Ticket Prices and an O2 2-for-1

Thanks, T, for dropping these in my inbox; very interesting reads!

A Front-Row Seat, to Go? Rock Fans Pay for Perks

Helena Aguiar had come all the way from São Paulo, Brazil, for a front-row seat to see her favorite band, and she got it: a black metal folding chair with a gold and cherry-red Bon Jovi logo on the cushion, hers to take home. The price: $1,750.

At Bon Jovi’s three sold-out shows this week at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the top package — which includes the takeaway chair, a leather bag and a catered meal — is $1,875.

Once available only for top-dollar tours by the likes of U2 or the Rolling Stones, V.I.P. packages have trickled down to the rank-and-file of live music, as artists try to maximize grosses and reap some of the markup value that the best seats get on resale sites like StubHub.com. And despite the soft economy, promoters have found that hard-core fans are willing to pay premium prices to get red-carpet treatment for their favorite shows.

“It’s probably the biggest negotiation in any tour deal,” said Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, promoter of the Bon Jovi tour. “On a hot act you can make as much money from 10 percent of the house as the other 90.”

Four-digit prices are relatively new for the concert business. In 1996 the average ticket to the top 100 tours cost $26, according to Pollstar, an industry trade magazine, but since then it has increased more than 140 percent, to $63. One reason is the collapse of record sales, which has forced artists to rely on touring for most of their income.

Artists and their managers say the V.I.P. programs allow them to dote on their biggest fans, rewarding loyalty with special treatment. And many concertgoers leap at the deals. Laurie Huey, a 44-year-old accountant in New Jersey, has bought six various V.I.P. packages for the current Bon Jovi tour, at a cost of about $8,500. She has five Bon Jovi chairs at home and expects to buy even more before the tour is through.

“Years ago I used to have to pay a scalper that to get front row,” Ms. Huey said. “I would rather pay the Bon Jovi fan club or Ticketmaster and know what I’m getting, because I’ve gotten burned by scalpers.”

At Hersheypark, the well-oiled Bon Jovi machine coordinated several levels of backstage access. Members of the fan club got a backstage tour that included a chance to pose for a photo with Jon Bon Jovi’s maracas and mic stand, while the non-fan-club V.I.P.’s enjoyed prime rib, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and white wine in a separate tent. Participants said their experience was well worth the price tag.

“I have money,” said Jim Leaman, 55, who owns a propane gas company. “So if I want to come to a show, I want to be up front and I don’t care if it costs $100 or $1,000.”

Click here for the whole article.

Ticketmaster is selling 2 tickets for price of 1 for Bon Jovi at O2, London on Friday 25th & Saturday 26th June 2010.

Click on the link and enter the password BONJOVI for this offer.

I just tried and got 2 seats, section A2, row F.  That's six rows from the circle!  Lots of seats still available, and at 2-for-1, the prices are ALMOST reasonable!  Here's the layout of the O2 for Bon Jovi:

~ Hath