After returning to the stage late last year for a handful of gigs, one of the most iconic bands in rock history are to continue celebrating their 50th anniversary with the release of The Rolling Stones tickets for their biggest tour in six years.
The last time they took to the road with the A Bigger Bang tour, between 2005 and 2007, they performed 147 dates over two years, grossing an astonishing $558 million in the process.
Six years later, with front-man Mick pushing 70, the current (and final???) Stones tour has scheduled only fourteen shows. At an average stadium capacity of 20,000 for each show, the means roughly 250,000 people will see this tour versus almost 3 million people for the last tour. The Stones are as popular as ever, and the limited supply means that many fans will, in fact, not always get what they want for this tour.
Below is some data on the tour:
• Overall Tour Average: $1130
• Tour Get-in Average: $370
• Cheapest Get-in: $199 (Honda Center in Anaheim on 5/15)
• Cheapest Avg Price: $806 (United Center in Chicago on 6/3)
• Avg Price in US: $1260
• Avg Price in Canada: $1000
• Avg For Tour Opener: $1077 (Staples Center in Los Angeles 5/2)
• Get-in For Tour Opener: $264
The smaller size of this tour has increased prices significantly and iconic performers with smaller runs seem to be something of a trend. Prince’s upcoming tour only has only 16 dates and an average price of $476. The Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake Legends of the summer tour is also a limited run of 9 shows, only in baseball and football venues.
While these are three of the most expensive tours of the summer, the prices are even harder to swallow if you consider how much more expensive these tickets are compared to Stones tours of the past. The cheapest face price for their 1989 show at Shea Stadium was $34, while the get-in price for 1994 at Giants stadium was $56. Th cheapest face price ticket for the upcoming tour is a $143, or 155% above the 1994 prices.
Once you get over the prices, though, there's a lot to look forward to. Mick Jagger has already confirmed that the stage design will be based on the group’s iconic Tounge, which will allow him to get up-close and personal with floor seat VIPs.
If last years tour set list were any indication, fans can expect a lot of classics, like “Get Off My Cloud,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Paint It Black.” “Sympathy For The Devil,” “It’s Only Rock N’ Roll (But I Like It)” and “Wild Horses”. Covers also abounded in last year’s tour like Don Nix’s “Going Down” The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man” and Chuck Berry’s “Around & Around.” Needless to say, the Stones still put on a fantastic show, but if you’re yearning for something more contemporary, last years tour also featured bonus performances from the likes of Florence Welch, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Eric Clapton. While there's no question that the Stones can still bring it, a little added firepower from A-listnext-generation stars is enough to keep expectations, and prices, sky high.
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