Alternative rock band Incubus is joining the growing list of recording artists that are scalping premium concert tickets for a good cause. For each stop on the band’s upcoming summer 2009 tour, 25 VIP ticket packages will be auctioned through Internet marketplace eBay.
All proceeds from the auctions will benefit the band-formed Make Yourself Foundation. A representative for the foundation told TicketNews that bidding will start at $150 for each package listed on the band’s official eBay page.
The band has split their itinerary into three separate auctions. Concert dates from July 9 through July 23 will go up for auction from June 1-8. Scheduled performances from July 25 through August 8 are covered by the June 8-15 auction. Finally, the auctions for all August 9-25 concerts will be accessible from June 15-22.
VIP packages are available for a total of 31 concert dates, including Incubus’ performance at the Mile High Music Festival on July 18 in Denver, CO. The packages include two premium seats or pit tickets, backstage access for two, a photo opportunity for up to ten people per group, and other special auction merchandise.
Since its creation in 2003, the non-profit Make Yourself Foundation has raised more than $1 million, which has gone towards local and international charities selected by Incubus. Some of the organizations supported in the past include The Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Save the Music.
According to the foundation’s Web site, the band only raises money through “band-related activity,” such as its VIP auctions or the sale of official bootlegs through IncubusBootlegs.com. Personal donations are not accepted, though fans are also urged to donate proceeds from their own eBay auctions to foundation-recommended charities.
Similar charity auctions have been held by various recording artists over the years. The Dead auctioned a limited number of tickets, starting its bids at $250 per package. Recently reformed pop-punk group No Doubt has also hosted charity auctions through eBay for its summer tour, with bids for those VIP packages starting at $2,000.
Incubus’ summer tour plans launch July 9 at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in San Diego, CA, and end August 25 at the Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix, AZ. The band will be touring behind the June 16 release of the two-disc effort “Monuments & Melodies,” their first album since 2006’s chart-topping record “Light Grenades.”
