Rush.

[Misdee]

We all have a choice to make when it comes to ticket prices. I'm not complaining about high prices, I'm just not going. For three hundred dollars never mind a Rush concert, I would be expecting two nights bed and breakfast at Geddy Lee's house in Toronto, and it better be a decent breakfast.

 

In 1980 it cost me £4.50 for a ticket to see Rush.  I would value a ticket to a Rush concert nowadays at about £30 in today's money,  that's about a third more than what £4.50 from 1980 would be worth in 2025!allowing for inflation. I acknowledge the fact that they are allowed to put the prices up a bit allowing for their now legendary status. Anything over that and I don't want to know. I've seen enough big time bands to be sure that none of them are worth these kind of admission fees. 

 

If Rush want to charge £300 or whatever that is their right, it's fine with me but I certainly wouldn't contemplate paying it. Others can make their own decision but I've never seen a gig that I would've paid anything remotely like that money and feel it was well spent. It's just absurd to me that an ordinary ticket to a gig can be three figures. 

Edited Thursday at 15:30 by Misdee

[Lozz196]

Anything with dynamic pricing can go and brew itself a cup of fukkoff

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

There is only one occasion that I was going to pay  an excessive amount to see a band , ( £200 max ) 

Yes embarrassing really 😬. However , I suppose I’d better explain why .. 

I saw Rammstein for the first time at Brixton Academy on the Reise Reise Tour . Purchased over the internet probably ticketmaster.I can’t remember if they played 3 or 4 consecutive nights there.  It was on the Thursday night I saw them .  We tried everywhere to see if we could see them again on Fri/sat  and got nowhere . I managed to see them on the 2 London tours after that , with the o2 Gig being a fantastic experience also . Unfortunately I don’t do outdoor gigs anymore, and  I doubt Rammstein will still be going much longer .  I know it’s not Rush , but seeing a band in their prime in a not too big venue is worth every penny 🙂

[TimR]

I am left wondering who is behind this. 

 

I have never seen a social media storm this big over Rush before.

 

Who controls the finances of the band? What's happened to Neil's share? 

 

While Geddy and Alex seem genuine guys, laid back Canadians, with a sense of humour and a desire to continue making music, there seems to be a much different drive over this latest tour. 

[prowla]

3 hours ago, TimR said:

I am left wondering who is behind this. 

 

I have never seen a social media storm this big over Rush before.

 

Who controls the finances of the band? What's happened to Neil's share? 

 

While Geddy and Alex seem genuine guys, laid back Canadians, with a sense of humour and a desire to continue making music, there seems to be a much different drive over this latest tour. 

Driven to the margin of error...

[paul_5]

Indeed, big money for those seats.

[ezbass]

9 hours ago, paul_5 said:

Indeed, big money for those seats.

Baddum - tish! 🥁

 

👏👏👏

[toneknob]

I'm not saying it's a massive money-making exercise, but here's The Alex Lifeson R50 gear collection on reverb.com: 

 

https://reverb.com/shop/the-official-lerxst-amplification-reverb-shop

[prowla]

On 13/10/2025 at 23:21, paul_5 said:

Indeed, big money for those seats.

And the profits were written on the concert walls.

[Bassassin]

26 minutes ago, prowla said:

And the profits were written on the concert walls.

 

Quite. Wonder what 1979/80 Rush would make of 2025 'Rush'? 🙁

[Misdee]

I suppose that Rush can't help that the world has changed in the interim period.

 

I blame Live Aid. That's the point where rock music became another commodity to be exploited by the establishment and no longer had any semblance of being part of the counterculture. Ironically enough considering the nature of the event, Live Aid marked the end of popular music being associated with social change and heralded in an era of  unbridled consumerism.

 

Before you knew it people were buying CD's in the supermarket and paying ticket prices that reflected more what West End theaters charged rather than what the artists latest LP cost.

 

I know that supposedly touring costs have escalated, but so have profit margins and established artist's expectations. I've said it before, a few blokes with long hair in a band, some roadies, some gear to transport and a venue., rock music gigs are still a fairly simple proposition. If there was a will there would be a way to bring prices down. There isn't a will because people will pay the prices for an "experience" as it's called nowadays, and the acts like the money. No surprise or shame in that, but it is what it is.

Edited Thursday at 17:34 by Misdee

[Bassassin]

1 hour ago, Misdee said:

I suppose that Rush can't help that the world has changed in the interim period.

 

I think 1980 Rush would be shocked - possibly even horrified - that the band still existed in any form, 45 years on.

 

I've mentioned I've followed them for a while. I distinctly remember reading an interview with Geddy - I think it would've been in 1984, the band's 10th anniversary and the release of Grace Under Pressure, their 10th studio album - discussing the future of the band. Of course, a band with a 10 year career was fairly unusual back then, and they already had a huge back catalogue & had been through several musical metamorphoses. Discussing what he thought the future held Geddy said Rush was "nearer to the end than the beginning", and that when it came it "would be a beautiful day".

 

I wonder if he remembers giving that interview?

Edited Thursday at 19:13 by Bassassin

[wateroftyne]

I've been giving this some thought, and I'm now not sure I'd go if they come to the UK... mainly 'cos I doubt I could justify the cost.

[Woodinblack]

In a way, maybe it is better that groups are like this.

Yes, Rush were cheap to go and see in the 80s, but they were a youngish band, now they are a legacy band so maybe they get a legacy audience that now have a lot of money. There are a ton of youngish bands that cost very little to go and see, maybe it is good that a younger audience have the youngish bands.

[Stub Mandrel]

Ptash. At least Rush will deliver a quality performance. 

[BigRedX]

13 hours ago, Misdee said:

I know that supposedly touring costs have escalated, but so have profit margins and established artist's expectations. I've said it before, a few blokes with long hair in a band, some roadies, some gear to transport and a venue., rock music gigs are still a fairly simple proposition. If there was a will there would be a way to bring prices down. There isn't a will because people will pay the prices for an "experience" as it's called nowadays, and the acts like the money. No surprise or shame in that, but it is what it is.

 

Instead of moaning about how much it costs to see some old dinosaurs in an enormodrome, you could instead go every week end for a year and see some new exciting bands in a small local venue. No need to book tickets months in advance. Most of the time you can rock up on the night and pay your £10 or less to get in. And thanks to Spotify and YouTube you don't even need to take a punt on whether or not you'll like the music, as you can do your research before you choose who to see.

[prowla]

 

25 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Instead of moaning about how much it costs to see some old dinosaurs in an enormodrome, you could instead go every week end for a year and see some new exciting bands in a small local venue. No need to book tickets months in advance. Most of the time you can rock up on the night and pay your £10 or less to get in. And thanks to Spotify and YouTube you don't even need to take a punt on whether or not you'll like the music, as you can do your research before you choose who to see.

I don't like big venues; I saw Rush at the O2 on the Clockwork Angels tour and it was honestly a waste of time; I can watch them on a screen in the comfort of my own home and enjoy the experience more.

(That was from a private box.)

 

I'm not a Spotify subscriber, but I will look things up on YouTube, though their ads are intrusive and offputtting (I just mute the sound or flip to something else when they appear).

Ironically, my most active concert-going period was when I used to download music from Pirate Bay and discover new bands.

 

 

Edited yesterday at 07:31 by prowla

[TimR]

I bought front standing area for Iron Maiden at the London Arena, an hour beforehand. I was about 10 people from the front.

 

I paid £130 including booking fee. My freinds had seats much further back and paid a lot more for them. 

 

Really these huge events are overhyped.

 

I almost got some tickets to see Rush around 2004 at the O2 Arena, same day for about half the face value, quite close to the front.  

[Woodinblack]

When I last went to see rush in the 90s, the tickets were as cheap as a Wal

 

[christhammer666]

2011 on the time machine tour i think it was £80and they played for nearly 3 hours so i think that was money well spent.

the prices for gigs now crazy. as mentioned above i saw maiden as well and that was £130, its rediculous

[miles'tone]

On 13/10/2025 at 15:04, TimR said:

I am left wondering who is behind this. 

 

I have never seen a social media storm this big over Rush before.

 

Who controls the finances of the band? What's happened to Neil's share? 

 

While Geddy and Alex seem genuine guys, laid back Canadians, with a sense of humour and a desire to continue making music, there seems to be a much different drive over this latest tour. 

I suspect that it's simply a case of making hay with your best friend while the sun is still shining on them. 

As for the business side, well, their business is their own business.

They're good people and I trust whoever needs taking care of will be taken care of.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

For those who say “ yeah I’ll go and see them !”, good luck with that ! We have a mega corporate music industry these days which tests the patience and endurance of fans old and new . Rush are no different to the stones , Kiss ,Metallica and many more on the corporate money grab . I tend not to moan about that side of things so much . If you want to buy the same album in multiple formats, go ahead . The same for pinball machines, coffee table books , beers of your favourite bands also. 
 

The only real gripe I have is the online booking system ! It is a con ! Expecting fans to be at their computer at 9am praying for miracles is extracting the urine !

 

fwiw , the last good experience I had of purchasing tickets , was for the Jean michel jarre oxygene  gig in 2007 at the Royal Albert Hall.  I actually went down there on a Monday morning  around 9am , and there was hardly anyone there ! I got a great pair of tkts very close to the stage . As I was paying for them , the  nice lady at the booking office was showing me how fast the tickets were being sold on the screen ! There was also a time when chickenfoot played Shepherd’s Bush empire . I managed to get tkts only by phone ( see tkts iirc) at home after getting home on the early shift and phoning around various agencies etc .The last 2 tkts I was told . 
unless a band I still want to see play near me , I think my   gig going days are over .

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

 

I don't like big venues; I saw Rush at the O2 on the Clockwork Angels tour and it was honestly a waste of time; I can watch them on a screen in the comfort of my own home and enjoy the experience more.

(That was from a private box.)

 

I'm not a Spotify subscriber, but I will look things up on YouTube, though their ads are intrusive and offputtting (I just mute the sound or flip to something else when they appear).

Ironically, my most active concert-going period was when I used to download music from Pirate Bay and discover new bands.

The positive is that you saw history , as did I n restrictive circumstances mentioned earler 🙂

As for the O2, seeing Metalllica there for £5 was great …but it was quite scary almost touching the ceiling it has to be said 🙀

 

 

[TimR]

1 hour ago, christhammer666 said:

the prices for gigs now crazy. as mentioned above i saw maiden as well and that was £130, its rediculous

 

I thought it was superb value. West End theatre tickets are higher. These are shows, not just a bunch of blokes in jeans stumming some chords.

 

£300 is too much though. That's getting on for £1k for a couple for a day out. Obviously there are people who can afford that or are passionate enough to save for it, but that's not a price aimed at getting a load of people though the door to see who Rush are. 

 

Grass roots music is price low, play small venues, purely because of supply and demand. 

[BigRedX]

2 minutes ago, TimR said:

Grass roots music is price low, play small venues, purely because of supply and demand. 

 

But you are far more likely to get the atmosphere and energy at grass roots level that made bands like Rush exciting back in the early 70s, then you are watching some old band on a video screen from a seat at the back of a stadium.