Fans of huge rock band left fuming as tickets for stadium show are slashed by 50% after poor sales
PEARL Jam fans have been left fuming after tickets for the band’s upcoming stadium show in London have been slashed by more than 50 percent.
The Seattle grunge veterans are bringing their Dark Matter World Tour to Tottenham Hotspur‘s state of the art ground later this month.
However, uptake on tickets has been unusually sluggish for the popular rock group due to eye-watering prices.
Premium standing tickets were initially £249.45, much to the astonishment of some, while even seats at the back of the stadium were £125.
Tickets front of pitch standing are currently available through a re-sale for £155.25.
The cheapest prices at the group’s Manchester gig at the new Co-op Live venue are £92.50, while general admission on the floor is £166.
In recent weeks TV ads have been deployed to encourage fans to attend the London show and now promoter LiveNation has dropped ticket prices to £49.20, plus booking fee, in a last ditch efforts to fill up seats.
Ordinarily, this would be viewed as a welcome move, but ticket-holders who forked out full price have branded the discount “unfair”.
Commenting on a LiveNation Facebook advert, one disgruntled fan wrote: “What a p**s take for all the genuine fans that bought tickets on release! Shame on you LiveNation and Ticketmaster.”
Another said: “Obviously they are struggling to sell tickets at the original. Yes, I agree about the fans paying full price, but it’s better to break even than to cancel the event.
“I can’t justify the cost of tickets today for big acts. Hopefully they (LiveNation not Pearl Jam) will rethink their strategy for next time.”
A third posted: “So many seats unsold! Hopefully those who bought to sell on are seriously out of pocket.”
High ticket prices aren’t solely a Pearl Jam issue.
Music lovers of all genres are having to dig ever deeper into their pockets to see their favourite acts whether it’s Adele, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen or AC/DC.
Recently The Black Keys mysteriously scrapped their entire US tour amid claims of poor ticket sales due to high prices.
Prior to the run being axed, fans shared seating plans from venues on Reddit that showed thousands of unsold tickets.
One person said: “The prices are insane, in LA the section behind the pit are going for $600+ fees; the boys aren’t worth spending that kind of money to go see in all honesty.
“Saw them for $100 flat at the same venue on the floor at their height of their popularity 10 years ago…f**kin brutal.”
Another added: “Their prices are absolutely ridiculous. They claim they’re higher to ‘fight scalpers’ but come on, are The Black Keys really a hot band these days to buy ARENA TICKETS and then turn around and sell for double.
“They’re practically the scalpers at this point charging the ridiculously high prices.”
After the tour was canned, The Keys said: “Following the recent run of shows in the UK & Europe, including stops at iconic venues like Brixton Academy and the Zenith in Paris, we have decided to make some changes to the North American leg of the ‘International Players Tour’ that will enable us to offer a similarly exciting, intimate experience for both fans and the band, and will be announcing a revised set of dates shortly.”
However, there was clear discontent behind the scenes as the band went on to fire their management team and drummer Patrick Carney cryptically tweeted: “We got fu****. I’ll let you all know how so it doesn’t happen to you. Stay tuned.”