From Bruce Springsteen to Drake, a look back at the rising Ticketmaster costs for big-name tours

As the cost of living continues to sky-rocket, music lovers are finding themselves faced with another massive financial burden as a result of soaring tickets prices for major artists’ concerts – with fans of everyone from Taylor Swift to Drake finding themselves priced out of performers’ big-ticket events. 

The latest artist to face furious backlash from fans is Bruce Springsteen, who was met with outrage last week when it was revealed that tickets for his upcoming 2023 US concert were priced at up to $5,000-a-pop – thanks in large part to online retailer Ticketmaster’s ‘dynamic pricing‘ system.

The frequently-criticized program, which has been in place since 2011, allows the prices of ‘platinum tickets’ to fluctuate according to demand and has seen ticket prices skyrocket to levels that resellers would typically get for them.

‘Platinum tickets’ can be located anywhere in the arena, meaning that even less desirable seats could leave fans with a large bill. 

Ticketmaster claims the system give fans ‘fair and safe access’ to in-demand tickets as their FAQ page reads: ‘The prices are adjusted according to supply and demand, similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold. 

‘The goal is to give the most passionate fans fair and safe access to the most in-demand tickets while allowing the artists and everyone involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their fair value.’ 

For the most part, ‘dynamic pricing’ mainly seems to have caused headaches for the fans of music’s most popular acts like Taylor Swift, My Chemical Romance and Drake, with their tour prices surging by hundreds of dollars in recent years.

DailyMail.com looks back at the recent tour ticket spikes that have left music lovers at a loss when trying to see their favorite artists live. 

Bruce Springsteen: From $100 to $5,000 (4,900% increase)

Excitement for Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 US arena tour quickly turned to frustration after tickets for the first six dates went made available for purchase on July 20.

Within the first four days, mid-floor tickets for the Boss, 72, were going for $4,000 to $5,000 each on Ticketmaster.

Meanwhile, less desirable seats still fetching high prices at more than $1,000.

The shocking rise in costs even lead a New Jersey paper to slam their hometown hero in a scathing op-ed.

NJ.com declared that the superstar, who was born and grew up in Jersey, ‘doesn’t care’ about his fans, adding: ‘Springsteen, the artist who has defined his career by singing about working-class and disenfranchised Americans, has forgotten his fans.’

Indeed, during last tour in 2016, the prices for floor seats were only $164.

Steven Van Zandt, a member of Springsteen’s E-Street band, is the only person involved in the show to publicly respond to the complaints so far, telling fans he has no control over the prices.

But that did little to quell the anguish of devastated fans as they took to Twitter to slam the high prices.

One fan wrote: ‘Death, taxes and fans p****d off at Ticketmaster for extortionate ticket practices. I’m sorry @springsteen, but for a guy who’s always championed the working man, these prices are a joke.’

‘So, Bruce Springsteen tickets sell out in 20 minutes then lo, immediately on sale for twice the price on resale sites, thanks Ticketmaster,’ another commented.

One furious fan stated: ‘One said: ‘$4,000 to $5,000 to see Bruce Springsteen pfft daylight robbery. I am not that crazy for his music but this is f****d up just retire.’

Springsteen was previously known for setting fan-friendly ticket prices after a public spat with Ticketmaster in 2009.

After the site redirected buyers without permission to is own resale site, Springsteen told fans that it was a ‘conflict of interest’.

Then-Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff responded with an open letter of apology to Springsteen and his team.

Tickets for the rest of the tour will be made available in the coming days, with fans hoping to have better luck securing tickets closer to face value.

Taylor Swift: From $120 to $1,500 (1,150% increase)

One of the first real outcries over the fluctuating prices of tour tickets with ‘dynamic pricing’ came in 2018 during sales for Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour.

As one of the biggest artists on the planet, the Love Story hitmaker, 32, already commands a high fee for her tours, with the more pricey tickets originally being sold for $595.

However, the unsurprising level of demand for the 32-year-old’s shows meant that tickets were soon going for as much as $1,500.

After selling about half of her 2.5m tickets to fans through a Verified Fan presale in November 2017, Swift raised prices for a wider general sale in December to match their ‘market value’.

The cheapest seats were $50, while a front-row seat without VIP perks cost $899. Such prices were a shock to fans who had paid between $40 and $225 for her previous 1989 tour.

One Twitter user wrote: ‘Hey @taylorswift13 – $325 (+taxes and fees) for a seat at the back of a 72,000 seat stadium? Shame on you. I wanted to take my daughter to see your show but alas $700+ is too much for a two hour concert. No matter how “good” you are.’

‘Extremely disappointed at how expensive @taylorswift13 tickets are this tour. My daughter and I have never missed a concert since she’s started’, another added. ‘Unfortunately we can’t afford $400 seats:(‘

One fan joked: ‘Now that I’ve seen ticket prices for the #reputationStadiumTour, I’m glad I got Wednesday instead of Tuesday. I now have 24 hrs to sell my car, auction off all of the organs I don’t NEED on the dark web, rob a bank, take out a loan, & donate plasma.

Another added: ‘Never felt more personally victimized than when I woke up to see the Taylor Swift ticket prices.

‘I’ve seen Taylor Swift in concert FIVE times and I’m pretty sure all five tickets can add up to the price of one front row ticket for reputation smh. Two of those five were even pit tix!! Wtf,’ one music lover lamented.

Another joked: ‘If I’m paying $1,500 for tour tickets I want to BECOME Taylor Swift at the show for that price’.

Harry Styles: From $25 to $1,000 (3,900% increase)

In May 2022, fans of Harry Styles, 28, also started to lashed out against Ticketmaster when prices for the platinum tickets of his One Night Only in New York show went for more than $1,000.

The Madison Square gig was in celebration of the former One Direction star’s latest album, Harry’s House, and demand for the tickets was at an all-time high.

Prices had originally started from $25, however the cost soon went up to over $1,000.

At one point, there were two options for floor tickers – which were all general admission. One ‘platinum’ option cost $509 plus fees, with the other nearly double at $1,001 plus fees, according to ticketnews.com.

The momentary glitch highlighted the wildly different prices for the exact same tickets as fans desperately tried to find prices they could afford.

Tickets began to sell for much more on other resale sites such as StubHub with devastated fans spotting tickets for as much as $2,500.

One fan stated: ‘@Ticketmaster verified fan is such a joke. I got wait listed for tickets and all these “verified fans” who got a code are reselling these tickets for insane prices like wtf’.

Another wrote: ‘if you’re reselling those #harrystylesONO tickets for 1,000 dollars I hope you get hit in the ankle with a razor scooter.’

‘Imagine buying a ticket for $25 and then marking it up by something absurd like 12,000% to 30,000%. No way this isn’t a new record high (or low really) for the bot/reseller industry,’ one fan commented.

One fan raged: ‘Greed & Selfishness are probably the worst traits to have. Reselling $25 tickets on for $1,000’s is disgusting.’

Drake: From $220 to $2,000 (809% increase)

Rap fans were left raging in July 2022 when tickets for Drake’s popular OVO Fest instantly sold out and were out for resale at extremely high prices.

Music lovers were furious to discover that tickets to see the 35-year-old reunite with the rest of Young Money were ranging from $600 to $2,000.

OVO Fest began in 2010 in Drake’s Canadian hometown of Toronto and prices had been as low as $40 for lawn seats at the time.

‘$1,200 for OVO fest tickets? I better f**k Wayne, I better f**k Drake,’ one fan joked in tweet.

Another added: ‘If Ticketmaster really think they could charge me $750 for OVO fest lawn tickets they best be performing on MY lawn.’

Many fan posted screenshots of the Ticketmaster webpage, highlighting how lawn seats for the festival ran upwards of $750 Canadian dollars ($575 USD).

The prices jumped under the platinum level of ticketing as those who wanted to catch Wayne, Drake and Nicki would have up to $2,000 just for lawn seats.

‘Charging $750 for tickets to sit on the grass at OVO fest is f**king wild. #ovofest,  one Twitter user simply stated.

My Chemical Romance: From $80 to $1,000 (1,150% increase)

In early 2020, My Chemical Romance fans were also hit hard by dynamic pricing for the emo band’s reunion tour.

Ticket prices were to start out in the range of $59 for nosebleeds to $200 for floor tickets, without fees.

Indeed, pit tickets soon hiked up to as much as $1,000 a pop, while others were being resold for up to $7,000 for one ticket on some third party sites.

One upset fan tweeted: ‘@MCRofficial how could you guys let @Ticketmaster do this to your fans? I’m devastated.’

‘Can I just say I think @Ticketmaster is ridiculous. I waiting in the queue for #mychemicalromance tickets & by the time I was allowed to look ticket prices were ridiculously high ($600+). Ticketmaster has ruined concerts for me,’ another lamented.

One fans shared a picture of their ‘nosebleed’ seats on Twitter and stated: ‘Paid $269 each with the fees for seats here (from the seat view map for Barclays center in Brooklyn) and the fact that someone next to me could’ve paid $60 blows my mind’.

Artists who sell tickets through Ticketmaster have the option to skip dynamic pricing.

Earlier this year, InsideHook theorized that dynamic pricing had become more popular with artists as they try to increase their profits after sales plummeted in the early days of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson for Ticketmaster told DailyMail.com that Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing does not use an algorithm and the company does not set or change prices.

They also pointed out that tickets ‘are priced according to customer demand just like hotel rooms and airline tickets’.

Olivia Rodrigo: From $150 to $4,090 (2,626% increase)

Many of Olivia Rodrigo’s fans ended up disappointed and frustrated in 2021 after Ticketmaster’s technical difficulties kept them from buying the coveted tickets when they went on sale.

Fans were stuck in digital queues waiting room to purchase tickets, which sold out in minutes. Much to the dismay of the 19-year-old singer’s followers, the resale prices where far beyond what they could afford.

Those who were able to browse general admission tickets shared screenshots of the astronomical prices made available under the Official Platinum service.

At one point, Rodrigo’s Los Angeles show ranged from $460 to $4,090, with other dates being sold on third-party sites for upwards of $9,000 each.

When sharing a screenshot of StubHub resale prices on Twitter, one fan simply stated: ‘Someone’s re-selling tickets to Olivia Rodrigo’s San Francisco show for $9,000.’

Another stated: ‘verified fan sale means NOTHING scalpers still got their hands on tickets and are reselling them for $1k plus literally shame on olivia and ticketmaster.’

Adele: From $100 to $12,000 (11,900% increase)

However, Ticketmaster isn’t the only place that’s left fans with empty wallets after tickets for Adele Las Vegas residency were going for $25,000 on StubHub before she suddenly cancelled the dates.

Fans looking to attend the Weekends With Adele performances that were originally meant to run from January until April this year had been paying between $85 and $12,000 for a ticket – or up to $30,000 on the black market for the Caesars Palace’s Colosseum residency.

The Easy On Me hitmaker, 34, was scheduled to perform two shows at the venue every weekend until April 16, 2022, for a run of 12 weeks.

Tickets went on sale on December 8 via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, with the cheapest seats in the back going for $85 before fees, while premium seats closest to the stage sold for about $680.

But all of the shows sold out within minutes due to incredibly high demand, and sellers began charging astronomical prices on resale markets, boosting the prices of tickets to anywhere from $1,000 to as much as $37,000.

Fans could only buy tickets if they applied for the Verified Fan program and were sent a code to give then access, meaning many fans never even had a chance to get seats before resellers took over.

‘Adele tickets 4K??? HELLO FROM THE PARKING LOTTTT,’ they joked.

‘If you bought the Adele tickets on Ticketmaster as a Verified fan just to flip & resell them for more money, I wish nothing but the worst for you! That’s was not the point of her trying to keep fans at getting tickets for an Honest Price [sic],’ one person tweeted.

After Adele, 34, announced the rescheduled dates for her residency on Monday, tickets to the opening night on November 18 were already being touted at over $7,000 each on Gametime, a popular app for buying last minute tickets.

Within hours, tickets were going for between $600 to $41,280 on the ticket reseller platform Stubhub. 

As reported by Bloomberg, there were two tickets priced at $41,280 each, with the promise that both people will be seated together on Monday evening. At least six other ticket tiers were available for $20,000 each or more. 

Tickets are not currently available at Ticketmaster.