Harry Styles is performing at Slane Castle in Ireland on May 26, 2023 as part of his Love On Tour world tour. With 80,000 tickets available, it will be the biggest concert ever held at the iconic Slane Castle venue. However, tickets sold out within minutes of going on sale, leaving many fans disappointed. This has led to speculation that Harry Styles is the fastest selling act in Slane Castle’s history.
What is Slane Castle?
Slane Castle is located in County Meath, Ireland. Since 1981, it has hosted some of the biggest names in music, including The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, Oasis, Eminem and Guns N’ Roses. With a capacity of up to 80,000, it is Ireland’s largest outdoor concert venue. Slane concerts have become a major event in the Irish music calendar and attract music fans from all over the world.
Harry Styles’ popularity
Harry Styles first found fame as a member of boy band One Direction. After the band went on hiatus in 2016, Harry launched a hugely successful solo career. His self-titled debut solo album was released in 2017 and topped the charts in multiple countries. His second album ‘Fine Line’ was released in 2019 and was even more successful, peaking at number one in the UK and number three in the US. It also broke the record for the biggest sales debut from an English male artist in the US.
Harry has gained a devoted global fanbase known as ‘Stylers’, many of whom are willing to travel long distances to see him perform live. His combination of charisma, talent and good looks has made him one of the most sought-after pop stars in the world today.
Harry Styles’ 2023 tour
Harry announced the 2023 leg of his Love On Tour back in January 2022. The tour will see Harry and his band perform over 40 shows across Europe, Latin America and Australia from May to July 2023. The Slane Castle concert sold out immediately when tickets went on sale in September 2022. 80,000 tickets were snapped up in just a few minutes, smashing the previous record held by Guns N’ Roses who sold 72,000 tickets for their Slane gig in 2017.
Is the Slane Concert Really Sold Out?
Officially, the Harry Styles concert at Slane Castle is completely sold out. No further tickets are available through authorized ticket sellers. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean tickets are impossible to obtain. Here are some ways fans may still be able to get into the event:
Ticket resale sites
Many fans who can no longer attend are reselling their tickets on sites like StubHub and Viagogo. Tickets are being resold for over 2-3 times their original price. Be prepared to pay a hefty premium if going down this route. Buy from authorized resellers and beware of potential scams.
Contests and giveaways
Radio stations, media partners and sponsors of the concert sometimes run ticket giveaways leading up to the event. Enter any contest you can find for a chance to win. Harry’s label Columbia Records gave away a small number of tickets to fans who pre-ordered his latest album.
Tour insiders
Those working on or connected to the production sometimes have tickets allocated for friends & family, crew and industry guests that may become spare last minute. Networking with entertainment industry insiders is one way of accessing these tickets.
Outside the venue
Die-hard fans often turn up outside the venue on the day hoping to snap up spare tickets from touts or kind souls with extras. This is an extremely risky strategy however that is not recommended.
Method | Risk | Potential Cost |
---|---|---|
Resale Sites | Medium | 2-3x original price |
Contests | Low | Free |
Tour insiders | Medium | Face value or free |
Outside venue | High | Extortionate prices |
Why Did the Concert Sell Out So Quickly?
A number of factors contributed to the incredibly rapid sell-out of Harry Styles’ Slane Castle show:
Limited availability
With just 80,000 tickets on sale, demand far exceeded supply. Most big outdoor concerts have capacities upward of 100,000. As Harry’s popularity has grown exponentially in recent years, even this large venue cannot accommodate all his fans.
Timing
The concert taking place over the June bank holiday weekend meant many fans were free to travel. Good weather also draws bigger crowds to outdoor events.
Only Irish Date
Slane Castle was Harry’s only Ireland gig on the tour, so it was the one chance for Irish fans to see him without travelling abroad. Most big acts play multiple nights at major cities on a tour.
Venue reputation
Slane Castle has iconic status in Irish music culture. Fans were eager to see Harry perform on the historic grounds that have hosted rock greats like U2 and The Rolling Stones.
Swift buyer action
Committed fans queued online ahead of tickets going on sale and were ready to buy immediately. Unique pre-sale codes for existing fans secured early access to tickets before the general public. Scalpers also used bots to sweep up tickets en masse.
Factor | Influence |
---|---|
Limited availability | High |
Good timing | Medium |
Only Irish date | High |
Venue reputation | Medium |
Swift buyer action | High |
What’s Being Done About Ticket Resales?
The huge volume of tickets being resold at inflated prices has led to frustration for Harry Styles’ team and calls for regulation of the secondary ticket market. Here are some measures being taken:
Cancelling resold tickets
The tour promoters are monitoring resale sites and cancelling any tickets suspected of being purchased solely for resale. Fans must present the credit card used to buy tickets at entry.
Dynamic pricing
Some artists like Iron Maiden now use dynamic pricing models that raise initial prices for in-demand seats. This aims to capture resale value for the artist rather than scalpers.
Legislation
Some jurisdictions are introducing stricter laws to mandate transparency of ticket resale sites and prohibit the use of ticket bots. Consumer protection is being strengthened.
Fan-to-fan exchanges
The band’s management are promoting fan-to-fan ticket exchanges at face value only. Strict touts and inflated pricing are banned on these platforms.
Unique ticket IDs
Unique identifying barcodes or QR codes for each ticket can reduce duplication and make valid tickets easier to verify.
While touting can never be eliminated entirely, promoters are getting smarter about countermeasures. Legislation is slow, so innovative tech and business model solutions may get faster results.
Measure | Aim |
---|---|
Cancel resales | Deter mass scalping |
Dynamic pricing | Capture resale value |
Legislation | Protect consumers |
Fan exchanges | Promote face value resale |
Unique IDs | Prevent duplication |
How Does This Compare to Other Slane Concerts?
Looking at other iconic Slane Castle concerts provides useful context around the phenomenal demand for Harry Styles tickets.
Attendance numbers
U2 (2001) and Eminem (2013) both played to 80,000 crowds at Slane, matching the attendance for Harry’s upcoming show. Guns N’ Roses drew 72,000 in 2017. Red Hot Chili Peppers boasted the biggest ever Slane crowd of 90,000 back in 2003.
Sell-out speed
Harry is believed to have sold out Slane faster than any act ever. The previous record was Guns N’ Roses who sold out the 2017 concert in just 6 minutes. It took Harry Styles just a few minutes to sell 80,000 tickets.
Ticket demand
Secondary market prices indicate Harry’s concert is the most in-demand Slane show of modern times. Resale prices are averaging 2-3 times face value or higher. Guns N’ Roses had the previous top demand, with an average 1.5x mark-up on resold tickets.
Level of fame
At the height of their powers, bands like U2 were undoubtedly more famous worldwide than Harry Styles today. But Harry’s popularity with younger generations may exceed any past Slane headliner right now. His recent chart success and industry recognition confirms his current status as a pop superstar.
Metric | Harry Styles | Previous Slane record holder |
---|---|---|
Attendance | 80,000 | U2, Eminem (80,000) |
Sell-out speed | Minutes | Guns N’ Roses (6 minutes) |
Ticket demand | 2-3x face value | Guns N’ Roses (1.5x face) |
Fame level | Arguably highest among young fans today | U2 in ’80s/’90s |
How Does Harry Styles’ Tour Compare to Other Current Tours?
Looking beyond just the Slane Castle date, we can also benchmark Harry Styles’ 2023 Love On Tour against other major concert tours happening this year:
Tour attendance
The Rolling Stones hold the record for highest grossing tour of 2023 so far, playing to over 650,000 fans. Harry Styles has drawn around 230,000 attendees across 29 dates in 2023 thus far. Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Lady Gaga all attracted over 1 million fans on their most recent world tours.
Average ticket price
Floor seats for Harry Styles are going for $200-$400 each on average. That positions him towards the expensive end among current arena pop acts, above Shawn Mendes but below Adele. Secondary market prices increase average ticket values considerably.
Demand indicators
Rapid sell-outs are the norm for Harry Styles concerts in 2023, demonstrating exceptional demand. His latest album ‘Harry’s House’ had the biggest first week sales of any release so far this year.
Setlist length
Harry is playing 19-21 songs per night, which is at the lower end for an arena headline show. By comparison, artists like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift play for over 2 hours and perform at least 25 songs. Shorter, tighter shows keep fans wanting more.
Harry Styles ‘Love On Tour’ 2023 | Benchmark | |
---|---|---|
Tour attendance | 230,000+ | Rolling Stones – 650,000+ (highest 2023) |
Average ticket price | $200-$400 | Adele – $400-$600 |
Demand indicators | Rapid sellouts | Ed Sheeran – consistent sellouts |
Setlist length | 19-21 songs | Taylor Swift – 25+ songs |
Conclusion
Harry Styles’ upcoming Slane Castle show is undoubtedly one of the hottest tickets in the music industry right now. The exceptional speed of the sell-out, sky-high resale prices and rabid demand all point to Harry’s new status as a global pop phenomenon. While legendary bands like U2 and The Rolling Stones have headlined Slane in decades past, Harry Styles is making history at the iconic venue thanks to his magnetic popularity with younger generations of fans. He faces the pressure of delivering a career-defining performance that lives up to the unprecedented hype.