When superstar rock band U2 first revealed ticket prices for its residency at Madison Square Garden Entertainment's (MSGE) Sphere at the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip, the cost was considered by most observers to be reasonable.
It was considered good news for Las Vegas U2 fans when the band on April 24 released details for ticket sales for the first scheduled shows for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere on Sept. 29-30, Oct. 5, 7 and 8, which were reportedly priced starting from $140 with all fees included. The highest priced ticket for a floor seat was expected to be about $550 at the time.
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U2 on April 24 opened U2.com subscriber presale ticket requests, as well as Verified Fan Presale registration, on Ticketmaster through April 26 at 10 a.m. Eastern time. U2.com subscribers could pick up to three shows and rank them in preference and request up to four tickets per show. U2.com Subscriber Presale ticket request confirmations would be sent beginning April 26.
Those who receive a Verified Fan access code could purchase tickets in the Verified Fan presale on April 27. Any remaining tickets following the presale were supposed to go on sale to the general public April 28, but that didn't happen because of incredible high demand for tickets from the U2.com subscribers and Verified Fan registrations.
General admission floor tickets will be restricted from transfer and may only be resold at the original price through Ticketmaster Face value Exchange.
Over 1 million potential ticket buyers registered for Verified Fan for the residency, which would grow to 17 shows in the 17,500 seat venue, which amounts to 297,500 possible tickets.
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Las Vegas Strip U2 Ticket Prices Skyrocket
However, Ticketmaster included a "dynamic pricing" provision in its ticket sales that during the week would drive up ticket prices astronomically out of some potential ticket buyers' reach. Tickets in the $140-$550 range were reportedly nonexistent for many people who tried to buy tickets. The lowest priced tickets available through Ticketmaster were not less than $950 and were going for as high as $1,250, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported. Some $600 VIP tickets also skyrocketed to $6,000.
Disappointed people seeking tickets emailed TheStreet during the week to express their disappointment in the process.
"...Tickets on Ticketmaster selling for $1499 a piece!! (All inclusive...lol) Ugg, Talk about highway robbery!" a reader named Mark complained on April 27.
"Pre-sale tickets $750-$1450, would love to know where $140 - $550 came from?" a reader named Julie wrote on the same day.
Once the heat dies down from this hot ticket sale and the U2 residency concludes, The Sphere will be looking to book another huge act to drive ticket sales again.
Former One Direction Member Rumors
Speculation around Sin City is that former One Direction member and popular solo artist Harry Styles might be the next performer to take residency at The Sphere after U2 departs. British tabloid The Sun has reported a rumor that Styles has been offered $50 million for a residency at the new venue, the Review-Journal reported.
The reasoning behind this theory is that Styles has sold about 250,000 tickets for several shows at Madison Square Garden. There's also a connection between Styles' manager Full Stop Management, which is reportedly involved in lining up performers for The Sphere, working as a consultant for one of the venue's partners, Madison Square Garden Entertainment, the Review-Journal said.
