During a recent appearance at The SDR Show, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth dismissed rock fans’ concerns over ticket prices as unjust.
The guitarist discussed the high costs of touring, emphasizing that a lot goes into it beyond just the music. He explained that everyone involved, from band members to technicians, gets paid daily, and continued:
“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.”
A Breakdown Of Tour Expenses
He added, referring to other people in the crew:
“And then, there’s people backstage, there’s the drivers, the bus drivers, the truck drivers, the caterers, all that stuff. And then there’s all the hotels, all the money to get the hotel rooms for all these people. And then you got to feed them.”
Mustaine’s Perspective On Audience Reaction
Mustaine also said, addressing the audience’s reactions to the ticket prices:
“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 it’s unfair to say that.”
Previous Insights from Dave On Post-Pandemic Touring Costs
The singer also commented on the same topic in a June chat with the Jeremy White Show. He discussed the increased costs of touring after the pandemic, and then when asked about the current expense of touring for Megadeth, Dave responded:
“Oh, it’s pretty expensive. I think it’s about 45 thousand dollars a day for us just to sit still. I think — it might be 52. But that’s just sitting still; that’s not doing a show. Show days are more expensive… [That’s] salaries, hotel rooms, insurance — everything. The buses, the bus drivers, the trucks, the truck drivers. Yeah, a lot of stuff.”
In the summer, the Eagles also received backlash from the fans over the high ticket prices, some of which reached $500, for their 2023 farewell tour. One fan mentioned wanting to see the show but found the $500 tickets too expensive. Another fan asked for lower ticket prices.
