Brace yourself: Here are the most anticipated concerts of 2024

I have been in the music business for a long time, attending concerts as a fan, host of the show and guest of outstanding musical artists. I always have such admiration for those who can get up in front of thousands, do a two and sometimes a three-hour show and leave the audience wanting more.

As much as I respect the artist and their talent, one factor we can all agree on is that ticket prices to see these artists perform are astronomical.

On the one hand, I understand that now the only real money that artists make for their talent is through touring. The ticket prices and merchandise that they offer is the only primary stream of revenue that they have in capitalizing on their talent.

When a fan downloads or streams a song, the artist in most cases will get about forty to fifty percent of the download. Out of that percentage artists must pay promotional fees, agent fees and writers residuals. So that the remaining money from downloads or streaming is minimal.

Gone by the wayside are record stores with CD sales and album sales, the revenue from the hard disc and now vinyl albums is scarce.

I had a conversation with a superstar artist who explained that touring was the best way they could make money. They negotiated a one-time fee for $1,000,000 per show and that money went directly to the band.

The sound, lights, promotion of the tour, travel, accommodations, performance insurance, artist riders, parking, and ticket sales all was the responsibility and benefit of the promoter.

The guarantee that the band got per show was just that, regardless of if one hundred people or one hundred thousand people showed up for a concert.

Gametime, an app/site that is for last-minute ticket purchases to events recently published The Ten Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024 based on median ticket price. I knew ticket prices had grown but they are astronomical.

Here is the ranking from 10 to one:

🔟  Andrea Bocelli Median ticket price $519.67 - 14 events

9️⃣ Garth Brooks Median ticket price $540.70 - 36 events

8️⃣ Billy Joel Median ticket price $560.07 - 10 events

7️⃣ Morgan Wallen Median ticket price $619.58 - 26 events

6️⃣ Bad Bunny Median ticket price $661.01 - 10 events

5️⃣ The Eagles Median ticket price $731.59 - 22 events

4️⃣ Olivia Rodrigo Median ticket price $734.17 - 46 events

3️⃣ U2 Median ticket price $1,182.16 - 15 events

2️⃣ Adele Median ticket price $2,079.42 - 32 events

1️⃣ Taylor Swift Median ticket price $3,525.42 - 18 events

Most of the artists listed above will be making a tour stop in New Jersey or New York or both. There is no surprise that you may have to take out a second mortgage to see one of these talented artists but at least you know why.

Good luck getting your tickets.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom