The last time Oasis played Wembley Stadium, in 2009, a standing ticket cost exactly £44.04. For their return next summer, the same ticket was priced at £150.
Vastly more than the old ticket price which, when adjusted for inflation, would cost £68. Not only that, but some fans were charged hundreds of pounds more than the face value, after so-called “dynamic pricing” boosted the cost in response to high demand. But Oasis aren’t alone.
If you’ve logged onto Ticketmaster over the last couple of years, you’ll know the cost of live music has soared. Ticket prices shot up by 23% last year, having already risen 19% since the pandemic. Going to a gig can cost the same amount as taking a holiday, and prices are only rising.
At the most extreme end of the scale, Madonna charged £1,306.75 for VIP passes to her Celebration tour; and Beyoncé offered fans the chance to sit on the stage of her Renaissance concerts for the bargain price of £2,400. Overall, the average ticket price for the top 100 tours around the world was £101 last year, up from £82 in 2022, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry.
In the UK, 51% of people say high prices have stopped them going to gigs at least once in the last five years. Among 16 to 34-year-olds, two-thirds of concert-goers say they’ve reduced the number of shows they attend. But despite this, tours with high-priced tickets keep selling out - but only for the biggest-name artists.
Abbi Glover, 33, .