Harry Styles’ ‘Together,Together’ Tour Sparks Outrage Over Ticket Prices
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Despite hopeful anticipation,the proclamation of Harry Styles’s highly anticipated ‘Together,Together’ world tour has quickly devolved into widespread fan outrage over exorbitant ticket costs. The “Aperture” singer revealed plans for 50 shows across just seven cities, including a six-night run at Wembley Stadium in London and a 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden in New York city – marking his first performances in three years following the success of his ‘Love On’ tour, which grossed over $600 million in 2023.
A Return to the Stage Met With Financial Barriers
While initial reactions to the tour announcement were positive, with fans expressing willingness to travel to see Styles perform live, skepticism quickly mounted as ticket presales commenced on Ticketmaster this week. scoring tickets proved to be a grueling ordeal, with fans reporting waits exceeding an hour in digital queues of hundreds of thousands. Those who successfully navigated the system were then confronted with prices far exceeding their expectations, with some tickets reaching upwards of $5,000.
Styles’ team Under Fire
The frustration extends beyond Ticketmaster, with some fans directly blaming Styles and his team for the high prices. A user claiming to have spoken with Ticketmaster “execs” alleged on X that the pricing for the tour was “all set up and predetermined by Harry and his team,” adding that there would be no changes despite acknowledging the exorbitant costs. The account has as been made private.
Yahoo reached out to Styles’s representatives for comment but did not receive an immediate response. Though, a ticketmaster spokesperson told Yahoo that the company “does not determine pricing” and “does not have surge pricing or dynamic algorithms to adjust ticket prices.” The spokesperson further stated that Ticketmaster communicated the price range for remaining tickets to fans in the digital queue for the Madison Square Garden shows.
A Contrast in Approaches: Olivia Dean’s Stand Against Scalpers
The situation has prompted comparisons to fellow British artist Olivia dean, who took a firm stance against Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG Presents last November when tickets for her ‘The Art of Loving Live’ tour went on sale.Dean publicly condemned the platforms for allowing scalpers to inflate resale prices, calling the practice “revolting” and advocating for affordable and accessible live music.
Dean and her team successfully secured partial refunds for fans who had overpaid on resale sites, and Ticketmaster agreed to cap future resale prices for her tour at face value. “This album specifically was just such an attempt to connect with people and talk about love and loving each other,” Dean explained to Gayle King in December. “I think concert tickets are overpriced. I think that people should be able to come to the show, and it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
A Growing Trend of Unaffordable Concerts
styles is the latest in a growing list of artists – including Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, and BTS – facing criticism for increasingly unaffordable ticket prices. In a pointed commentary on the situation, one fan on X wrote, “Queue All The Time.Tickets, Occasionally,” a play on styles’s recently announced album, ‘Kiss All the Time.’ Another suggested a boycott, stating that New York city Mayor zohran Mamdani “should ban Harry from New York until those MSG prices are lowered.”
Some fans have even resurfaced old posts from Styles, including a 2011 tweet quoting Jessie J’s “price Tag” lyrics – “It’s not about the money, money, money/ we don’t need your money, money, money/ we just wanna make the world dance/ forget about the price tag” – questioning the artist’s current approach to ticket pricing.
As disappointment mounts,the ‘Together,Together’ tour is becoming a stark example of the challenges facing fans attempting to experience live music in an increasingly expensive landscape.
