Noel Gallagher’s two nights at the Manchester Apollo will cost fans £68.90 for a standing ticket, so it’s no wonder one of Manchester’s most famous musicians still had tickets for sale hours later.
The ex-Oasis star will play at the 3,500-capacity venue on Tuesday March 24 and Wednesday March 25 with his High Flying Birds, but how can he expect fans to shell out so much.
It seems Burnage-born Noel has forgotten his roots, and pricing-out working class fans follows a trend across an industry that’s now littered with American-style VIP experiences.
We all know there’s no money in selling music anymore with the likes of Spotify running the show, so the money spinners behind the stars try and make up for that when tour time comes around.
Harry Styles will perform at Manchester Arena on April 25 and his standard tickets go all the way up to £75, with VIP tickets starting at £149.50.
Those VIP tickets allow you to stand in a separate area closer to the stage, which doesn’t seem that VIP at all, but yet the tickets still sold out back in November.
There’s always someone who’ll pay these bloated prices, but it’s down to event organisers and artists’ representatives to ensure a fair share of tickets right across venues are priced reasonably.
Noel Gallagher puts out music on his own label and has had an anti-music industry attitude since he broke onto the scene in the mid-90s, so why isn’t he standing up for money-tight music lovers like he was?
Many fans took to Twitter after the tickets were released online at 9.30am on Friday to complain about the pricing for his gigs, and who can blame them.
One fan summed it up well, and wrote: “Love Noel Gallagher me but how’s he charging 70 quid tickets man proper joke.”
Sadly, those who can afford to pay aren’t likely to complain about extortionate prices, so it’s time those in charge of setting them cared less about lining their pockets and more about the fans.
Cheaper tickets means more demand for more shows, which then means more people can enjoy an artist’s live music, and that’s great for both sides.
