17 July 2023 , 13:57
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Buying concert tickets has become a headache for many.
With high prices and not forgetting the anxiety-inducing registrations and online queues, it's no wonder music lovers dread the on-sale days. For hardcore fans the stress levels don't seem to ease until they get that ticket in their basket and through the checkout.
Concert prices are now at an all-time high, especially when there is demand and some fans will pay big bucks to make sure they see that live performance. For Taylor Swift fans - aka Swifties - prices for the Eras Tour in the UK have fetched £195 for one ticket, and that's before additional online fees.
Taylor Swift fan Rachel Rogerson brought to the light just how much tour prices have risen over the past decade when she shared a picture of an old tour ticket, that's now gone viral.
Rachel Rogerson's Red ticketThe 21-year-old has been a Swiftie all of her life and she first saw the Fearless singer live on her Speak Now world tour back in 2011.
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When she went to watch Swift entertain crowds for the Red Tour at London's O2 Arena, Rachel paid just £47.50 for floor seats with a £8 booking fee. If we compare that to now, floor seats at London's Wembley Stadium have been selling for £195 during the pre-sale with Ticketmaster and AXS.
Rachel's ticket price for the Red tour actually costed less than some of the merchandise on Swift's online store.
Rachel at one of Taylor Swift's concertsSpeaking to the Mirror, Rachel said: "Honestly, I just found it funny when I found the ticket because of how insanely cheap it was.
"I remember getting that ticket for my 12th birthday and being so excited. I was so close to Taylor, I even spent most of the night dancing with Taylor’s mom in the VIP tent but £50 won’t even get you inside the stadium now unfortunately."
The cheapest concert ticket Rachel bought to see Taylor Swift was at £35 when her parents bought her tour ticket to Swift's Speak Now tour, and the most expensive Rachel has paid is at £600 for the Eras Tour in the UK.
"I understand that as the years have gone on, both the level of production on the tour and the demand for tickets have only gotten higher but I can’t help but also feel like some of the prices are a bit ridiculous," Rachel said.
"£600 for a VIP seated ticket that’s not even up at the front?? That’s absolutely not attainable for most people. If you want a decent seat at this tour you’re probably going to have to pay £250 minimum."
Rachel, from London, said she has never seen prices this high before for Taylor's shows.
"They were also selling VIP packages for £200 up in the nosebleed seats (seats at the very back of the stadium). I cannot imagine how that can constitute as VIP when you’re the furthest away in the stadium you can get."
While Rachel says she is lucky to have seen Taylor numerous times over the past 13 years, she says she feels bad for the newer fan base.
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"I feel so bad for newer fans who maybe don’t have the funds to be able to see her, everybody deserves the chance to see their favourite artist, and this shouldn’t be exclusionary because of your income," she said.
"I feel especially bad for the younger fans, because they are relying on their parents to pay these insane prices and it isn’t attainable for most people, especially in a cost of living crisis. I can only imagine if that were eight-year-old Rachel who was absolutely desperate to see Taylor, she would be devastated if she didn’t even have a chance to get close to her, just because the prices are so incredibly high."
Ticketmaster has said they do not set the prices of tickets, rather the event organiser (artist team, promoter) does.
Rachel will be going to see Taylor once again next summer, having secured tickets for five shows. Her advice to any fans yet to get tickets is to not give up.
She added: "My best advice is to know what you are going into, there are so many tips and tricks that can help you secure tickets, too many to list just now, but if you are able to do your research, I will highly recommend to do so. This is unlike any other Taylor ticket sale I have done before, you will need to know your stuff in order to secure these tickets.
"Also, don’t give up. There were many times when I was in endless Ticketmaster queues that I thought I wasn’t going to get tickets, however if you are patient, you should be able to get them."
General sale tickets are currently on sale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour UK to fans who have been lucky enough to land registration to buy. Those who have not received an email will be placed on the waiting list for the shows they have registered for.
It's one of the first of many general sale ticket launches where fans have to register beforehand online, and wait to see if they have been chosen to be on the list to buy tickets.
Ticketmaster has been approached for further comment regarding ticket fees.