Secondary Ticket Market Hurts U2 Fans

By: Ralph Garcia

It’s been a few years since U2 last hit the road, but they’ll be heading out again in 2015. The band recently announced dates for their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour, which is currently only scheduled to hit nine cities across North America. While there’s not many cities being played, the band will play multiple nights in each for a current total of 30 concerts. With the tour four months away, U2 tickets on the secondary market have been in high demand since going on sale.

According to TiqIQ, the average price for U2 tickets across all 30 dates is $254.53 on the secondary market. Four of the five dates at New York City’s Madison Square Garden will be the most expensive of the tour. The July 18 show has a current average price of $513.47, 101.7% above the tour average. While that’s an exuberant price, no other show has an average price above $400. The next most expensive date has an average price of $359.57 for July 23, 30% below the show on the 17th but still 41.2% above the tour average.

The least expensive shows on the secondary market come in Toronto and Phoenix. The opening night of the tour on May 14 will be the least expensive of the tour with an average price of $173.51, 31.8% below the tour average at Toronto’s Rogers’ Centre. The next two least expensive concerts will come at US Airways Center in Phoenix with an average price of $174.64 on May 22 and $189.01 on May 23.

Only four shows have an average price below $200, with a May 19 date at SAP Center being the other. During the U2360 Tour, the band toured all over the world for two years. It’s likely more dates will eventually be added to this tour across North America.