Wynn Hikes Ticket Price for Garth Brooks to a Staggering $225 a Person

Where: 3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South [map], 89109

November 9, 2010 at 3:38 PM | by 702Becca | Comments (5)

Would you pay $225 for this seat? To be fair, he does take requests.

Even if you aren't a country music fan, we bet a teeny part of you probably regretted not getting tickets to see Garth Brooks at The Encore last year after hearing all the gushing reviews.

Which is why we thought you'd get another chance when we saw a new set of Brooks concert dates from Wynn in our mailbox today from December 3 to February 27. But the excitement quickly dissipated after seeing ticket prices are now a staggering $225. Per person. And, that's without the service charge and tax. (Tickets were previously $143.) Oh and we don't think there are any changes to that already-harsh ticket holder policy either.

The Wynn folks must have already anticipated the price hike backlash, because they included a statement from Mr. Wynn himself.

"My decision to raise the ticket price was a simple one. The demand for Garth was so overwhelming that it caught us by surprise. We could fill a theater many times the size of this, twice a night. The most important thing for our company is to give people value for their entertainment dollar. The contact with Garth Brooks in the Encore Theater is the equivalent of being in his living room.
When the greatest live performer of our time appears in such an intimate theater, the seats should be priced at least competitively with other great Las Vegas entertainers. In terms of value, I believe that Garth Brooks is still under-priced and represents the greatest entertainment value in modern Las Vegas."

Ok, we get it. It's an amazing experience (and everybody's got to make a buck). But, really, Garth?

"I am flattered Steve Wynn believes in me as an entertainer and my deal with him is not affected by ticket price. My only concern is the audience. Right now, the Vegas audiences are some of the best I have ever played for and I'd hate to see that change for whatever reason," said Garth Brooks.

So, is the translation that you're just going to wait to see how upset folks really get?

Sorry, Garth. This friend in low places just doesn't have that kind of cash. Perhaps, a new song about high society friends may be more in order for your next Vegas appearance.

For those of you who can afford it, tickets go on sale this Saturday, November 13. Let us know if you think it's worth the cost!

Comments (5)

Return to » Wynn Hikes Ticket Price for Garth Brooks to a Staggering $225 a Person

Too rich for my blood. Is he still wearing the sweatshirts on stage? Does the higher price include a band now or is it still just him?

i'm speechless. also, i doubt even garth's living room fits several hundred people. and saying "we could fill the seats many times over so we decided to price people out" is an unbelievable thing to admit.
shame on you wynn

I find this particularly disgusting, given Brooks' history. Back in the late 90s, Brooks bucked the trend and kept his concert tickets under $25. At the time, he said it was because he felt the average country music fan should be able to see him in concert.

Brooks should be ashamed of himself for jumping in bed with Wynn under these conditions. Here's a LA Times piece (from 2009) that quotes Brooks saying, "I passed out", when Wynn wanted $125 seats for his last engagement.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/10/garth-brooks.html

Just saw the show for the first time this weekend. I paid the $143 obvs and thought that was expensive but decided to pay it out given the reviews.

The show turned out to be one of the best, most entertaining concerts (and part history lesson, part comedy show) I've ever seen - and this is coming from someone that never considered himself a Garth fan. After the show, we even said we'd pay that to see that again.

$225 though? I'm not sure I'd have paid that much at the time. I'd have missed out on a great show, but that's a big price point, especially given that $143 was a stretch for a casual fan. And couples/families need to be buy multiples of $225 of course.

Although that's probably the point - squeezing out a semi-fan like myself so that a hardcore Garth follower can get a ticket. If they can afford it. Being that audience was one of the most energetic I've ever been in, I worry how that will change if a good portion of the hardcore fans are now priced out.

I guess that it was too good to be true and here we are after only a year Wynn is doubling the ticket price and looks like its only going to be possible to book thru Ticketmaster.
I feel bad for the folks who didn,t get to see Garth yet, $142 was well worth it to see the man. We travelled from Scotland in July and managed to see him at the Encore. What a wonderful 3 hours!!! We had hoped to come back next year but this is probably going to change now. I hope that Garth has some influence on the price of these tickets.

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