Ticket prices

Jvfireman416

mace1229 said:

jeffbr said:

I absolutely think the band's motivation was to play fewer shows and charge more for them. Makes sense to me. I'm their age (or a couple of years older) and understand the motivation. That's why they're playing shitty ballpark venues instead of doing a proper arena tour. Sell more tickets with less travel. But I hate shows at ballparks and stadiums. For me, sitting a mile away from the stage and watching the screens for a few hours doesn't interest me. I put in for the lottery, but will likely delete my entry today. I have zero desire to ever see a show in a ballpark or stadium again, and thought I was going to make an exception for PJ. But that same $260 will take me to a bunch of shows with fresh local bands playing in more intimate venues, which is really what I enjoy more.  I just don't find that same value in a ballpark show. So unfortunately for me, I can't justify it. This will be the first time I've intentionally skipped PJ playing in my city. Bummer. PJ and I have divergent views of entertainment value at this point. Maybe I'll see them again some day if they play a proper venue. I don't begrudge the band's decision. As I said, I'd probably make the same decision in their shoes. So I'm not bitter about it, although I had some arguments with myself last night, lol. 

That's exactly how I feel. It seems to me to clearly motivated by playing less shows but making the same cash. Otherwise can someone explain why they chose to play 7 shows this summer?
I don't hold a grudge for it, they are getting older, most are older than my dad when he retired and never went back to work. It sucks for us fans, I'm not excited about a stadium tour, but its what we got. I imagined I would fork out this one last time with the anticipation of it being my farewell tour unless they come close by. The difference is I guess I wouldn't think twice about a stadium show if I didn't have to travel, its going to suck traveling and still sitting a mile away. But for all I know it will be my last chance, I haven't seen them since 2014.

They are coming off the South America and European tours.  Not like they are only playing 7 shows.

mace1229

jpdannabelle said:

Eroom21 said:

I'm just disappointed with the price of the tickets. That much of a hike in two years seems crazy.

Maybe they should have released that information before so that people who might come from out of country could have made a more informed decision before booking hotels/flight.

Why would you book anything without free cancellation? How do you even know if you’re going to get tickets? This is getting ridiculous. 

Agreed. Booked our second choice hotel because our first didnt have free cancelation.
And really, if I'm spending $600 on food and travel (and thats the very low end-sharing a place with a friend and I fly cheap) what is an extra $50 for a ticket other than a slight disappointment? If $50 is going to break the bank for the weekend, I should probably stay home to begin with and put that towards a Dave Ramsey class.

Poncier

tempo_n_groove said:

riley540 said:

Question, 

ticketmaster has the price range of $92 - $112. It seems the 10 club prices refelect the $112 tickets. Does this mean we likely won’t be in the nose bleeds? 

Appreciated! 

Maybe further back in the lower bowl but should not be any higher than that.

They stated:

Reserved Seating: 
In order to accommodate more Ten Club members than ever before, please be aware Ten Club seated tickets will be spread further back than usual, and include some of the best seat locations in the house. For Seattle, Chicago and Boston this includes seats on the field, seats in the lower level of the bowl and seats in the front rows of the upper level. For Missoula, seats are located throughout the 100 level. Reserved seated tickets are assigned to members based on seniority in the Ten Club and will start closest to the stage extending back.

tempo_n_groove

JimmyV said:

tempo_n_groove said:

JP218404 said:

JimmyV said:

Blaming Ticketmaster is missing the point. Visit this page and look at the prices other artists are charging at Fenway. These tickets aren't through TM and the fees are through the roof. All prices below are for ONE TICKET, not a pair.

https://www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/concerts

Def Leppard/Journey
$185.50 face value
$37.50 fee
$4.85 fee
$227.85

Billy Joel
$159.50 face value
$42.50 fee
$4.85 fee
$206.85

Foo Fighters (Turf seats are gone, these prices are for bowl seating)
$79 face value
$23 fee
$4.85 fee
$106.85

and there is it.  Fenway 2016 face was $85.  so maybe face went up to $90 (if that at all)  and throw an average of those fees from the venue onto it you get to $123 a piece for PJ. 

We don't pay fees when going through 10C though, that was the beauty of that, which is now gone.

Fees through 10c aren't new. They are just included in the total price we see. In 2013 tickets were $176 per pair. That's $88 per ticket, but face value on those tickets was $79. The other $9 per ticket was fees.

A $9 fee is nothing like paying the added fees we seem to be paying now though.  Can't wait to see the "inconvenience fee, force fed fee, tickle me Elmo fee, etc etc." listed on my bill, oh wait, it won't be there...

Eroom21

jpdannabelle said:

Eroom21 said:

I'm just disappointed with the price of the tickets. That much of a hike in two years seems crazy.

Maybe they should have released that information before so that people who might come from out of country could have made a more informed decision before booking hotels/flight.

Why would you book anything without free cancellation? How do you even know if you’re going to get tickets? This is getting ridiculous. 

Because reserved is almost always guaranteed at the ball parks.

estarr31

jeffbr said:

I absolutely think the band's motivation was to play fewer shows and charge more for them. Makes sense to me. I'm their age (or a couple of years older) and understand the motivation. That's why they're playing shitty ballpark venues instead of doing a proper arena tour. Sell more tickets with less travel. But I hate shows at ballparks and stadiums. For me, sitting a mile away from the stage and watching the screens for a few hours doesn't interest me. I put in for the lottery, but will likely delete my entry today. I have zero desire to ever see a show in a ballpark or stadium again, and thought I was going to make an exception for PJ. But that same $260 will take me to a bunch of shows with fresh local bands playing in more intimate venues, which is really what I enjoy more.  I just don't find that same value in a ballpark show. So unfortunately for me, I can't justify it. This will be the first time I've intentionally skipped PJ playing in my city. Bummer. PJ and I have divergent views of entertainment value at this point. Maybe I'll see them again some day if they play a proper venue. I don't begrudge the band's decision. As I said, I'd probably make the same decision in their shoes. So I'm not bitter about it, although I had some arguments with myself last night, lol. 

This is very fair. I am not that excited that it's baseball stadium shows and not arena shows, for many of the same reasons you mentioned. And when looking at the cost through this prism, it is kind of annoying. But I also realize, I'm lucky enough to be able to afford these tickets, live in Boston (so don't have to pay for lodging/travel) and lucky enough for the band to play these shows, let alone any shows. Good points. 

estarr31

jpdannabelle said:

Eroom21 said:

I'm just disappointed with the price of the tickets. That much of a hike in two years seems crazy.

Maybe they should have released that information before so that people who might come from out of country could have made a more informed decision before booking hotels/flight.

Why would you book anything without free cancellation? How do you even know if you’re going to get tickets? This is getting ridiculous. 

Agreed. That is putting the cart before the horse and then complaining that the horse can't be returned. 

BMo-643

Agree with a lot of posters on here. The ballpark shows are annoying from all aspects and jacking the ticket prices up drastically essentially guaranteed that I wasn't going to go through the hassle of dealing with the annoyance AND paying $130 a ticket. 

estarr31

TR70596 said:

Genuine question for those defending the increased ticket prices - at what price would you draw the line?  

I would personally pay $200 for a PJ ticket if it came to that, but no more. If they raised their prices to $330 per seat like the forthcoming U2 tour would you gladly pay that and not question the hike? How about $500 like the last Rolling Stones tour? 

I would be willing to pay more, the more intimate the venue. A sliding scale, so to speak. I would pay $1000 to have them play in my backyard (like literally), and then decrease from there lol. 

tempo_n_groove

Eroom21 said:

jpdannabelle said:

Eroom21 said:

I'm just disappointed with the price of the tickets. That much of a hike in two years seems crazy.

Maybe they should have released that information before so that people who might come from out of country could have made a more informed decision before booking hotels/flight.

Why would you book anything without free cancellation? How do you even know if you’re going to get tickets? This is getting ridiculous. 

Because reserved is almost always guaranteed at the ball parks.

Struck out through 10c both nights last time.  Hit with the MLB sale for night 1 and hit with the 10c release of tix for day 2, 5 days before show time.

estarr31

Poncier said:

tempo_n_groove said:

riley540 said:

Question, 

ticketmaster has the price range of $92 - $112. It seems the 10 club prices refelect the $112 tickets. Does this mean we likely won’t be in the nose bleeds? 

Appreciated! 

Maybe further back in the lower bowl but should not be any higher than that.

They stated:

Reserved Seating: 
In order to accommodate more Ten Club members than ever before, please be aware Ten Club seated tickets will be spread further back than usual, and include some of the best seat locations in the house. For Seattle, Chicago and Boston this includes seats on the field, seats in the lower level of the bowl and seats in the front rows of the upper level. For Missoula, seats are located throughout the 100 level. Reserved seated tickets are assigned to members based on seniority in the Ten Club and will start closest to the stage extending back.

Hmm....that is concerning, especially not knowing seats until close to show-time. I would rather pay more for better seats on secondary market than win 10C seats for upper deck. 

Get_Right

JimmyV said:

Get_Right said:

10 pages of pure masturbatory speculation and cerebral exercise.
We are never going to know why they raised the prices 30%. Hawaiian surf mansions and private planes cost big money.
One cannot support that lifestyle playing arena shows for $50 a pop. $125 a head at a stadium will do the trick.
Personally, if they deliver a show that is even close to Fenway 2 last time around, it is well worth whatever the ticket price is. 

If you just look up at the sky every morning you'll never know why the sun comes up. If you do some research you can figure it out.

Easier to figure out the science of the sun than the reasoning behind some of the decisions this band makes.

lolobugg

tempo_n_groove said:

JimmyV said:

tempo_n_groove said:

JP218404 said:

JimmyV said:

Blaming Ticketmaster is missing the point. Visit this page and look at the prices other artists are charging at Fenway. These tickets aren't through TM and the fees are through the roof. All prices below are for ONE TICKET, not a pair.

https://www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/concerts

Def Leppard/Journey
$185.50 face value
$37.50 fee
$4.85 fee
$227.85

Billy Joel
$159.50 face value
$42.50 fee
$4.85 fee
$206.85

Foo Fighters (Turf seats are gone, these prices are for bowl seating)
$79 face value
$23 fee
$4.85 fee
$106.85

and there is it.  Fenway 2016 face was $85.  so maybe face went up to $90 (if that at all)  and throw an average of those fees from the venue onto it you get to $123 a piece for PJ. 

We don't pay fees when going through 10C though, that was the beauty of that, which is now gone.

Fees through 10c aren't new. They are just included in the total price we see. In 2013 tickets were $176 per pair. That's $88 per ticket, but face value on those tickets was $79. The other $9 per ticket was fees.

A $9 fee is nothing like paying the added fees we seem to be paying now though.  Can't wait to see the "inconvenience fee, force fed fee, tickle me Elmo fee, etc etc." listed on my bill, oh wait, it won't be there...

the "no Vaseline" fee...............

Dirty Mosquito

mookeywrench said:

Welcome to an industry where people no longer pay for recorded music. 

While I agree with this statement, it's very true, but we are talking about Pearl Jam.  A band where fans DO buy their music and often buy their albums multiple times because they keep re-releasing them in different versions, formats, editions, plus live albums.  I would argue Pearl Jam fans buy albums more than any other band, so that sort of IMO diminishes your point.  It's not 1994, but how much money does the band need.  They all individually have more money than about ten of us will every make in our lifetimes combined. If not 20 fans.

RYME

The band can do whatever they want, it's the're prerogative I guess.  But fans shouldn't have to have a six-figure income in order to be able to attend a concert for goodness sakes.
And I miss the good old days when they use to put out a new album, and have several leg tour.  I'm not suggesting they should have a full-blown huge World Tour, but
Baseball stadiums are definitely huge. Not nearly the same value as arena shows.  But I tossed my name in the Hat anyway.  
I like what Jeffbr said.
I'd like to Echo that.
I'm having arguments with myself right now.

elvistheking44

Just picked up two tickets to see cheap trick and poison.....total with fees $65.  Take that Pearl Jam!

tbergs

Clapper said:

I love this band and I have met some really cool fans over the years but a lot of folks are out of touch. Literally every top touring act charges $150ish at the low end to $300ish at the top end per ticket for shows. Those prices are for a total stock, 90 minute set.   PJ plays a MINIMUM of 2 and a half hours and are YEARS behind what the rest of the industry is charging.  At $250 bucks per ticket they would still sell out and they are taking less than half that.  They have left hundreds of millions of dollars on the table for the sake of their fans over the the last 25 years.

Its not 1994 anymore.  EVERYTHING is more expensive and most things have increased at a much higher pace than inflation. All the costs associated with touring have spiked.  Travel, hotels, fuel, staff, venues - all way more money than they used to be. I'd be willing to be PJ pays their staff a better than average wage too.  

I understand that we all wish live music more affordable and it sucks when costs grow faster than what some of us earn but what are our expectations of this band?   Again, they have turned away HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars on our behalf.   How can we possibly still want more from them?

Nicely stated.

jpdannabelle

elvistheking44 said:

Just picked up two tickets to see cheap trick and poison.....total with fees $65.  Take that Pearl Jam!

If you’re lucky Brett Michaels might throw his wig in the crowd. 

Tickler08

$122 is the highest price I haver ever seen for a Pearl Jam show. Ticketsmaster made over $400 million in 2016. Don't tell me they are hurting. 
With the conversion on the Canadian $, that is over $150 for the show. A lot of my friends just pulled the pin on the Fenway trip. Hotels in Boston seemed to have jumped in price in the last 5 years as well. 
Yes amazing live band and compared to other shitty pop artists and bands that are charging same or more, it is worth it. 

But I wonder why the sudden jump in prices? 

Tickler08

estarr31 said:

Poncier said:

tempo_n_groove said:

riley540 said:

Question, 

ticketmaster has the price range of $92 - $112. It seems the 10 club prices refelect the $112 tickets. Does this mean we likely won’t be in the nose bleeds? 

Appreciated! 

Maybe further back in the lower bowl but should not be any higher than that.

They stated:

Reserved Seating: 
In order to accommodate more Ten Club members than ever before, please be aware Ten Club seated tickets will be spread further back than usual, and include some of the best seat locations in the house. For Seattle, Chicago and Boston this includes seats on the field, seats in the lower level of the bowl and seats in the front rows of the upper level. For Missoula, seats are located throughout the 100 level. Reserved seated tickets are assigned to members based on seniority in the Ten Club and will start closest to the stage extending back.

Hmm....that is concerning, especially not knowing seats until close to show-time. I would rather pay more for better seats on secondary market than win 10C seats for upper deck. 

My thoughts exactly. If I am making the 6 hour drive to Boston, I am not sitting in bad seats.