U2 fans in Connecticut were presumably pumped when news broke earlier in March that the band would be performing its final stop on the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena. But then the pricing came out.
The band, which saw ticket prices dynamically dropped to meet the demand on several dates of last summer’s stadium tour, and stimulated fan irritation with a troubled sales process for the early dates of the tour in late 2017, is charging a mint to see its last stop before heading back across the Atlantic. Listed prices for the Uncasville casino began at $46 and included $76, $106, $171 and $325 levels, according to coverage of the concert announcement.
Where those tickets might have been upon the launch of the sale is anybody’s guess. Currently, seats in the top row of the top section of the arena are marked as $325 plus fees per ticket, including sections that appear to be behind the stage. “Platinum” tickets in the lower level can be had for around $1,200 a pop.
The arena is the smallest the band will play on the tour, and does feature the convenience of being in the middle of a casino, with the benefit of being able to stay practically at the venue – at least, for anyone who can afford a night at a hotel to go along with their significant investment on the tickets themselves.
Fans, as you may have imagined, have not exactly been thrilled.
Live Nation’s Jimmy Koplik went on the radio in Connecticut and talked things out with the hosts Monday, in an effort to put out the fire clearly being felt by the fans complaints. He downplayed the fact that the show didn’t sell out immediately, blamed Mohegan Sun’s system for not keeping up with the demand, and also talked about how fans in Connecticut should be happy that they’re paying the same top tier price at an 8,000 seat arena that they would at an 18,000 seat arena like Madison Square Garden.
It should be noted, however, that the shows at Madison Square Garden (there are three) show resale tickets that are below the “standard ticket” price for the Connecticut show, as well as some “standard tickets” that are less than $200 remaining in stock.
Should U2 fans in Connecticut expect a downward shift in the market price from the sky-high current ask? Apparently the price drops are already occurring for dates on this tour, even though the opening note won’t be played until May.
We’ll just have to see as the event approaches – both how much the price will fall if tickets don’t sell, and how much fans are willing to put up with in the name of love.
