Like a Virgin, but With a Price Tag

Fans of superstar Madonna are going to have to fork out over£200 to confirm a ringside seat when she plays Scotland this year, that is more than double for those who will buy a VIP seat. As many book into a Murrayfield hotel, it is not just the landlords making a quick buck this summer.

The promoters of the concert, LiveNation, are selling ‘gold circle’ packages which will guarantee early entry to the standing area of the stadium. But this will come at a hefty price of £125. Further VIP packages will cost £420 a head and the cheapest tickets only start at £45, plus all the extra booking fees. Other stars that have faced allegations of overpricing their tickets in recent years include The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue, especially when their gigs didn’t even sell out. However, promoters have suggested that they believe that Madonna’s gigs will sell out, especially as it is her first time performing in Scotland. Thousands of tickets have already been brought during a ‘pre-sale’ and the official sale will kick off next Friday (17th Feb 2012).

The £420 VIP package will feature prime seats in four different blocks of the stadium, a two-and-a-half hour hospitality event before the gig, complimentary bars, a house DJ and a one-hour post-show party. The Scotsman’s pop and rock critic, Fiona Shepherd said: “With these kind of things, the promoters will basically just charge what they think they can get away with. I remember Kylie Minogue doing a similar thing with an area in front of the stage at the SECC, which I was lucky enough to be in, but it seemed pretty quiet. I think promoters can only push these things so far. I think people are prepared to pay up to £100 but I’m not sure about anything more than that. It may be that they’ll have to release these tickets at the normal prices if the packages don’t sell out.” A spokeswoman for Live Nation has declined to comment over the matter. Either way to save more money, book into a Edinburgh castle hotel quickly before rooms fill up. It will simply be a night that fans will never forget.