By Deanna Harris
Tickets to New Zealand’s one and only U2 360 concert are already appearing on TradeMe, two days before they go on sale to the public.
U2.com subscribers had until yesterday to purchase tickets to the November concert, before they go on sale to the public this Friday.
Tickets are already appearing on auction website Trade Me for inflated prices - some have a ‘buy now’ of $1000 for two.
U2 360 organisers would not comment on scalping but the band website www.U2.com states: “We reserve the right to block access to or cancel a ticket order of any user that we believe, in our sole and absolute discretion is or is associated with any ticket broker or scalper.”
Wellingtonian Shelly Mackey subscribed for $50 just to ensure she could get tickets after almost missing out four years ago when U2 last performed in New Zealand.
“The main reason why I did it was because I wanted to get tickets. Last time they had a concert I lived in Hamilton and we broke up into groups, I lined up at the stadium, others were in town and another was online,” she says.
She missed out on tickets which were being sold at Waikato Stadium and at the ticket store in town, but did get them online.
“We almost missed out, so this time I thought ‘stuff it’ and paid the $50.”
She says it was worth paying the extra money because the previous concert was so good.
“Their concert was awesome last time.”
Miss Mackey says she purchased four of the $39.90 tickets, which ended up costing about $62 each after the subscription fee and postage.
New Zealand U2 360 spokeswoman Bridget de Launay says the U2.com subscribers allocation for $349.50 Red Zone tickets sold out, but could not comment on how many were sold.
She says there are still Red Zone tickets available to the public.
Miss Mackey says it is tempting to sell her spare two tickets.
“I am definitely considering it but I would feel a little greedy doing it.”
She says she might just sell them to friends for the amount she paid for them.
“I will just see what happens.”
The Irish superband will be joined by Jay-Z at Mt Smart Stadium on Thursday, November 25, exactly four years after U2 last performed in New Zealand.
About 54 percent of tickets are priced under $100, starting at $39.90.
The low prices are due to the specially built 50m-high stage with rotating bridges and a giant video system.
“The extra capacity U2 360 gives us means that there are a large number, several thousand in fact, of low priced tickets at every show,” says U2 tour producer/promoter Arthur Fogel, chief executive of Live Nation Global Touring.
Bringing the U2 360 production to New Zealand is no small feat. Six 747 freighters are required to fly the production to New Zealand.
The stage weighs 590 tonnes with all of the production gear hanging from it, and covers 6000 square metres.
'The Claw' itself stands 30.53m high, and with the pylon it's 51.8m. That means it’s higher than most stadium roofs. Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium roof will have to be “cracked” and stay open to allow the pylon to be installed.
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