CINCINNATI — After last year’s Taylor Swift concert mania, music lovers had hoped that ticket prices would come back to earth this year.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Even with Swift not playing in the U.S. until this fall (more on that in a moment), prices are at record highs.
Prices for the Foo Fighters at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark in August start at $100 for nosebleeds, with the lower bowl currently around $400.
Luke Combs tickets at Paycor Stadium in August start at $90 in the upper rows and cost over $300 in the lower bowl.
And if you purchase from a third-party site, knowingly or unknowingly, you are going to pay a lot more, especially with fees added on.
High fees on top of high prices
Lynne Blalock was looking forward to some live R&B at a music festival called Funk-Fest.
“We saw that the tickets were general admission and were $45,” Blalock said.
She ordered three tickets but was stunned by what hit her card.
“I realized it came to $410,” Blalock said.
She ended up paying double the original price, plus a $93 service fee.
Blalock had unknowingly bought tickets from a third-party resale site, where prices for some shows are going through the stratosphere.
But at least she got tickets. Last year Katie Briley and her daughter were hunting for Taylor Swift seats.
Using a resale site, she bought two tickets for $1,722 but ended up with nothing, when a seller never transferred them the tickets.
To prevent a ticket nightmare like this, the Better Business Bureau suggests you only buy from reputable resellers, that take credit cards, and offer a money-back guarantee in the event a ticket is fraudulent.
Most expensive 2024 shows
Legitimate resale sites include StubHub, Vivid Seats, 333seats, and Gametime which just released a list of 2024’s most expensive concerts, based on resale price.
- Olivia Rodrigo — $963
- Bruno Mars — $619
- Morgan Wallen — $562
- Pearl Jam — $523
- Noah Kahan — $462
- The Rolling Stones — $430
And things will get even worse this fall when Taylor Swift returns from her overseas tour and starts playing in the U.S. again.
Tickets for her November concert at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis start at $2,000 on resales sites and run up over $5,000. Each. Per ticket.
Some things you can do
- You can often avoid those high resale prices by signing up for an artist's fan club, anywhere from $25-50 a year, where you get the chance to buy presale tickets at face value.
- Get an American Express, Citi or Chase card that sometimes has exclusive presales for cardholders, that vary from concert to concert.
- For free, be sure to sign up for emails at your favorite artist's website, where you be alerted to new shows as soon as they are announced.
The U.S. Justice Department recently sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster for their control over ticket sales and prices, though whether that leads to lower prices in the future is up in the air.
As always don’t waste your money.
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