As summer is in full swing, Live Nation is offering a “Summer’s Live” promotional deal, which includes a four pack of tickets to select shows for $80 — for those lucky enough to receive a special code.
The promotion is available for shows across all genres, including indie’s Slighty Stoopid and Two Door Cinema Club, rockers Elvis Costello and The Imposters, Train, and Santana, the pop-punkers of blink-182 and Taking Back Sunday, metal groups Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and Lamb of God, and country’s Hootie and the Blowfish and Whiskey Myers, among many others.
The offer is valid through July 30 while tickets last to select events across 4,000 shows. Only fans who received the promotional email, however, will be able to access the sale; users who received the email can select their summer four-pack offer, click “unlock,” and input their code here.
It should be noted that these sort of promotions have the potential to train fans that buying tickets early during the “peak demand” period is almost universally a bad choice; price surging penalizes the biggest fans who buy during the initial onsale while prices are surged. Using tactics like this promotional deal, as well as the infamous “drip-pricing” practice, prices start off high — capturing the attention of the artist’s top fans — and slowly taper off ahead of the show.
One example is blink-182. The Mark Hoppus-led trio is embarking on a tour this summer, and when tickets first went on sale, fans were furious with the exorbitant prices. Now, fans can score a four-pack of lawn seats for $80, while the original lawn seat is priced at $67. This means that a group of four who purchased tickets with this promo could be sitting on a blanket next to a group that paid upwards $268 — marking a $188 difference in prices for seating in the same area.
Live Nation even addressed this question on their “Summer Live” FAQ page underneath the question: “I just bought tickets for these artists and now the price has gone down. Can I get a refund or exchange tickets for the lower priced ticket?”
To that question, Live Nation’s answer is unequivocally — no.
“‘Summer’s Live’ is a limited time promotion offering 4-pack tickets for $80, to select shows,” the site reads. “The Summer’s Live offer cannot be combined with other ticket programs and all sales are final. Additionally, ticket types vary per event, therefore there may not be comparable seats to previous purchased tickets online.”
Additionally, the promotion comes amid an apparent summer concert slowdown; something that slow-ticketing may be to blame. Over the past year, high-profile tours have been called-off, including The Black Keys, Jennifer Lopez, and Future and Metro Boomin amid alleged low sales. It has proven that fans are either unwilling or unable to pay high ticket prices, especially if an artist is not on the top of their must-see list.
Festival season has also hit a lull. Since the start of 2024, dozens of festivals across the globe have been called-off. In the U.S. alone,  Firefly announced it would not return to Dover and Jay-Z’s Made in America festival was called-off for the second year in a row. Lovers & Friends’ inaugural festival was also cancelled, as well as Backwoods Festival and Kickoff Jam. Even Coachella, a once-coveted event, took one month to sell-out of its first weekend — marking the longest sellout for the first time in 10 years.
This comes amid an antitrust lawsuit targeting Live Nation and Ticketmaster, brought forth by the Department of Justice and 29 states. The suit, filed earlier this year, aims to break-up the pair, alleging monopolistic and anti-competitive business practices.
