Strong Fan Backlash Over $100 Dead Tickets
I haven’t seen much written about The Dead’s $100 ticket prices by journalists, but the fanbase couldn’t be angrier. Deadheads have taken to internet mailing lists and message boards to air their grievences. Most seem to understand that other ’60s relics charge similar prices for tickets, but expected the band to offer more reasonable pricing to their loyal fans.
One sassy Deadhead took her complaint straight to the viral video world. If you’re at work, make sure you turn down your speakers because this video features plenty of profanity, but is hilarious…
NSFW [Cursing]
NSFW [Cursing]
Around noon, I tried to help a friend purchase tickets through The Dead’s online presale and I haven’t seen a ticketing site crash so badly in years. It took us both 30 minutes to attempt to put tickets in our virtual basket. Eventually we received the message that no tickets for the band’s MSG concert remained. Not only that, Consider It Dan – The Dead’s VIP ticket vendor – has already sold out of the $350 “High Time” packages for the show at MSG. So while most of my Deadhead friends are complaining and not purchasing tickets, somebody certainly is. Did you buy tickets today?
- Previously on HT: The Dead’s Spring Fling
Scott Bernstein
Scott Bernstein co-founded Hidden Track in October 2006 and was managing editor until taking over as EiC in January 2008. Scotty also writes for Relix Magazine and curates YEMblog.com.
Follow Me:
Had the same problems – could not secure tickets for MSG – The site crashed and burned. $100 tickets with no choice is ridiculous but they know people will pay it here in the richest ripoff city in the world… GOD BLESS THE GRATEFUL DEAD>… i will get in…
“plus nitrous!!” hilarious
I appreciate her anger, but she shouldn’t use Haynes name in vein.
“For $100, I want Bob Weir to cum on my face…” she’s got spunk!
“…and that fat piece of shit Warren Haynes who’s probably gobblin’ up half of my hundred dollars for his cocaine and cheeseburg habit…”
couldn’t have said it better myself
Sounds like some bullshit ala the Phish Hampton ticketing situation!
On a good note, 10K Lakes Festival leaked a few of their artists, including Widespread Panic, Wilco and DMB.
Same deal…I couldn’t get MSG, but got upper deck at Nassau.
Wow. I’ll try again with ticketmaster.
So, $100 is the price. I was appalled. It could have been sixty. Why gouge us? It hurts. A concerned head.
I bought my Shoreline tickets for $41.00 a piece on dead.net …Once all you east coasters were done clogging the system!!!
This will be my ???th dead show & the FIRST time I have EVER bought a ticket!
No holdin out for a “miracle” THIS TIME!!
$99 is uber-retarded. I got shut out of MSG, but scored a ticket to the LA show at the Forum. It was a few bucks cheaper.
I loved the rant, BTW.
Shut out in Chicago. Why did they have all the dates go on sale at the same time? Why not stagger them if their system couldn’t handle it, which it obviously couldn’t? Hundred bucks also makes it a little harder to swallow, I know these guys deserve to get the bank these other reunions are getting, but with the amount they tour, is this really a reunion?
Anyone know how much Dead tickets are going for?
I know it’s the guys from the Grateful Dead so they’re expected to not make money & just perform in the name of peace & brotherly love. If tix were $60 people would find a way to complain. I think $100 is too much so I probably won’t go. Problem solved.
epic youtube!
what pisses me off is that the tickets sold out on ticketmaster, yer tickets now a company of ticketmaster is selling tickets at three times the price. how did they get them, unless they let scalpers in first?
what pisses me off is that the tickets sold out on ticketmaster, yet tickets now a company of ticketmaster is selling tickets at three times the price. how did they get them, unless they let scalpers in first?
personally, i would pay $100 for bob weir to NOT cum anywhere near my person.
Quality rant. That said, whoever it is responsible for getting the Dead’s tix price up to $100 a pop should be ashamed of themselves. Seriously. They should be hanging their heads right now. Thank God for Phish tour. I’ll do both nights at Jones and Alpine for one night at MSG and Nassau. Bobby, that’s one expensive mustache you’ve got there pal…
save your money and CRASH THE GATES
crash the gates
no dice on MSG for myself and another friend that was trying. I did score a floor for Nassau and Tier 1 for Chicago. Overall though, this was a joke
So sad that this tour … that brought such excitement when the official announcement was made … has brought such rage (and well deserved) with the selling of tickets today. So sad.
The tickets are there. The crash was strategic. There will be plenty of tickets for under face. Relax, people. Do NOT pay face if you don’t want to spend the money! I thnk the ticket prices are outrageous. Wait it out. Most of these tickets were snatched up by brokers. They WILL be stuck with them. Ticket prices will plummet the week before the shows. Have patience young jedi.
Pretty funny that the same people bitching that the tickets are so expensive are the same people bitching that they couldn’t get tickets.
I’ll be home with my DVD’s of Winterland, Buffalo, Alpine, etc watching the REAL Grateful Dead.
People who are still living in 1990 need to wake the hell up when it comes to concerts. Ticketing has changed completely since then, and one has to either deal with it or stay the hell home. I am so tired of old school Deadheads bitching about everything related to shows and “the scene”. Get real. In my experience, almost every post-Jerry Dead-related show has been a.) musically fair AT BEST, b.) full of sloppy, old drunks who can’t get good drugs anymore yet have a bizarre sense of entitlement that they are somehow better/smarter/more appreciative of music than anyone born after 1970, and c.) attended by a few really really old school wookies (pre-Star Wars, what did y’all call them anyway?) who believe it’s still 1973 because they act, smell, and dress like it. I’ve had much, MUCH better times at Phish, moe., Umphrey’s, etc. shows. AND, the few old-schoolers whom I’ve met at these shows AGREE with this opinion and usually rant even harder on their peers than I am here! Personally, I’d rather spend my money on a few choice DVDs (like Festival Express, Closing of WInterland, or Clifford Ball).
I’m definitely not going. The first time I saw the Grateful Dead in 1989 tickets were $17.00. I realize that was a long time ago and prices have gone up but this isn’t even the real band. Without Garcia, the sound is empty and definitely not worth $100.00. If Garcia were alive they wouldn’t be gouging us like this. It’s pretty obvious that the past couple years have just been about the money.
It’s very sad how they’ve lost their purpose like charging outrageous prices for tickets, pulling shows off of sites, and getting involved in politics.
A lot is made of nothing here- they could have offered presale for selected venues in stages- that was a mistake. They needed to gauge the demand- there will be shows added. As for the cost- if you knew about what it costs to put productions on now, you’d see that $60 is about right. C’mon- everything costs more now than it did in ’95. Look at the insurance premiums that they need to pay to lug all the gear around and have folks put it up- those increases alone justify the ticket price increases. My motto- quit yer bitchin. These guys will all be DEAD sooner than we’d like, so suck it up and enjoy the shows while they are here.
We tried to get tickets for MSG from the UK. Tried to get from the Dead site during the first duration(50 mins) of the pre-sale – couldn’t get in. My son then found a ticket site and we got 4 x $250 tickets which we reserved – this is masses of money – however I have found exacttly the same tickets on the same row and area for sale on 3 ticket agency sites – because I had a problem with paying from the UK and they need PayPal it took a while to think about it and I decided not to. So either the Dead give a certain amount of tickets to agencies or people buy 6 tickets and then sell 4 tickets on to the agengies. Here in the Uk we have Glastonbury Festival – fabulous festival, have done it for the last 4 years – but you have to register with photos so you or anyone else cannot sell your ticket on. Arduous registration process but you know that tickets cannot be sold on at a profit – can the Dead be bothered or do they just want the cash??????