at $500/each and nosebleeds for $300/each. I’m sure it will get worse as it gets closer to the show.

DavidEye said:

My friends and I can't afford $300 USD ($500+ CAD not including taxes) tickets. And it's not worth going if you pay $45 USD for a worse view than the eventual DVD will give you (and for only $18.99 USD, I might add!). I really wish I could, but it's not in the cards this time around. Too bad, because I love Madonna.
[This message was edited Tue Mar 23 12:52:48 2004 by VoicesCarry]

VoicesCarry said:

It really sucks that she shuts out so many of her hardcore fans because of pricing. It doesn't make any sense to me.

As far as I see it, I can't afford to bite the beat of this star.
There's two things Mo can't stand:
One's a jive talk fan;
The other's a jive talk fan with no money
Can you dig it?

i would absolutely love to see madonna but the tickets are going to cost me an arm & a leg. plus, she won't play anywhere near me so i have to schedule travel time & invest more money on the road to see the goddes herself. i would love to see annie lennox too but i'm sure that'll cost a fortune when tickets go onsale for my area. gosh, i wish tori amos would tour again. her tickets are never over forty some odd bucks. come back tori!!!

tory305 said:

Yeah, that's actually the reason I can't see her. Her sole Canadian date is across the country. Unfeasible!

BILLBOARD APRIL 3,2004 issue----


"TOUR IS MADONNA'S LATEST RE-INVENTION"

By Ray Waddell (Billboard)

Producers of Madonna's upcoming tour believe that a focus on her classic material,even if it is "re-invented",should be worth the $300 top-end ticket price to her fans.The re-Invention tour will primarily consist of North American arena stops.An international leg includes 12 dates in Europe--a concert at Slane Castle in Dublin is one of them--and shows in Tel Aviv,Israel.

The trek begins May 24 at the Forum in Inglewood,Calif.There will be no supporting act,and the setlist will tilt toward a career retrospective,according to Arthur Fogel.He is touring division president for worldwide promoter Clear Channel Entertainment and is overseeing the tour.

The ticket price puts Madonna in the upper tier of touring artists,a status her handlers believe she has earned."I am not expecting sticker shock--Madonna is one of the few artists who gives a performance worthy of every cent spent",says her manager Caresse Henry."I am basing ticket prices on the going rate and knowing the show she is preparing to give"

Fogel adds,"Madonna is a unique and major-league act that,whenever she works,it's a true event and I don't see it being any different this time".

Cher has toured extensively during the past two years,Bette Midler has been out.Britney Spears is currently on the road and Janet Jackson has tentative plans to tour this fall.

But even if the marketplace is jostling with iconic diva types,Madonna tends to rise above the competition,according to Fogel.

"She has a way of captivating the marketplace," Fogel says."Any time Madonna tours,it has been hugely successful".

In 2001,Madonna grossed $75 million from 47 sellouts on her Drowned World tour,according to Billboard Boxscore.CCE also produced that tour,which focused far more on material from then-current release "Music" than the artist's hit catalog.It's ticket prices topped out at $250.

This time around,fans can apparently expect a degree of familiarity--good news when the ticket range is $45-$300.

Some fans complained last time out that Madonna didn't perform enough of her classic hits,a fact not lost on the artist."That was one of the major complaints,and thus we came to the conclusion that it was time to perform more of her entire repertoire",Henry says.

John Page,senior VP for Comcast-Spectator,operator of the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia,does not expect any price resistance to his July 4 Madonna show.

And because the Republican National Convention will be occupying New York arena Madison Square Garden in July,the Philly show's draw should expand into New York and central new Jersey,Page believes.

"Based on the business we did two years ago with Madonna,we anticipate adding a date," Page says."From what we've seen,people aren't really resistant to $300 tickets as long as there are only a few of them.People like U2,Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones have shown that it's really about what the market will bear".

VIP packages,offered through a partnership between MusicToday and Signatures Network,include exclusive merchandise,laminates and private entrance to venues.They will cost about $700.

Production elements are still being determined."The show will be filled with many musical surprises in terms of the performances.This show will not be as theatrical as the last tour;I like to refer to it as a brilliant performance show," says Henry."Extravagant,yes,but more in line with how shows used to be and scaled back but filled with plenty of eye candy."

I can't believe folks are willing to throw down that much $ to see this no-singin' broad

CalhounSq said:

Oh,come on and go see her this summer.Who knows,she just might perform your favorite song "Bad Girl"


PRINCE at the HP Pavilion on June 1 and June 2
MADONNA at the HP Pavilion on June 8 and 9

that's 20 years of pop music history in one week!!