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OhYesMeAgain
If you really want a ticket in the pit, in what will probably be the most popular shows (say Rose Bowl and Metlife), is it advisable to buy a VIP ticket to the pit? I remember in Paris 1, 2, and 3, No Filter 1,it was hard to get a regular pit ticket (although they did pop up from time to time). I am worried if I don't buy a VIP ticket to the pit right away, i might not get another opportunity?

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Hairball
Not sure if the Pit is the optimum location for a massive spectacle like this even if you have money to burn, and/or if you've already seen them up close in the past.
After seeing pics and videos of No Filter I&II, I would suggest anywhere between a third to two thirds back on the field- better visuals and overall better sound as is the case with most,if not all stadium shows.
Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience, but you still have to take the high price into consideration and then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death? Where the visuals and overall atmosphere can't be fully appreciated, and the sound itself is not the best?

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hockenheim95

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OhYesMeAgain
If you really want a ticket in the pit, in what will probably be the most popular shows (say Rose Bowl and Metlife), is it advisable to buy a VIP ticket to the pit? I remember in Paris 1, 2, and 3, No Filter 1,it was hard to get a regular pit ticket (although they did pop up from time to time). I am worried if I don't buy a VIP ticket to the pit right away, i might not get another opportunity?

Paris was a hard Pit ticket to get but Pit Tickets were about 250€ which is a bargain. In Germany they were 800€ and they didn't sell much of them. They tried first with VIPs and later normal Pit appeared and were available until Showtime. It was the same with most UK Shows.

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drbryant

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laertisflash
Talking about stadium capacities in USA and Europe...

BV, just look at the average capacity/attendance of "Zip Code Tour" and compere it to the average capacity/attendance of "No Filter I" and "No Filter II", in Europe. The numbers from European stadiums are clearly bigger. Approx. 48,000 in the USA and 53,000 in Europe.

I can answer that for bv. The Zip Code Tour was a tour of small to medium size markets in the USA and was very unusual in that regard. Buffalo NY for example, has a population smaller than little European cities like Zurich, but is not easily accessible from major cities and has no tourist attractions. The stadium there is rarely used for concerts, as the market can't support the shows, but the Stones play there all the time.

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timbernardis

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Hairball
Not sure if the Pit is the optimum location for a massive spectacle like this even if you have money to burn, and/or if you've already seen them up close in the past.
After seeing pics and videos of No Filter I&II, I would suggest anywhere between a third to two thirds back on the field- better visuals and overall better sound as is the case with most,if not all stadium shows.
Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience, but you still have to take the high price into consideration and then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death? Where the visuals and overall atmosphere can't be fully appreciated, and the sound itself is not the best?

Give him a break Hairball. U and I have been up front, but not this guy, not ever. There is nothing better than being up front at a Stones show, at least once in your life. The first time I was in the pit (since the advent of the pit) was a year ago in Paris and I was absolutely blown away. I had forgotten just how powerful and tight they are. And the sound was great up there. Afterwards. I declared it the greatest Stones show I have ever seen and I still stick by that. And it was show # 50 for me. So, please withdraw your forces and let him enjoy the full force of the Stones up close and personal!!!


plexi

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timbernardis
There is nothing better than being up front at a Stones show, at least once in your life.

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Hairball

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timbernardis

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Hairball
Not sure if the Pit is the optimum location for a massive spectacle like this even if you have money to burn, and/or if you've already seen them up close in the past.
After seeing pics and videos of No Filter I&II, I would suggest anywhere between a third to two thirds back on the field- better visuals and overall better sound as is the case with most,if not all stadium shows.
Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience, but you still have to take the high price into consideration and then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death? Where the visuals and overall atmosphere can't be fully appreciated, and the sound itself is not the best?

Give him a break Hairball. U and I have been up front, but not this guy, not ever. There is nothing better than being up front at a Stones show, at least once in your life. The first time I was in the pit (since the advent of the pit) was a year ago in Paris and I was absolutely blown away. I had forgotten just how powerful and tight they are. And the sound was great up there. Afterwards. I declared it the greatest Stones show I have ever seen and I still stick by that. And it was show # 50 for me. So, please withdraw your forces and let him enjoy the full force of the Stones up close and personal!!!


plexi

And that's exactly why I said Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience.
I was just giving some food for thought based on my own personal experiences attending many stadium shows (by many bands), and now you have given him something else to think about. So relax!

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The Sicilian

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Hairball

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timbernardis

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Hairball
Not sure if the Pit is the optimum location for a massive spectacle like this even if you have money to burn, and/or if you've already seen them up close in the past.
After seeing pics and videos of No Filter I&II, I would suggest anywhere between a third to two thirds back on the field- better visuals and overall better sound as is the case with most,if not all stadium shows.
Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience, but you still have to take the high price into consideration and then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death? Where the visuals and overall atmosphere can't be fully appreciated, and the sound itself is not the best?

Give him a break Hairball. U and I have been up front, but not this guy, not ever. There is nothing better than being up front at a Stones show, at least once in your life. The first time I was in the pit (since the advent of the pit) was a year ago in Paris and I was absolutely blown away. I had forgotten just how powerful and tight they are. And the sound was great up there. Afterwards. I declared it the greatest Stones show I have ever seen and I still stick by that. And it was show # 50 for me. So, please withdraw your forces and let him enjoy the full force of the Stones up close and personal!!!


plexi

And that's exactly why I said Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience.
I was just giving some food for thought based on my own personal experiences attending many stadium shows (by many bands), and now you have given him something else to think about. So relax!

Too close is not that good either. I once had front row seats in Toronto when the Spin Doctors opened. Problem was the wall of the stage was so high you could barely see Charlie. In 1997 Buffalo I was right next to the B-stage which was perfect viewing for both stages. But to hear "Little Queenie," "Crazy Mama," and the "Last Time" in the crowd at the stage was priceless.

Nowadays it's different, the crowds are MUCH tamer and mellowed, the band does not have the energy and drive as they did when they were younger. Floor seating is a downer. General admission adds so much crowd energy to a show. The last general admission Stones show I attended was in San Diego in 1981. What a show.

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bv
the average crowd sizes of the US stadiums are higher than the relatively smaller European stadiums. [...] You will not find any St Mary's or Ricoh sort of venues during the 2019 US tour.

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The Sicilian

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Hairball

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timbernardis

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Hairball
Not sure if the Pit is the optimum location for a massive spectacle like this even if you have money to burn, and/or if you've already seen them up close in the past.
After seeing pics and videos of No Filter I&II, I would suggest anywhere between a third to two thirds back on the field- better visuals and overall better sound as is the case with most,if not all stadium shows.
Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience, but you still have to take the high price into consideration and then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death? Where the visuals and overall atmosphere can't be fully appreciated, and the sound itself is not the best?

Give him a break Hairball. U and I have been up front, but not this guy, not ever. There is nothing better than being up front at a Stones show, at least once in your life. The first time I was in the pit (since the advent of the pit) was a year ago in Paris and I was absolutely blown away. I had forgotten just how powerful and tight they are. And the sound was great up there. Afterwards. I declared it the greatest Stones show I have ever seen and I still stick by that. And it was show # 50 for me. So, please withdraw your forces and let him enjoy the full force of the Stones up close and personal!!!


plexi

And that's exactly why I said Unless you've never been up close before, then it might be worthwhile for the experience.
I was just giving some food for thought based on my own personal experiences attending many stadium shows (by many bands), and now you have given him something else to think about. So relax!

Too close is not that good either. I once had front row seats in Toronto when the Spin Doctors opened. Problem was the wall of the stage was so high you could barely see Charlie. In 1997 Buffalo I was right next to the B-stage which was perfect viewing for both stages. But to hear "Little Queenie," "Crazy Mama," and the "Last Time" in the crowd at the stage was priceless.

Nowadays it's different, the crowds are MUCH tamer and mellowed, the band does not have the energy and drive as they did when they were younger. Floor seating is a downer. General admission adds so much crowd energy to a show. The last general admission Stones show I attended was in San Diego in 1981. What a show.

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DrFixembones

Good post, here is the question though. If there is a larger capacity in United States football arenas then on the Europe tour, shouldn’t tickets be cheaper? Less seats, higher price, more seats, lower price. Reasonable , no?

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Dan

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Ram
Friends, I need some reassurance regarding ticket purchasing. Every tour, I always jump on the first day of sale. Should I really wait the 2-3 weeks after the announcement to get tickets? Also, I am looking for a pit experience for the first time and want to know when is the best time to purchase pit tickets?

If you just gotta have pit then grab them the moment you see them.

Depending on the gig (NJ, La etc) you might not get that opportunity anyway.

If it's just you or your wife or kids or whatever don't really care, then shoot for one.

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The Worst.
According to this seating chart of FedExField from Ticketmaster, there will be two pits this year as well - but also GA standing at the back. Only seats in the middle of the pitch. And the stage will be a bit wider with wings.

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slewan

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The Worst.
According to this seating chart of FedExField from Ticketmaster, there will be two pits this year as well - but also GA standing at the back. Only seats in the middle of the pitch. And the stage will be a bit wider with wings.

similar layout as in Germany in 2017/18 – just worse since the GA section is even further back in the venue

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DrFixembones

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bv
Ticket prices for the US Tour 2019:

I don't think we need a separate thread on this, just feel free to post your estimates here, but if you want to complain about prices in general, then feel free to use this thread:

The ticket prices and other complaints thread

I don't have any scientific research on ticket prices, but I have been to many Stones shows, and the most expensive market by far is USA. Personally I think it is unfair, but a Stones show is not a social experiment, it is all about supply and demand, and it seems as there are many people with a lot of money in USA.

I remember going to MSG Jan 1998. All of the floor was $300. I spend more money on my 3 floor tickets - $900 - than the rest of my travel including flight and accomodation in NYC. Since then I have been to MSG several times, and every time the $300 mark grew higher and higher up on the sides. If they had played MSG in 2019 I am sure the floor would have been priced $1,000 up, and the rest of the venue would have been $400 and up...

I do budgets and calculculations of all my shows anmdf travels. From memory, any English spoken area and country is expensive. The Ole Tour was cheap, Europe is always cheaper than USA ticket wise.

That is why I simply estimate at least 10% to 20% higher ticket price in USA 2019 vs Europe 2017/2018. Sure we could wish for a lot lower prices, but I think it is fair to have realistic expectations. They have to cover up for one show every four days. In the past it was on average one show in every three days. Then they added two more shows vs the fourteen standard, which helps in on getting prices a bit lower.

Lucky Dip tickets were $29.50 each at the Zip Code tour in 2015. I can't remember those other ticket prices, but I do believe the best tickets were quite high priced, while there were still a few reasonable priced tickets, even if they were not the best ones.

In short, I would still expect the average ticket in USA 2019 to be in the range of $200, which means there should be tickets both at $50 or so (Lucky Dip), around $100 and $150, hopefully, then probably sky high PIT tickets and front row seats at $500 and $800 and so on. The Rolling Stones have never been a cheap act, but this might be the last time, I don't know...

Good post, here is the question though. If there is a larger capacity in United States football arenas then on the Europe tour, shouldn’t tickets be cheaper? Less seats, higher price, more seats, lower price. Reasonable , no?

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syrel

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Hairball
then ask yourself: Is it truly worth $650 and up to see the Stones up close playing a 19 song set of mostly warhorses that have been beaten to death?

For me, absolutely. It's expensive but there is nothing I'd rather spend $650 on. Being up close means that you can see the band interacting with each other, which is what to me actually makes each experience somewhat different. I find it hard to get into a Stones show from halfway back in a stadium (easier in an arena); I understand others feeling differently though.

On ticket prices, the standard price for front block tickets on Zip Code was about $450. I'm expecting 500-525 for front blocks this time around, and 700-750 for pit. But they often find a way of surprising me...

syrel

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Chris Fountain
I have a question- How were the huge Stadium owned/housed Video Screens utilized for the Euro tour?

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slewan

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Chris Fountain
I have a question- How were the huge Stadium owned/housed Video Screens utilized for the Euro tour?

there are plenty of videos on youtube…

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The Worst.
According to this seating chart of FedExField from Ticketmaster, there will be two pits this year as well - but also GA standing at the back. Only seats in the middle of the pitch. And the stage will be a bit wider with wings.

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Chris Fountain

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slewan

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Chris Fountain
I have a question- How were the huge Stadium owned/housed Video Screens utilized for the Euro tour?

there are plenty of videos on youtube…

No. I'm talking about the huge vide or TV screens that are already in the stadium. I can't remember how they are utilized. Perhaps pre-concert? Then they are turned off?

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Topi
Or maybe they have indeed made the pits wider. More people, more money. Something tells me the pit is not gonna be a cheap night out.

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slewan

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Chris Fountain

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slewan

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Chris Fountain
I have a question- How were the huge Stadium owned/housed Video Screens utilized for the Euro tour?

there are plenty of videos on youtube…

No. I'm talking about the huge vide or TV screens that are already in the stadium. I can't remember how they are utilized. Perhaps pre-concert? Then they are turned off?

they are turned on pre-show: usually it's a Stones logo plus some local
background
see: [iorr.org] (scroll down to the end of the page, it's the second to last pic)