Ticket prices for the Rolling Stones’ reunion shows are not a rip-off, insists frontman Mick Jagger.
And he says the evidence lies in the fact that secondary ticket markets are offering passes for many times more than the band charged.
The Stones will play London’s O2 Arena on November 25 and 29 followed by two further shows in the US in December.
Some fans were upset when ticket prices were revealed. While low-quality seating was available for £106 a standard seat cost £406, with a VIP option on sale at over £1100.
Now Jagger tells Billboard: “You might say, ‘the tickets are too expensive.’ Well, it’s a very expensive show to put on, just four shows – because normally you do a hundred shows and you’d have the same expenses.”
He adds: “Most of the tickets go for a higher price than we’ve sold them for, so you can see the market is there. We don’t participate in that profit. If a ticket costs £250 and goes for £1000, I want to point out that we don’t get that difference.”
The singer wants an end to the secondary market. “I don’t think it should be legal,” he says. “There has to be a better way of doing it. But we’re living with the way the system functions. We can’t, in four shows, change the whole ticketing system.”
Meanwhile, guitarist Keith Richards says fans can expect a stripped-down performance, with the show revolving around the Stones’ four members rather than extensive additional musicians.
He reveals: “Charlie Watts said, ‘We should have the stripped-down thing.’ I said, ‘Charlie, you realise how much pressure that puts on the guitar lineup?’
“But at the same time, it’s a challenge – and he’s right. You want the blues band, the rock’n'roll, stripped down? You’re going to get it. It’s going to be fun.”
Some rumours have suggested former members Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman could make guest appearances.
source: classicrockmagazine.com
