Billie Eilish failing to sell out her tour proves ticket prices for gigs must change, and fast

Going to a gig isn’t worth it. It doesn’t matter how much you love an artist, the costs increasing is making it unfeasible for anyone to see the artists they deserve to and want to. It’s heartbreaking, really – and something needs to change. It is just getting worse and worse, and with Billie Eilish as the latest pop star to fumble the bag thanks to the eye-watering and backlash deserving costs to attend one night of her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour when it boots off next year, perhaps the wheels have been set in motion have just been kickstarted for the live music bigwigs and super rich performers to realise no one is going to stand for these ticket prices much longer.

Billie Eilish is the latest in a long line of singers who are being hit with very valid complaints that perhaps they are completely out of touch with the income of the fans who support them. Often times, these fans are teenagers.

Co-Op Live Manchester ticket availability

In a tweet that perfectly sums up the fury I’ve had on this matter for a while, @heyitsandy_ said”I’m glad Billie Eilish can’t sell out or even marginally fill any of her three dates at the O2 arena because the only way we will get cheaper ticket prices is by not buying hugely overpriced tickets. £234 being the cheapest ticket is ridiculous.”

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When I booked tickets to see Olivia Rodrigo at the tail end of last year, I was gobsmacked to be paying £100 for it. £100 to see an artist on their second album is insanity, to me. I truly don’t think anyone should be charging over £70 for one night’s worth of entertainment – and that’s if you’re like the peak of fame. It’s doable too, with bands like The 1975 having a ticket price cap to keep their gigs accessible to fans who might not have the disposable income.

For comparison, I paid the exact same price I paid for one night at Olivia Rodrigo as I did last year to see Lana Del Rey at BST Hyde Park. Not only is Lana Del Rey a way bigger artist than Rodrigo, with nine records released – that £100 covered a full day’s worth of music with loads of support acts that was essentially a day festival of entertainment as oppose to a couple of hours.

It’s also worth noting that the Billie Eilish ticket prices are extra ridiculous when you factor in that I paid £120 for my ticket to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, going ahead in August. Unless you live under a rock somewhere, you’ll be aware that getting a ticket to the Eras Tour was like gold dust and with the level of celebrity Swift has that’s inevitable. I am the first to criticise Taylor Swift the literal billionaire for her money grabbing ways, but I truly feel like £120 is pretty reasonable to see the most famous person on the planet play a career spanning set that lasts three and a half hours.

I’m not quite sure that Billie Eilish is on that level.

Whilst Billie Eilish flopping brings me no joy, I do hope that this becomes a catalyst for change when it comes to ticket prices and going to see live music. We can’t go on like this – nobody in the cost of living crisis has disposable income to burn and artists are going to learn the hard way when they open shows playing to half vacant venues.

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