Aerosmith, one of the biggest rock bands in history, has announced that they will be embarking on a farewell tour in 2023 before retiring from touring altogether. This has led many fans to wonder, how much will tickets to Aerosmith’s farewell concerts cost? As a legendary band with 50 years of hits, Aerosmith has always commanded high ticket prices, especially for their final shows. Factors like venue, city, demand and more will determine the final pricing. Here’s a closer look at what to expect when it comes to Aerosmith farewell concert ticket prices.
Aerosmith’s History of Expensive Tickets
As one of the best-selling artists of all time, Aerosmith has charged premium prices for their live shows throughout their long career. Even in their early days in the 1970s, tickets to see Aerosmith live weren’t cheap. Fast forward to their heyday in the late 1980s and 1990s, and prices really soared. Their famous Get A Grip tour in 1993 saw average setlist prices above $50, going over $100 for the best seats. Their subsequent Nine Lives tour in 1997 was even more expensive, with tickets averaging $75 and up. In recent Aerosmith tours like the Route of All Evil Tour (2007) and the Global Warming Tour (2012), it was common for the best tickets to reach $200 to $400 each. Given the band’s fame and success, getting Aerosmith tickets has always required a significant financial commitment from fans.
Farewell Tour Precedent from Other Legacy Acts
Looking at other huge classic rock bands that have embarked on farewell tours can give some idea of what Aerosmith’s final show ticket prices could be. Groups like Kiss, The Rolling Stones, The Who and more have said goodbye with expensive concerts. Kiss’s End of the Road World Tour which ran from 2018 to 2022 saw average tickets hitting well over $150 apiece, with floor seats ranging from $250 to as high as $1,500 for VIP packages in major markets like New York and Los Angeles. The Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour was their final global trek and had field seats averaging over $200. Even with cheap seats as low as $70, most tickets were in the hundreds for their last outings in key cities. The Who’s The Who Hits 50 tour in 2015 was billed as their swan song, and tickets went for an average of $250 overall. In summary, fans have shelled out big bucks when iconic classic rock bands take their final bows. Aerosmith’s last concert ticket prices should be in this premium range as well.
How Venue and Location Impacts Pricing
Where Aerosmith plays their farewell shows will have a major impact on the ticket pricing. Larger metro areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago will surely be more expensive. Iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and LA’s Staples Center will drive up demand even further compared to smaller regional arenas and amphitheaters. Overseas concerts in Europe, South America and Asia could see variances in prices as well based on local markets. Even within the same city, a stadium show would likely be costlier than an arena due to the increased capacity. The supply and demand equation also comes into play, as Aerosmith’s final concert in a given area should spark frenzied interest. Overall, the major cities and big-name venues will fetch the highest ticket prices for Aerosmith’s farewell run.
How Many Farewell Shows Will Aerosmith Play?
The number of shows Aerosmith decides to play on this tour will impact availability and pricing. If the farewell is limited to say 30-40 concerts globally, that constrains supply and makes tickets harder to come by. For their last tour, Aerosmith could do a yearlong victory lap with 80-100 shows or more worldwide. While this will help satisfy demand, basic economics says more supply will prevent rapid sellouts and reduce the prices fans have to pay on the secondary market. There’s no magic number, but expect intense competition if Aerosmith keeps the farewell stint short. It remains to be seen how extensive Aerosmith wants their final tour to be.
Package Deals and VIP Experiences
Beyond just concert tickets, there will be opportunities for fans to spend big on VIP packages and experiences to commemorate Aerosmith’s last shows. Offerings could include meet and greets, exclusive tour merchandise, pre-show parties, guaranteed front row spots and more. These upgrades can run into the thousands but will allow diehards some special final memories with the band. There could even be a “lifetime experience” ultra-VIP level priced out of most fan’s reach. Given Aerosmith’s stature, expect plentiful high-end packages to drive revenues even higher for their farewell run.
Reseller Markups
As rapidly as tickets get bought up, huge markups on the secondary market are inevitable for Aerosmith’s last hurrah. Platinum reseller sites like StubHub will carry tickets at huge premiums, sometimes 5-10 times the face value once shows start selling out. Dynamic pricing tactics will send prices soaring for the most in-demand cities and dates as well. Avoiding resale sites and getting tickets directly through Aerosmith’s fan club or venue presales will be key to saving money. Still, the secondary market activity will push the upper limit of what some fans end up paying by thousands for Aerosmith’s last round of gigs.
How Will Prices Compare To Their Prime Years?
Adjusted for inflation, concert tickets are drastically more expensive now than decades ago. Where the best seats went for around $100 for their famous tours in the nineties, factoring inflation could put equivalent pricing well over $200 now. With their popularity still strong as an all-time great rock band, its reasonable to expect at least a 50% price premium for their farewell versus tours in their prime. For reference, The Rolling Stones charged around 50% more on their recent final tour than they did a decade earlier. Applied to Aerosmith, that concept would translate to $300 or more for premium seats, whereas the rear sections could still come in under $100. Overall inflation expectations support Aerosmith outdoing their top prices from past decades by a significant margin.
How Ticket Prices Have Grown Over Time
Year | Tour | Average Ticket Price |
---|---|---|
1973 | Aerosmith Tour | $10 |
1979 | Night in the Ruts Tour | $15 |
1987 | Permanent Vacation Tour | $28 |
1993 | Get a Grip Tour | $53 |
1997 | Nine Lives Tour | $75 |
2007 | Route of All Evil Tour | $86 |
2012 | Global Warming Tour | $135 |
This table illustrates how Aerosmith’s concert ticket prices have grown over the decades, giving a sense of the increasing revenues they could generate on a farewell tour in 2023 and beyond.
How Do Aerosmith Prices Compare to Other Classic Rock Farewell Tours?
Artist | Farewell Tour | Year | Average Ticket Price |
---|---|---|---|
The Who | The Who Hits 50 | 2015 | $250 |
Kiss | End of the Road World Tour | 2018-2022 | $175 |
The Rolling Stones | No Filter Tour | 2021 | $226 |
Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 2018-2023 | $142 |
This table benchmarks how other huge classic rock bands priced their farewell tours over the past decade. Aerosmith is likely to price at least in line with these averages, if not exceed them given their massive popularity.
How Does Demand Impact Pricing?
Among the biggest factors is that Aerosmith remains an in-demand concert draw despite being decades into their career. Their last major tour in 2011-2012 grossed over $70 million from 80 shows worldwide. And that was 10+ years ago, so their fans are hungry to see them one last time now. Their concert grosses remain massive compared to most young pop stars. As long as demand stays sky-high, Aerosmith can charge almost whatever they want for these farewell shows. Venues will sell out instantly, and resellers can flip the tickets at giant profits, so expect prices to run very high.
Are VIP Packages and Upsells A Factor?
Beyond just general admission seats, Aerosmith will likely offer all kinds of upgraded experiences, driving revenues even higher. VIP meet and greet add-ons can run into the thousands per ticket. There will also surely be options like:
- Front row packages
- Backstage tours
- Merch bundles
- Pre-show parties
- Signed memorabilia
- Lifetime fan club membership
Functionally, Aerosmith could probably charge almost any amount for some of these special packages and die-hard fans would pay up. The band could make an additional fortune upselling the most devoted supporters well beyond normal ticket prices.
How Do On-Sale Platforms Impact Pricing?
Where the tickets first go on sale will be another pricing factor…
General public on-sales through Ticketmaster often carry higher fees and dynamic “platinum” pricing, lifting costs. Meanwhile, artist presales and fan club offerings sometimes have cheaper access. Promoters like LiveNation have their own presales as well, occasionally with better deals than the general on-sale. This could allow savvy fans early entry to purchase tickets before the most expensive dynamic pricing takes effect for sold out shows later on. In essence, early access codes will be critical to saving money versus buying on secondary markets once seats are gone.
Conclusion
Given Aerosmith’s reputation as one of the most legendary and popular bands in rock history, their farewell tour ticket prices were already destined to be expensive. Factoring in how their peers like The Rolling Stones and Kiss priced their own final tours, Aerosmith tickets were sure to average at least $150 if not upwards of $200+ in major markets. When you add in the increased costs of modern ticketing, VIP experiences, and inevitable resale markups, it wouldn’t be shocking to see prime seats eclipse $500+ for the biggest cities, if not $1,000 or more for the most in-demand shows. While the upper pricing limit is hard to foresee, there’s no question Aerosmith’s last concerts will come at a hefty price for fans. Yet to see a truly iconic band’s final performances, many will find the money somehow. Aerosmith’s farewell tour will be an epic experience fans will pay dearly to witness in person.