Sam Fender has scrapped £120 front-standing tickets for his 2027 stadium tour and lowered prices after publicly criticising the costs fans were expected to pay.
The North Shields singer, 32, said on Instagram on Saturday that the figures circulating online were far higher than he had wanted. “They’re getting changed,” he wrote, the BBC reported.
What changed
The row began when a tipster who regularly posts leaked tour details shared what were said to be the prices, according to NME. They put front standing at Wembley at £130.75 and general standing at about £98.85. Seats there ranged from £64.75 to £130.75.
For Newcastle, standing was listed at £98.60 and seats at £86.50 to £112.90. Cardiff, Edinburgh and Manchester were also reported to have split standing areas, with the front sections at roughly £120 to £130.
Fender told fans he had not known about the split. In a reply reported by the Press Association, he said: “It’s bollocks and it won’t be happening on this tour.”
Later that evening he posted again to say front standing had been removed from the UK stadium shows. He said anyone buying a standing ticket would have as much chance as anyone else of being near the stage.
The new face-value prices, before fees, are:
- General standing: £85
- Seats: £95, £75 and £55
These figures exclude venue and ticketing fees. They also exclude a £1 per ticket contribution to the Live Trust, which supports grassroots venues, NME reported.
Fender said he could not control those fees. “Costs are astronomical compared to two years ago,” he wrote, calling it a “sad reality” of the industry.
Will others follow?
It is unusual for an artist to criticise his own tour pricing in public. Fender is not alone in raising the issue, though. The BBC noted that Swedish pop star Zara Larsson recently acknowledged fan complaints about the cost of her tickets. She said she had no say over the prices.
No other act has yet announced a similar change. Fender was among the artists, including Radiohead, Dua Lipa and Coldplay, who last November urged the government to keep its pledge to cap resale prices, NME said.
The tour visits St James’ Park in Newcastle, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wembley, Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Marley Park in Dublin and the Etihad Stadium in Manchester next summer. The Newcastle date is Thursday 3 June 2027, according to See Tickets.
A pre-sale opens on Wednesday and general sale starts at 09:30 on Friday 30 October.
Sources: NME, NME, Press Association via Sidmouth Herald, See Tickets, BBC News
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
