Features Rolling Stones: Let’s Spend The Night Together?

“Rolling Stones Set To Make £15m From London Gigs!”

“Rolling Stones Blasted For Being Greedy!”

“FANS OUTRAGE!”

The last twenty four hours have found the internet awash with proclamations of disgust at the price of a Rolling Stones ticket. As Mick and Keef gallop into town and bump up their pension funds by charging £95 for the cheapest ticket (minus booking fee, of course), the likelihood that the casual fan is rushing out to buy one seems pretty slim. After all, add those booking fees on, and you’re looking at £106 a ticket – or half the price of a Glastonbury ticket with literally hundreds of bands (and if current rumours are to be believed, The Rolling Stones are likely to be headlining, anyway).

But the thing is, it’s all very well to get up in arms about these things, and start bad mouthing the Stones for their greed, but it’s not like they’re the first band to charge a ludicrous amount. At least they do actually have the back catalogue to justify it. Since Madonna first decided that she was worth it (in more than a shampoo sense) and started charging hundreds of quid a ticket, musicians who’ve had a certain career longevity – but probably don’t actually sell records anymore – have made their rent by filling up arenas with gullible punters willing to pay uber-dollars to watch a small dot in the distance smash out their greatest hits.

Personally I’d expect a quick fumble with Jagger (circa 1969, not now; that’d be sick) for that price, but isn’t the point that if there are fans willing to pay it, then that’s exactly what it’s worth. And the fact that the cheapest tickets currently sat on Viagogo are £375 a pop (before all those booking fees again), rather suggests that someone, somewhere, is silly enough to pay stupid money.

It’s not that long since we were accusing Radiohead of the same kind of greed, given the prices for their arena tour. Radiohead, who only a few years ago, let you pay whatever you wanted for their record. I’m not suggesting, for a moment, that it’s okay to charge three figured sums for a single gig, but there are costs involved, people to pay, livings to make. And you know what, you don’t like it, don’t pay it. Because while people do, frankly, we have no real justification to complain.