Buying concert tickets can be a tricky endeavor. On one hand, you want to get your tickets as soon as possible to secure good seats at a reasonable price. On the other hand, you don’t want to buy too far in advance and risk paying more than you need to. So how early is too early when it comes to buying concert tickets? There are a few factors to consider when deciding how far in advance to purchase tickets.
How Popular is the Artist or Band?
One of the biggest factors is the popularity of the artist or band. The more popular the act, the faster tickets will sell out and the sooner you’ll want to buy. For extremely high demand artists like Beyonce, Taylor Swift or major legacy acts like the Rolling Stones, tickets often go on sale months in advance and sell out in minutes. If you want great seats to see artists like these, you’ll want to plan to buy tickets as soon as they go on sale.
For less in-demand acts, you may not need to buy months in advance, but it’s still a good idea to get tickets early, especially if it’s for a smaller venue. Even if the tickets don’t immediately sell out, the best seat selections will be gone quickly. Buying 1-3 months in advance is usually sufficient for more mid-level artists.
Most Popular Artists
- Beyonce
- Taylor Swift
- Rolling Stones
Mid-Level Artists
- John Mayer
- Santana
- Weezer
Type of Venue
The size and type of venue also makes a difference in when to buy tickets. Large arenas and stadiums with capacities over 10,000 tend to sell out quickly, even for artists that aren’t huge names. Popular club venues under 1,000 capacity often sell out weeks in advance.
On the other hand, concert hall and theater shows that seat 2,000-6,000 people may not sell out as quickly. The exception would be if the theater is in very high demand in a major city like New York or Chicago.
Outdoor amphitheaters and festivals typically have large capacities so shows don’t tend to sell out as fast. But for the most popular festivals like Coachella or Bonnaroo, tickets still go quickly.
Venue Size Examples
Venue Type | Size Range | Examples |
---|---|---|
Arena | 10,000 – 30,000 | Madison Square Garden, Staples Center |
Stadium | 40,000 – 100,000 | Rose Bowl, Soldier Field |
Theater | 2,000 – 6,000 | Radio City Music Hall, Hollywood Bowl |
Amphitheater | 5,000 – 20,000 | Gorge Amphitheatre, Red Rocks |
Tour Schedule
Where and when the performer is touring also comes into play. The first and last stops on a tour, especially in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, are likely to sell out fastest. If they are only doing one show in a city, that show will also see very high demand.
For major artists, big cities tend to get booked up first. So if they are coming through your smaller city later in the tour, you may have a little more time to buy tickets.
It’s also worth looking at their full schedule to see if there are better timing options. If you have flexibility, you could choose a show in a different city that may not be sold out or have cheaper pricing.
Time of Year
The time of year the concert is scheduled makes a difference as well. Tours and concerts are most popular in the summer months when school is out. Amphitheaters and festivals are extremely busy in the summer.
Spring and fall are also active concert seasons, especially weekends. Winter tends to be the slowest season, minus around the holidays. If you are looking to get tickets for shows around Christmas or New Year’s, it’s best to buy early.
Where to Buy Tickets
Where you buy tickets also impacts when you need to purchase. If you want to buy through the box office at the venue, you typically can only buy tickets once they formally go on sale to the public. That means you won’t have access right when tickets initially go on sale.
Buying through an official ticket seller like Ticketmaster gives you the opportunity to buy tickets during presales before the general on-sale date. Artist fan club members and certain credit card holders often get access to special presale tickets. This allows you to buy earlier before the general public.
Resale sites like StubHub also frequently have tickets available very early since people will immediately post tickets they purchased. Just be aware resale tickets tend to be much more expensive than face value tickets.
Opening Acts
If a concert has a popular opening act, it also may make sense to buy tickets earlier especially if you specifically want to see the opener. Openers are often added to a tour lineup after the main performer goes on sale. So if seeing the opener is important to you, you may want to buy tickets before they are formally announced.
Some things to consider if buying tickets primarily for the opener – is the opener confirmed or rumored? Are they confirmed for the whole tour or only select dates? What size are the venues they would typically headline vs. the size they will likely play as an opener? The smaller the venue they usually play compared to where they are opening, the greater the demand is likely to be.
How Many Tickets Do You Need?
How many tickets you need is another consideration. If you just need a single ticket, you have more flexibility to wait since scattered single seats are usually the last to go. But if you are trying to get a group of 4, 6 or 8 seats together, you will want to act faster. The more tickets you need together, the earlier you want to look.
For very popular shows, you likely will need to act soon after tickets go on sale to secure a large quantity of group seats together. Otherwise, you will run into the issue of only single seats remaining.
Your Budget
Your budget plays a role as well. The sooner you buy after tickets initially go on sale, the better chance you have to get face value tickets before prices increase. If you wait and are flexible on seat location, you can sometimes find last minute deals below face value. But anything in high demand will go up in price over time as secondary market tickets become the only option.
If budget is a major factor, plan to buy early. You don’t want to delay only to find tickets are now hundreds above face value. Also consider joining fan clubs that give you access to presales – the small membership fee is usually easily covered by the ticket discount you’ll receive.
Risk of Cancellations
One other factor to keep in mind is cancellations. The earlier you buy tickets for a show, the higher the risk that the show ends up being postponed or canceled. That risk has increased in recent years, as artists like Adele, Rage Against the Machine and The Weeknd have canceled or postponed full tours either right before or mid-way into them.
There are never any guarantees that a show will happen until the artist steps on stage. But buying last minute does substantially lower the risk of cancellation since the show is imminent. If you like to eliminate risk, waiting until closer to the show date could be beneficial. But you may miss out on getting tickets at all if you wait too long.
When to Start Checking for Tickets
So when should you actually start monitoring for ticket on-sale dates and securing your seats? Here are some general guidelines on typical advance timeframes:
6-12 Months in Advance
- Massive legacy acts – The Rolling Stones, Elton John
- Huge pop stars – Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Adele
- Rare reunion tours – Rage Against the Machine, Swedish House Mafia
- Coachella, Bonnaroo, other major U.S. festivals
3-6 Months in Advance
- Well-known artists and long-running bands with loyal fan bases – Foo Fighters, Dead & Company, Jimmy Buffett
- Top 40 pop singers – Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber
- Trendy rappers – Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B
- Popular DJs – The Chainsmokers, Diplo, Marshmello
1-3 Months in Advance
- Major artists playing multiple nights in big cities – 6-8 shows in NYC, LA, London, Toronto
- Classic rock bands and legacy acts not touring regularly – Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, The Who
- Major festival headline acts – Lollapalooza, ACL
- Broadway and Las Vegas residencies – Celine Dion, U2, Bruno Mars
1-4 Weeks in Advance
- Mid-size bands in clubs and theaters – Wilco, MGMT, Gary Clark Jr., MercyMe
- Nostalgic acts with niche appeal – Backstreet Boys, Hanson, 98 Degrees
- Comedians – Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney
- Plays and small scale musicals
Use Presales and Waiting Rooms
Once you know approximately when tickets will go on sale, pay close attention to artist and venue communications. Many will announce presales for fan club members or mailing list subscribers that give early access before the general public on-sale. Sign up for these in advance if you can. Also look out for unique presale code offers from sponsord and radio stations.
For extremely popular shows, ticket sellers will often use waiting rooms that randomly put people in line to get into the ticketing site. Get into the waiting room at least 30 mins before on-sale time to improve your access spot.
Have Backup Options
Especially for high demand shows, sometimes you get shut out even with all the preparation in the world. Don’t put all your hopes on one single concert. Have a few backup shows for other dates or cities you’d consider seeing the artist at instead. Flexibility opens up more possibilities to see your favorite act live.
Third Party Resale Sites
If you miss out on initially buying from the box office, resale sites provide another option. Just know you will pay more – often significantly higher. Prices on StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and others will start high but often come down over time as sellers lower prices trying to unload tickets. For really popular shows though, secondary market prices may stay sky high if demand is off the charts.
Last Minute Deals
For less in-demand shows, especially weekday performances, great last minute deals can pop up. Check primary ticketing sites leading up to the show as prices are lowered on remaining seats. Unsold tickets may also be dumped onto daily deal sites like Groupon. But move fast, these deals go quickly!
Conclusion
Ultimately, buying concert tickets comes down to a balance of getting seats locked in early before they sell out while also avoiding paying more than necessary simply due to buying too far in advance. Take the artist’s level of popularity, tour schedule, venue sizes and your own budget and flexibility into account.
Use presales and waiting rooms when available to gain access before the general public. But also consider waiting until 1-4 weeks out for smaller shows or ones with high numbers of dates and availability. For the big stadium and arena shows from top touring artists, buying 3-6 months in advance is usually the sweet spot to secure tickets before the frenzy starts.
Key Tips
- Buy 6-12 months out for massive legacy and pop acts in huge demand
- Aim for 3-6 months advance purchase for major artists playing arenas and amphitheaters
- 1-3 months out is reasonable for many well-known performers
- Smaller shows can often be bought just weeks in advance
- Use presales and waiting rooms to get earlier access
- Have backup shows and cities in mind in case your first choice sells out
- Buying earlier guarantees better price and availability
- Last minute deals are possible for lower demand concerts
Following these tips will help you strategically time your concert ticket purchases. With the right approach, you can secure amazing seats at fair prices and avoid spending more than needed. Use your best judgment based on the unique dynamics of each show. And most importantly – have fun at the concert!