Billie Eilish fans have lashed out at exorbitant ticket prices for her upcoming ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ world tour.
The “What Was I Made For” artist will land in Australia in February 2025 to headline arenas including Qudos Bank Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Center and Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
Pre-sale tickets for the singer’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour were available between April 30 and May 1, including early access for American Express Card members, while general sale took place on the 3rd. may.
Fans facing financial difficulties expressed their dismay on social media, criticizing ticket prices, which are significantly higher than during the Grammy Award-winning artist’s last tour in 2022.
The most affordable Reserve D “nosebleed” tickets start at $129.90, about $40 more than similar seats for Taylor Swift concerts this year.
The price of reserved aisle seating jumps to $269.90, while a regular general admission standing ticket costs $199.90.
One fan expressed shock at the price, publication onformerly Twitter, “the audacity of Billie Eilish to announce her tour about 4 days before general sale and then have the tickets be more expensive than Eras tour tickets.”
Fans around the world also criticized Eilish for her high ticket prices.
A UK-based fan expressed his frustration: declaring, £145 whole for a standing ticket for @billieeilish at @TheCoopLive I think I paid £80 on the last tour? All this to spend my money to go to concerts but Jesus Christ. It’s expensive”.
A parent exclaimed“The youngest just told me the ticket prices for the Billie Eilish tour. Eek! When did they get so expensive! Over £200 for standing and almost £400 for seated!
Live Nation responds to ticket pricing allegations
Ticket operators Live Nation and Ticketmaster are under constant scrutiny for what fans say are “price gouging,” which has led to expensive concert tickets over the past year.
However, in March, Live Nation responded to the allegations suggesting that its market dominance, along with its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster, are behind the rise in concert ticket prices.
The company has denied responsibility for the surge in ticket prices. Instead, it places the blame squarely on artists, venues, and secondary ticketing platforms.
“Tickets are actually set by the artists and teams. It’s their show, they decide the cost of entry. NFL tickets on Ticketmaster were priced by the home teams, concert tickets were priced by the artist’s sales teams, Monster Jam tickets were priced by its producer (Feld Entertainment), and so on. Live Nation wrote.
In a press release announcing the tour, it was revealed that Eilish’s team had opted to use Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange, meaning fans have the ability to resell tickets to other fans if they can no longer attend it themselves.
“The tour wants to give fans, not scalpers, the best chance to purchase tickets at face value,” the release said.
Eilish’s candid thoughts on desire and identity
Fresh off the release of “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” fans are eagerly awaiting one song in particular: “Lunch.” In this track, Eilish passionately expresses her desire for another girl, drawing parallels between their intimacy and the satisfaction of a meal.
Talk to Rolling stone, the singer discussed the process of writing the album and her journey with her sexuality.
“This song is actually part of what helped me become who I am, to be real…I’ve been into girls my whole life, but I just didn’t understand – until “Last year I realized I wanted my face in a vagina. I never in a million years planned on talking about my sexuality. It’s really frustrating for me that this is happening.” she declared.
Eilish’s album “Hit Me Hard And Soft” is set to be released on May 17.
