Concert Tickets Might Finally Get Cheaper

In 2026, we'll need fewer stadium extravaganzas and more intimate shows at small venues

- By Carl Wilson

Agonizing over ticket prices has become as much a part of concert-going as swaying with your lit phone in the air. When tickets dropped for Rush's 2026 tour—the band's first since the death of drummer Neil Peart—fans immediately flooded forums to complain about the ticket cost: “I’m not paying $300-plus for nosebleeds or $650 to $2,500 for the good seats dressed up as something special because you get a few trinkets and early access to the merch booth.”

Exorbitant prices have defined North American touring for at least a decade, whether it’s The Weeknd, Oasis, Blackpink or, of course, Taylor Swift, whose Eras Tour ticket fiasco provoked U.S. Senate hearings. Industry monitor Pollstar reports that ticket prices for the world’s top 100 tours rose by 37.2 per cent between 2019 to 2025, outpacing inflation. Then there’s the drip of hidden fees, the way dynamic prices seem to surge and ebb at different points in the sales cycle, and the “secondary market”—a.k.a. scalpers—who scoop up whole blocks of tickets for later resale, sometimes using online bots.