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American grunge band Pearl Jam has come under fire from fans today, as the tickets for their world tour went on sale for what many considered to be a shockingly expensive price. The Seattle five-piece are playing Manchester Co-op Live and London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where ticket prices start at an eye-watering £157.75. Fans in the US and Ireland were also faced with similar prices.
People took to X, formerly twitter.com, to voice their frustrations at the tour’s steep prices with many admitting they regrettably won’t be able to afford it.
@Stevehill1 said “Thankfully I’ve seen Pearl Jam a few times & not drawn into paying this absolute farce of ticket pricing. Everyone should be ashamed.. band, promoter, venue, the lot. Feel for youngsters who’ve longed to see them (or other artists) & being priced out. £160.50…christ.”
And @ConsoleWarsGuys said “Guess I’m not seeing Pearl Jam this year either. These prices are ridiculous”
While @tizianaleone fumed “I am a massive fan and been to several gigs over the last 3 decades (!) but 160£ for a rear standing tkt and 238 for a front standing is utterly immoral. @PearlJam it’s embarrassing given your background”
Platinum tickets in America are reported to be even steeper as @Ticket_Help2022 stated “Pearl Jam is slow releasing platinum tickets. $1724 for the floor, $862 for back lowers. Insane!”
It’s not the first tour to come under scrutiny where pricing is concerned. Tickets to Adele’s Las Vegas residency this year started at a whopping $430, going up to thousands of dollars.
One Irish fan was quick to point out that the ticket prices aren’t that shocking if you consider them in line with inflation. @grantsana said “Pearl jam tickets in 2010 were €70 which equates to about with inflation calculated €97, now they’re €120. Big hike but not insane”
The tickets have gone on sale on Ticketmaster through the same registration scheme which was popularised by the Taylor Swift Eras tour. The mega pop star was in such high demand that ticket registration was introduced for the European leg.
This is the Dark Matter tour which celebrates the release of Pearl Jam’s 12th studio album. According to guitarist Mike McCready the album is “a lot heavier” than fans may expect, and it only took three weeks to make.
Live music events have become exponentially more expensive over recent years, and evidence suggests much of this is down to rising energy and fuel costs – as well as modern streaming culture which has resulted in touring becoming the main source of revenue for musicians these days. Unfortunately, many fans are unable to afford such expensive ticket prices, which begs the question – is any of it sustainable?
Despite record prices, live music was recently reported to be the top events that people in the UK like to spend their money on, but with ticket prices going into triple figures there will always be some that miss out, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.
