Un-belieb-able ticket prices

Justin Bieber fans — or Beliebers as they’re called — are an enthusiastic bunch. Now that the international pop sensation is about to perform at India for the first time at Mumbai on May 10, we get to see just how much money Beliebers are ready to shell out to watch a show by their pop idol, live.

While Mumbai has played host to many international acts in the past, few have been able to command the kind of ticket pricing or crowd pulling that the pop sensation has — not even Beyoncé, who visited Mumbai in 2007, or Slash, who was there in 2015.

While last year’s Coldplay concert set a precedent for the Justin craze, the passes could also be earned by good Samaritans through acts of social relevance. This time around, the prices of general tickets are selling at a reasonable, if slightly steep, Rs 5,040. The upper limit, on the other hand, is a whopping Rs 76,790.

And while general passes are still available, most of the tickets in the upper brackets, including the Rs 58,030 (VVIP 2 passes), the Rs 25,000 (diamond passes) and the Rs 15,400 (platinum passes) have sold out with 68 days still remaining for the show.

According to the spokesperson from the official ticketing partner of the Justin Bieber — The Purpose World Tour in India, the VVIP1 passes sold out within just a few hours of them opening the portal.

“On the first day that the tickets were up, the VVIP1 passes (costing Rs 76,790) and VVIP 2 passes (costing Rs 58,030) and the diamond passes (costing Rs 25,200) were sold out  within four hours. We haven’t reserved any slots in any of the categories and users may have experienced some traffic due to high number of bookings,” said the spokesperson.

26-year-old Sara Awwad from Mumbai was one of the lucky few who was able to buy a diamond pass while it was still up for grabs. “I was online right from midnight. The VVIP1 pass sold out before I could decide whether to get it or not. So, I decided on the diamond pass, since it’s the closest to the stage,” she explains.

Though she sheepishly admits that she is probably one of the older Beliebers, she adds that she has been a fan right since the beginning. “I have loved his music right since his song Baby became popular around 2010. He is my favourite musician of all time, and to be actually be able to watch him perform live is incredible. I think that it is well worth the money spent,” she adds.

Actor Rajashekar’s younger daughter Sivatmika, a huge belieber herself can’t believe he is coming to India. “I’m really excited about this gig and I can’t believe that he is finally coming to India. I’ve been waiting for this since a long time now!” says Sivatmika.

“I got to know about Justin Bieber only through my daughter. She is a huge fan of him and is excited to go for his concert. So now, we are in the process of getting tickets,” says Sivatmika’s dad, actor Dr Rajasekhar.

Mitwa Sharma another girl from Mumbai, has managed to buy two Gold tickets and  thinks nothing about the strain that the passes which are Rs 10,000 each may put on her budget.“It’s like brand investment. Just as you are ready to splurge on a branded dress because it has that reliability, you are ready to spend for something like this, because you know it will be worth it,” she says.

City artistes speak...

I am nobody to comment on his music, but the tickets, I feel, are way too expensive. Even a Vishwa Mohan Bhatt or an Anoushka Shankar concert is not that expensive. If it was a festival, a two-day or three-day programme, then maybe the money was justified. However, having said that, it’s completely fair for an artiste to sell himself however he wants to. If the public wants to spend so much amount to see him perform, then why not?
— Murthovic, vocalist

I don’t like the music that Bieber makes, but one thing that he has got right is that he knows what his audience want and he makes the music accordingly. So, if our local artistes expect to have those kind of ticket sales then they will have to up their game.
— Rustom Fracis, music producer

Independent musicians in India are not encouraged, which is sad. The genre remains unexplored to many. However, it depends from person to person and their taste in music. If they want to spend so much money to watch  Justin Bieber, it’s their choice.
— Arpit Chourey, vocalist