Sam Fender ticket prices have caused controversy as members of the public did not take kindly to seeing screenshots of what future ticket prices may be.
A screenshot from SeeTickets posted to Twitter/X suggests pricing for the People Watching tour – set to kick off in Leeds on December 4, with later dates in the UK and Europe to follow in 2025, would be £67 at their cheapest. Standing tickets were said to be £82, with many saying the price hike compared to his previous Seventeen Going Under tour is “insane” pricing.
Fans took to the social media platform and, while excited for the Get You Down songwriter to hit the road again, were outraged by the price it would be to see Fender. One user wrote: “£82 for Sam Fender tickets when it was only max £60 for St James and the tour before is so bad.” Another suggested it was a worrying continuation of growing “gig economy” problems.
“£80 for a sam fender ticket is insane what is happening to our gig economy man i remember when i could see an artist play arenas for 40/50 quid and didn’t have to go through ticketmaster scams to do so christ alive,” another wrote.”
A third wrote: “announces a tour with a few weeks notice, right before christmas and then charging £90 is an absolute joke. sam fender i love you but wtf x”
Ticket prices for major artists made headlines earlier this year with some blasting Oasis for their extortionate pricing, with tickets seen for as much as £330. While Fender is nowhere close to such prices, some are feeling the sting of his tour announcement and the cost of living crisis. “£85 for a ticket in a cost of living crisis and u pride urself on knowing u have working class fans that cannot afford shit like that.”
One user wondered who had approved the tour dates and pricing given that “you could see Sam Fender for 20 quid” not too long ago. They wrote: “gone are the days when you could see sam fender for 20 quid. which would be fine if he wasn’t so big on being a working class hero and all for his working class fans. and the tour is around christmas time as well so everyone’s already skint. who approved this come on.”
Fender’s album will likely not be released at the time of these shows, with further gigs in 2025 planned across Europe. One user added: “Saw Sam Fender with Inhaler and Wunderhorse support for £50 couple years ago, you cannot make the argument that his support justifies £80 especially when his album won’t even be out.”
Another wrote: “Asking people to pay £62 for the cheapest ticket and £88 for the most expensive is outrageous.” Though the ticket prices were deemed a “disgrace” by some, many fans remain excited to see Fender on his tour.
UK & EU People Watching Tour!!!
Back on the road this December!
Tickets on general sale next frid oct 25th 10AM local
Preorder Album 3 (!!) for access to our presale on oct 22nd. This doesn’t include our Newcastle show where we’re running a ballot
>>> https://t.co/bifcXqvMDh pic.twitter.com/lU6axmNIwn— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) October 18, 2024
£1 from every ticket sold for the UK dates will be donated to the Music Venue Trust in support of grassroots venues. Tickets for all shows go on sale from 25th October at 10am and can be purchased here.
UK dates for the 2024 leg of the People Watching tour can be found below.
December 4 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
December 6 – Co-Op Live, Manchester
December 10 – The O2, London
December 13 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
December 16 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
December 20 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Further dates were announced for European fans, including stop-offs in Paris, Munich, and Amsterdam. Dates for the 2025 shows in Europe can be found below.
March 4 – Olympia, Paris
March 5 – 013 Poppodium, Tilburg
March 8 – Halle 622, Zurich
March 10 – Palladium, Cologne
March 12 – Zenith, Munich
March 13 – ChorusLife Arena, Bergamo
March 16 – Uber Eats Music Hall, Berlin
March 18 – Afas Live, Amsterdam
March 19 – Forest National, Brussels
It comes as The Cure frontman Robert Smith calls for artists to take further care of their ticket pricing, and says it was “easy to set ticket prices.”
Speaking in a label interview last week, Smith said: “It was easy to set ticket prices, but you need to be pig-headed. We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that!’ But most artists hide behind management.”
