Are tickets too expensive?

Absolutely, 100%, yes.

Springsteen at the 02 was £57.50 for all seats. 80% of Bon Jovi's cost £80 or more.

Springsteen allocates room in the Golden Circle by lottery. Bon Jovi raise the prices for GC tickets 50% in the space of a single tour.

Springsteen changes 6 or 7 songs in the set EVERY NIGHT, playing rarities from his whole career. Bon Jovi...... (okay, different, thread)

For sure he makes a living, but he doesn't seem to leave people feeling taken advantage of in quite the same way....

If people only ran businesses in order to maximise profits, the world would be a much starker place, devoid of quality wares and human kindness.

Strictly in monetary terms, though, reasonable prices would help grow new market and attract a new audience. If I were a 16 year old kid wanting to see the band the first time, I would certainly struggle this tour.

It's also hard to retian the loyalty of your customes when you are squeezing them till they bleed. Sooner or later they will decide it makes more sense to see that new band they just read about.


No, but they have made a career singing about how to find a glimmer of light that takes you away from your blue collar troubles. How many guitars would you have to hock to afford a "side-stage experience"?

That's because you compare it with your own youth. If kids want money for a little this or that nowadays, they do no longer ask for some 5 bucks, they'll ask for 50 - and averagely, they'll get it.

Why don't you bring up examples of artists that charge twice the price of BJ? And that change the setlists less than BJ? Ah, it wouldn't help your point.

And as much as I love the both, Bruce and Bon Jovi, you can't compare them. Bruce is a phenomenon on its own that seems to obey no rules. His status is absolutely outstanding.

Not that it matters, but Kiss actually charge twice as much as bon jovi and they change the set list way less and they have half a real band now. Getting back to the point, I can understand tickets going up to 120 for FLOOR but come on? have you ever seen a floor set (10 closest rows) that's the base price? They are always bought off and held off and then auctioned off for 1000 + or you can win it on a radio...

Yep, Section C row 3 was coming up on TM just a couple of weeks before the 8th show at Prudential, that's 3rd row. I saw seats for the first 5 rows coming up the day before the last Giants show in 2003.

There are *lots* of bands that cost a quarter of what BJ do and will appeal to young peolpe 16+ and especially University students - for which there is a huge market

I went to see both Muse and Metallica this year - both of them had many young people there and tickets were at a base of 40-45 I think. Everyone who got to the front paid the same - there was no extra for gold circle area standing.

Its hard to think of many bands that charge twice as much as Bon Jovi because those kind of prices are idotic.

I can only think of 3 occasions where standard seats at a concert cost over £150 - Rolling Stones, Madonna and Barbara Streisand.

Firstly, very few companies as a percentage are non-profit making. Charities, public sector authorities, etc are in the minority here. You'll find that these acts of 'human kindness' on the part of a company aren't because they actually give hat much of a shit, but because it's good for their public image (and even their tax bill). It isn't cyncial, it's true.

Touring isn't how you attract new fans; especially not new 16 year-old fans. You put the music out there, people buy it, people come to see the tour...that's always how it's been. Bon Jovi aren't expecting a wealth of new fans off the back of a country-influenced album. They weren't even expecting the damn thing to sell, so touring it is a bonus.

I totally agree on your next point, which is why I'm not buying Gold Circle tickets for this tour. Quite how you managed to think see my argument as some kind of affirmation of the latest prices is beyond me.

Aloha !

I'm not sure about this one. Are Bon Jovi tickets expensive? Yes. Are they too expensive compared to other artists? I'm not sure.

Genesis asks about the same Bon Jovi asks for their show at the Koning Boudewijn Stadium in Brussels. Genesis re-united exclusively for this tour, but were obviously not as good as in their prime, but still played a show most recent bands could only play in their dreams.

Bon Jovi asks the same as Genesis, is getting worse each tour, but also plays about twice as longer as recent bands do, and still, as much as they may be getting worse, play better than recent bands do, and give bigger shows as well.

Comparing it to the eighties and nineties make no sense. Comparing it to other bands who ask less doesn't make much sense either. Yes, Bon Jovi do shit and average shows nowadays, but compare an average show those other bands you mention do, and Bon Jovi blows them away.

Buying a ticket at Backstage is like buying a ticket from a scalper. Backstage is just Bon Jovi being their own scalpers, so there's no need to bring that up. Anyone who bought a ticket at Backstage and then complains about the prices is an idiot in my book. You might as well give me 180 dollars and I'll get in the que for a GoldCircle ticket for you, which will obviously not cost me 180 dollars, but will actually make me able to buy 2 tickets. But each to his own, I guess.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

For the record, I don't talk about the GC tickets. Yes, those prices are insane. But more so the people who buy them. General admission is all I need.

Sure, and they HAVE TO cost a quarter of BJ because otherwise they would not sell out any venue. But there's only a FEW bands of the status of BJ and amongst them BJ's prices are far from idiotic. They are expensive, yes, but not too expensive in my eyes.

I don't get that young people thing. Unfortunately, there are way too many little girls at Bon Jovi concerts that only know It's My Life and that can't stop screaming, if you ask me. So, if that's an argument, then please triple the ticket prices so they need to stay at home.

All prices from "A List" artists are stupidly expensive. You're talking £100 for a night out and thats just your ticket. The whole ebay situation has kicked in, promotors saw just how much people were willing to pay for contact tickets, so they have gone up like 400%.