Dave Mustaine Explains Rising Cost of Concert Tickets

Anyone who’s purchased concert tickets recently knows just how expensive they’ve become. The prices seem to just keep going up and up, but Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has justified the cost, and thinks it’s “unfair” when people complain about it.

The touring industry has been a bit of a mess since COVID-19, to put it lightly. Now that musicians and fans alike know just how easily it can all be swept away, they’re trying to take advantage — but it comes at a hefty cost for both parties. A lot of artists have been vocal about how much it costs them to go on tour these days. During a conversation with The SDR Show, Mustaine elaborated on why it’s so expensive for artists.

“What happens is, you have each individual, and whether they’re working or not working, they get paid on a per-day basis — a pier diem, per day. So you have whoever is out on the road. And for us, it’s a lot of people. We have a light man, a sound man, a monitor man. And then you go on to the deck. We’ve got a bunch of people up there. You’ve got a drum tech, guitar tech, and bass and guitar tech, another monitor guy,” the rocker said.

Mustaine then noted all of the behind-the-scenes crew members, such as bus and truck drivers and caterers, on top of the travel expenses, such as hotel rooms and food for everyone.

“So the cost just keeps going up and up and up. And a lot of people look at the ticket price, and they think, ‘Man, I’m not paying 75 bucks to go see these guys.’ And I’m sad to say that even if you had a choice in the matter, it’s kind of what it is nowadays if you want to go see a live band because you just can’t get from point A to point B anymore without spending a lot of money.”

Listen to the full interview below.

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Megadeth toured extensively throughout 2023, and will continue the trend next year with a South American run in the spring and a European one starting in June. Guitarist Kiko Loureiro had to step away from touring with the group in September, thus Teemu Mantysaari has filled in for him and will continue to do so next year.

See all of their upcoming dates on their website.

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Explains Rising Cost of Concert Tickets From the Artist Perspective