The Varying Prices Of A Prime Circle Concert Ticket

We were going to go along to see Prime Circle on Thursday night, but something came up, so we’re not going  to do that any more.

That said, if we were desperate to catch them on their acoustic tour of the Western Cape, there are/were several other opportunities:

prc

But look at those prices. Some few variations, no?

I recognise that venue costs and ticket sales may differ from place to place, but can a difference of 108.3% for the same concert really be justified? Prime Circle are well established on the local scene and I’m sure they’ve rehearsed ahead of time. I can’t honestly believe that they will be 108.3% better this Thursday in Hout Bay than they were last Friday at the Waterfront.

As musicreview.co.za pointed out, lovely though they may be, R250 for 60 minutes with a local band is a bit of a stretch:

…we find it disturbing that a South African band (and obviously the events organiser and venue behind it), could think that it is appropriate for live music goers to spend R250 on an ‘unreserved seating’ ticket, with absolutely no perks and no support acts for a 1 hour performance on a Thursday night.

But then, it is at an ever so trendy, local ‘farmers’ market‘, where people mysteriously seem willing to pay extra for stuff just… because.

Anyway, as I pointed out, we’re not going along, but if you’re planning on doing so, then maybe go last week and not on Thursday. As a couple, I’m sure you could find something reasonable to do with the R260 you’ll be saving.

* (un)surprisingly, there are still many tickets available for Thursday evening.

6 thoughts on “The Varying Prices Of A Prime Circle Concert Ticket

  1. The problem here is not with the top end, it’s with the low end. South Africans crammed into the Sandton Convention centre at R550 a head for Jimmy Carr (one man doing 75 minutes of old rehashed comedy material), but we think R250 a head to watch four people together is a lot cause they are from SA. Seeing a seriously popular band should cost vastly more than R120. Rather be excited about that discount price than moan about the top end.

  2. Soapbox > Point taken about Jimmy Carr. International acts ridiculous, agreed.
    But so is this top end: I could go an see Coldplay for their nearly 2 hour show + the Parlotones at the Cape Town Stadium for R260. R250 is a complete rip off for unreserved seating to see a nothing band doing an hour long show an old warehouse on a Thursday night.
    If R250 is a reasonable amount, why are all the other venues charging so little and why are there still tickets available?

  3. @soapbox We paid R160 a ticket to see U2. It was about R300 a ticket to see Bon Jovi (for a concert that ran for about 150 minutes). These are top international groups, who have been there and done it (taste is irrelevant here). Prime Circle, while a decent enough local group, aren’t even close to being in the same class as either of those groups, yet we’re expected to pay more or less the same ticket price to see them?

    Top acts can command top price because they’re exactly that, top acts.

    I agree with 6000 on this one, that R250 ticket price is a blatant rip off. The R120 is about the top end of what a group like Prime Circle can realistically charge, and be considered sufficient value for the tickets to sell.

  4. gmross > I like it when we agree.
    Yes. Too much for this. I’ve sent my scouts out to ask why and will report back if they get any decent information.

  5. I wonder if the connection is that most beloved company… Computicket. I see the most expensive show is through them. Any idea what % of the sales they take?

  6. Jeremy > I noticed that too. Would be interesting to find out.
    Incidentally, my source were unable to get in touch with the guy at Hout Bay Market last night, because – durr! – he wasn’t at the function she was at, probably because he was at the concert.

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