Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour takes flight, yet countless cut-rate tickets remain unsold
Rewritten Article:
LA LA LAND - Just a few months ago, eager fans usually had to shell out up to $800 for a presale ticket for Beyoncé's opening night at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium for her Cowboy Carter Tour. But on the day of the concert, tickets were going as low as $57.50, with thousands of seats still available on resale markets like Ticketmaster.
Beyoncé's subsequent tour dates haven't seen such drastic price drops. Yet, prices have fluctuated on every leg of her tour, leaving various stadiums with surplus seats for her shows.
The lowered prices have stirred a mix of disbelief and bitterness among fans who express frustration with the ticket-buying process. After all, concert ticket prices have been on a steady climb in recent years, leading to increased public outrage against ticketing companies due to high fees and unchecked scalping.
Some fans hoping to take advantage of the cheaper tickets but couldn't upgrade them found themselvespreventedby the very same companies they bought tickets from. Members of the Beyhive, Beyoncé's dedicated fan base, exchanged tips on TikTok on how to navigate the upgrade process successfully. However, many others expressed disappointment for not getting the desired upgrades. Ticketmaster's exchange policy states that buyers can change or upgrade their tickets only if they are of the same price or higher than the current tickets.
There was no immediate response fromTicketmaster regarding the issue.
Jada Rivera and Kira Chase, fans from Arizona who drove all the way to LA, complained about having spent over $1,200 on presale tickets, only to later pay an additional $300 to upgrade their seats, as other, cheaper tickets with lower prices were available in the same section.
"That first sale is usually the cheapest, so that's why we jumped on it, because we thought it was only going to get more expensive from there," Chase explained. "We then watched the tickets drop and tried talking to Ticketmaster about it, but they weren't much help."
Many other fans across the country expressed similar feelings of regret for having purchased tickets early.
"It's extremely frustrating, because Ticketmaster gave the illusion that the concert was selling out or sold out when I was in the presale," said Paul Poulos Jr., who opted to stick with his $281 nosebleed seat for Beyoncé's May 28 show at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. "They had little to no tickets available, so it made it seem like it was this seat or not be in attendance at all."
When he contacted Ticketmaster to upgrade to a better section, he was denied because the tickets he wanted were $20 cheaper than what he had already paid. He claimed that his only upgrade option now is if he purchases more expensive tickets available in the same section for an additional $100.
Some fans remained enthusiastic, willing to pay extra money for the assurance of a row for themselves and friends, as well as the optimal concert experience.
"If you want to make sure you have a row for you and your friends and you have the experience you want, then you have to throw down some money, make some choices," said Kristy Larson, who attended the concert at SoFi Stadium. "She [Beyoncé] is going to take all my money tonight, and it's totally okay with me."
By evening, Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's entertainment and management company, revealed that night one at SoFi Stadium was sold out.
Insight: Ticket buying has grown increasingly challenging for fans due to strict final-sale policies, event-specific restrictions, and speculative ticket sales risks inherent in high-demand events like Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour. Navigating upgrades and reselling of tickets is further hindered by policies requiring the same-show exchanges or additional fees.
- Despite the drastic drop in ticket prices on resale markets for Beyoncé's concert at SoFi Stadium, subsequent tour dates have not experienced such fluctuations, leaving some markets with surplus seats.
- The fluctuation in prices has generated a mix of disbelief and bitterness among fans, particularly those who failed to upgrade their tickets due to strict exchange policies.
- In 2024, some fans might choose to pay extra to secure the optimal concert experience, such as ensuring a row for themselves and friends, even if it means shelling out more money.
- The resale of concert tickets has been a contentious issue in the entertainment industry, with fans expressing frustration over high fees, unchecked scalping, and the lack of flexibility in ticket exchange policies.
- Fans attending Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour have encountered varying levels of resentment, from disappointment at not getting desired upgrades to regret for purchasing tickets early due to the unpredictable and complex nature of ticket sales in the pop-culture scene.
