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Money for Something, No Tickets for Free

© Melanie Gold

"I dialed Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. sharp," writes one fan who wanted tickets for Sting's Trump Marina show in Atlantic City. "I had my choice of tickets but I couldn't take [full] advantage of my timeliness because of ticket prices. I just couldn't afford the best tickets that were available." Prices ranged from $112 to $224 per.

In order to attend the three opening shows in Las Vegas, Bill Bredice spent a total of $751--a mortgage payment--for three nights of entertainment. "They had a list of other concerts playing at the Hard Rock," he says, "and no other show was over $50." Bredice paid well over $200 for each concert.

At the Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, California.

Maggie White, a California schoolteacher, felt like she was paying too much when she dished out $215 for her Vegas ticket. She justified the expense as a well-deserved 30th birthday present--but one that required dipping into her Christmas savings. She quips, "So instead of gifts this year, all my friends and family will get a card that says "you don't get a gift because I had to see Sting."

Elated gasps and smiles turn to frowns and sighs of sorrow as fans queue up at ticket outlets, wait on the phone with their major credit card ready, or attempt to order online as their computer chugs along, only to discover that they'll have to dig deep to afford to see Sting live. For the unlucky fans who don't buy their tickets as soon as they go on sale, they can expect to pay $600 and more through agents, scalpers, and online services.

And then there's eBay, where capitalists are not ashamed to set minimum bidding for a pair of front row, but far left tickets at New York's Beacon Theater at $2,000.

"With these ticket prices, I would expect to see far "older" crowds for this new tour," says Aaron Cole, a Sting fan in Canada who believes ticket price is directly proportionate to the age of the ticket buyer. "Can you imagine [a student] in grade 9 or 10 asking, 'Hey, mom and dad, will you please lend me $150 to go see Sting?'"

Why the steep prices in America? In her research for the Wisconsin State Journal, journalist Natasha Kassulke found that the prices in her area were largely artist driven. "I don't know if it's travel, venue size, and the fact that America is perceived as being so affluent that prices are much higher here."