Fans’ outrage at soaring Rolling Stones ticket

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

The Rolling Stones announced that they would play two nights at London’s 02 Arena on November 25 and 29, however fans reacted to the tickets prices. Band photo

Rolling Stones fans reacted with fury on Wednesday at the steep cost of tickets for the British band’s 50th anniversary shows, while prices soared to thousands of pounds on re-sale websites.

After months of rumours, the Stones announced that they would play two nights at London’s 02 Arena on November 25 and 29, followed by gigs at New Jersey’s Newark Prudential Center, just outside New York, on December 13 and 15. But hundreds of fans have taken to the Internet to complain about the ticket prices, with a seat for the London shows costing 406 ($650, 500 euros) on the official ticket website.

Premium tickets have subsequently appeared on re-sale websites for more than 13,000 each.

The cheapest seats on the official site, costing 106, appeared to be sold out on Wednesday.

“These prices are a joke,” fan Steve Grace wrote in a comment appearing on the official See Tickets website. “To expect this sort of money just makes me lose a lot of respect for these guys.” Drachan Forster added on the site: “Saw them in Rio at a free concert. Was pickpocketed relentlessly throughout, but nothing compares to this fleecing. 246 for some of the worse seated tickets in the house. Disgusting.” By Wednesday, seats at the front of the 20,000-capacity 02 Arena were listed on the Get Me In re-sale website for up to 13,200 each.

Many fans protested online that the band should have rewarded their fans for their loyalty over the last half-century with cheaper shows.

“Considering these guys started off as a working-class set of lads, these prices are well out of reach of the ordinary working man,” Chrissi Matusevics posted on Facebook.

Frontman Mick Jagger, 69, told BBC radio on Monday that the four concerts will be followed by a longer string of dates, yet to be announced.