2025 R&L Festival

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

Someone was touting Shania Twain the other week!

That didn't impress you much huh

[RandomEnglishPerson]

2 hours ago, Benj said:

Dunno. I think that crowd have moved on. It’s not the same festival anymore

 

Someone was touting Shania Twain the other week!

if she was to headline a stage it would probs be R1, besides at least with hopefully less headliners now on they don't have to fill those spots with sub headliner acts like the aforementioned

[Andre91]

8 hours ago, RandomEnglishPerson said:

if she was to headline a stage it would probs be R1, besides at least with hopefully less headliners now on they don't have to fill those spots with sub headliner acts like the aforementioned

Is this Sabrina Carpenter you’re talking about headlining the Radio 1? That’s insane. She’s basically sold out: 

 

2 nights at the O2 Arena

2 nights at the Co-Op Arena

1 night at Brum Arena 

 

Around 120k tickets which have, for the majority, cost an absolute fortune. 
 

I personally think she will be at Glastonbury in a really hefty slot (Pyramid sub or third down) but if she was to play R&L, she would be Main Stage sub at the very least. 
 

If it’s Shania Twain you’re talking about, there just as much chance of Cannibal Corpse making an appearance 😂

Edited July 29 by Andre91

[Andre91]

12 hours ago, charlierc said:

In fairness some of the tickets for her arena tour in spring are over £100.

 

But I'm not sure if she's big enough yet to be headliner material.

Try doubling that figure. People en masse were paying upwards of £200 to see her when they went on sale. 

[charlierc]

48 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Try doubling that figure. People en masse were paying upwards of £200 to see her when they went on sale. 

Yeah I heard Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing algorithm worked it's dubious magic again.

[RandomEnglishPerson]

3 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Is this Sabrina Carpenter you’re talking about headlining the Radio 1? That’s insane. She’s basically sold out: 

 

2 nights at the O2 Arena

2 nights at the Co-Op Arena

1 night at Brum Arena 

 

Around 120k tickets which have, for the majority, cost an absolute fortune. 
 

I personally think she will be at Glastonbury in a really hefty slot (Pyramid sub or third down) but if she was to play R&L, she would be Main Stage sub at the very least. 
 

If it’s Shania Twain you’re talking about, there just as much chance of Cannibal Corpse making an appearance 😂

probably chevron and or main stage sub is a better placement, and I thankfully didn't mean Shania twain

[Andre91]

9 minutes ago, RandomEnglishPerson said:

probably chevron and or main stage sub is a better placement, and I thankfully didn't mean Shania twain

She’s too big for the Chevron, I would say. 

[Benj]

9 minutes ago, RandomEnglishPerson said:

probably chevron and or main stage sub is a better placement, and I thankfully didn't mean Shania twain

This is the problem Reading/ Leeds have now

 

No one is paying £130 plus costs and inconvenience to see her in a field in Yorkshire/ Berkshire, post hype of these initial shows

 

Yet there is no chance she’ll take a second stage spot or be affordable to put there anyway

 

Festivals are gonna have b-listers/ end of tour cycle, drained demand acts in the current market, it’s just the way it is

[stanh]

17 hours ago, Benj said:

No chance, she’s not a £130 artist

Her tour tickets have literally been selling for over double that.

 

16 hours ago, charlierc said:

But I'm not sure if she's big enough yet to be headliner material.

In fairness she has 5 albums, soon to be 6 - with both singles being smash hits, breaking records in the UK. 

[stanh]

24 minutes ago, Benj said:

This is the problem Reading/ Leeds have now

 

No one is paying £130 plus costs and inconvenience to see her in a field in Yorkshire/ Berkshire, post hype of these initial shows

 

Yet there is no chance she’ll take a second stage spot or be affordable to put there anyway

 

Festivals are gonna have b-listers/ end of tour cycle, drained demand acts in the current market, it’s just the way it is

Loads of people missed out on tickets to the tour, if you had her headlining on a UK festival exclusive, I'm certain a good amount of tickets would shift. 

 

Also, I know it wasn't you who said it Benj, but headlining the R1 stage is a ridiculous shout, that would be one of the most dangerous bookings (from a crowd safety pov) they could possibly do! Between now and the festival she is only going to get bigger, and will no doubt have a few more hits. Obviously streaming figures don't equate to sales (always), but she is 8th in the world at the moment, on 82m monthly listeners, with London having 1.4m of those. She is already getting festival headline slots across the pond, not sure why she wouldn't here when she is equally as popular. 

[Benj]

1 hour ago, stanh said:

Her tour tickets have literally been selling for over double that.

 

In fairness she has 5 albums, soon to be 6 - with both singles being smash hits, breaking records in the UK. 

 

Not in a field in the middle of nowhere though after a big tour…

 

Eilish couldn’t sell it, Carpenter isn’t either. Combine that with needing to appeal as part of a weekend package too is going to be tough, with just a dance tent and Wombats sized tent to appeal to people.

The R1 is deffo a mad shout, she’d cost far too much to make that slightly worthwhile, before any crowd split issues. 

[RandomEnglishPerson]

20 minutes ago, Benj said:

 

Not in a field in the middle of nowhere though after a big tour…

 

Eilish couldn’t sell it, Carpenter isn’t either. Combine that with needing to appeal as part of a weekend package too is going to be tough, with just a dance tent and Wombats sized tent to appeal to people.

The R1 is deffo a mad shout, she’d cost far too much to make that slightly worthwhile, before any crowd split issues. 

yeah i retract my statement 😂

[stanh]

34 minutes ago, Benj said:

Not in a field in the middle of nowhere though after a big tour…

 

Eilish couldn’t sell it, Carpenter isn’t either. Combine that with needing to appeal as part of a weekend package too is going to be tough, with just a dance tent and Wombats sized tent to appeal to people.

The R1 is deffo a mad shout, she’d cost far too much to make that slightly worthwhile, before any crowd split issues. 

Carpenter isn't doing a big tour though, 2x London & Manc, 1x Brum & Glasgow - LOADS of people missed out on tickets, demand has been huge. She easily could have done 5/6 dates at the O2 alone. Billie Eilish in comparison had done 6x London, 2x Manc, 1x Brum & Glasgow, PLUS Glastonbury.

[Benj]

58 minutes ago, stanh said:

Carpenter isn't doing a big tour though, 2x London & Manc, 1x Brum & Glasgow - LOADS of people missed out on tickets, demand has been huge. She easily could have done 5/6 dates at the O2 alone. Billie Eilish in comparison had done 6x London, 2x Manc, 1x Brum & Glasgow, PLUS Glastonbury.

Unlikely she’ll pay reading then if so, she’ll be much better off charging £130 for her own shows at multiple venues

 

This is the problem Reading has. Curating a 3 day festival in a day where competition is huge, mainly from artists own tours.

 

Festivals used to be THE big gigs. An artist can do multiple nights in the same venue at similar prices.

 

Reading can’t get her for 130 quid. People aren’t willing to pay 130 quid AND go to Reading where there is little hotel stock and limited local demand. 
 

Weekend ticket wise people there’s not that much crossover in fan base with Foo Fighters/ Muse/ Greenday etc…

 

Its a very, very tough festival to book at the mo, with blow up artists selling huge tours at huge prices…

[Benj]

I’ve been the harshest critique of the festival here esp on the VFM front and that basic cost/ act on the bill figure. 
 

We’re literally twice as much per act on the bill as we were in 2019.
 

When you look at what people are paying for gigs now, it doesn’t seem so bad. 
 

Inflation alone since 2019 would put a £300 ticket at £373 (~25%)

 

How much do people estimate concert tickets have risen in the same time?  Any direct comparisons out there from someone touring in 2019 and 2024?

[stanh]

58 minutes ago, Benj said:

How much do people estimate concert tickets have risen in the same time?  Any direct comparisons out there from someone touring in 2019 and 2024?

Saw Travis Scott both in 2019 and 2024, paid £97 for him at The O2 (I Believe), then at Tottenham Stadium I paid around £145. The O2 was GA standing, Tottenham was Gold Circle - however, for comparison, GA standing there was £108 

[Benj]

12 minutes ago, stanh said:

Saw Travis Scott both in 2019 and 2024, paid £97 for him at The O2 (I Believe), then at Tottenham Stadium I paid around £145. The O2 was GA standing, Tottenham was Gold Circle - however, for comparison, GA standing there was £108 

Bargain then at only 11% more

[charlierc]

2 hours ago, Benj said:

How much do people estimate concert tickets have risen in the same time?  Any direct comparisons out there from someone touring in 2019 and 2024?

GA for Muse at London Olympic Stadium in 2019 was £85. At the Milton Keynes Bowl show last June, it was £95, but at London O2 when they came back for shows there in October, it was over £115. So a mix of above and below inflation.

 

But I'm aware of price rises being there. A weekend ticket for the British Grand Prix F1 race has doubled since 2019, so in other areas, the prices do keep on climbing.

[Benj]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

GA for Muse at London Olympic Stadium in 2019 was £85. At the Milton Keynes Bowl show last June, it was £95, but at London O2 when they came back for shows there in October, it was over £115. So a mix of above and below inflation.

 

But I'm aware of price rises being there. A weekend ticket for the British Grand Prix F1 race has doubled since 2019, so in other areas, the prices do keep on climbing.

It will be interesting to see where prices go in the next year or so.

 

With a fair few tours seemingly cancelled after they didn’t sell and the Pearl Jam experience this year it seems that for some artists at least they’re gonna have to look at their pricing

 

I wonder if things will continue to become more and more dynamic over time. Seems like the obvious trend

[BenG92]

Lost for words at the idea that Sabrina Carpenter couldn't headline the GCSE leaver zeitgeist festival. 117k arena tickets with the only TM resales in England being £230+ platinums and not one thing on Twickets. It's a homerun booking.

[Andre91]

20 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

Lost for words at the idea that Sabrina Carpenter couldn't headline the GCSE leaver zeitgeist festival. 117k arena tickets with the only TM resales in England being £230+ platinums and not one thing on Twickets. It's a homerun booking.

Yeah, when you actually consider all of that, she’s as solid a headliner as they could get. Would absolutely shift day tickets like hot sh*t. 

[Benj]

2 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Yeah, when you actually consider all of that, she’s as solid a headliner as they could get. Would absolutely shift day tickets like hot sh*t. 

Yup but where is it leaving the weekend tickets?

 

As discovered with recent sales it’s not solely zeitgeist seeking GCSE result getters attending the site

 

117,000 arena ticket sales is also not 180,000 festival sales.

 

A lot of those 117,000 are not standing in a field in the middle of nowhere to watch pop stars…

 

…and the hype then also fades and they’re left with Billie Eilish playing to a half empty field in Yorkshire

 

She’s the kind of act who they would’ve nailed on for 3rd, 4th down this year, having booked her early doors, a la Posty 2018, Eilish 2019

 

They’re missing with their Zeitgeist shots at the mo, Raye way late, Wet Leg way late…

 

Got Fred I guess

[Andre91]

If you’re expecting headliners to be able to sell 180,000 tickets then you’re not going to have many acts to choose from. 
 

How were Wet Leg too late? Their album that they blew up on came out in 2022 and they booked them for 2023? Raye has only started blowing up in the last year and they’ve booked her for this year. 
 

If Sabrina Carpenter plays, she gets one of the biggest crowds of the whole weekend. 
 

Stop with this ‘in a field in the middle of nowhere thing’ too. That’s what a festival is. That’s what a festival always has been. 
 

The festival could book Foo Fighters, Travis Scott and Olivia Rodrigo to headline and you’d still complain that isn’t a big enough trio. 

Edited July 29 by Andre91

[BenG92]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

Yup but where is it leaving the weekend tickets?

 

Why is she so responsible for shifting weekend tickets..? Most aforementioned leavers do go for the weekend, that's largely the point, it's the ritual, and a name like that is only going to cement their ticket when you chuck in other easy wins like Chappell Roan, assuming she's around. Sabrina's new album isn't even out for a month, imagine it comes out, hits the charts and then 3 months later she's announced for a headline show at LNR '25. Easy money.

 

There's still plenty of room for the boomer rock acts like Foos or Green Day to get the older heads in, but if they can't get Rodrigo (my guess is Glasto), Carpenter is by far the next best choice for that bracket.

[Benj]

4 hours ago, BenG92 said:

 

Why is she so responsible for shifting weekend tickets..? Most aforementioned leavers do go for the weekend, that's largely the point, it's the ritual, and a name like that is only going to cement their ticket when you chuck in other easy wins like Chappell Roan, assuming she's around. Sabrina's new album isn't even out for a month, imagine it comes out, hits the charts and then 3 months later she's announced for a headline show at LNR '25. Easy money.

 

There's still plenty of room for the boomer rock acts like Foos or Green Day to get the older heads in, but if they can't get Rodrigo (my guess is Glasto), Carpenter is by far the next best choice for that bracket.

So the actual booked bands aren’t responsible for selling tickets to the festival 🤔?!

 

It’s a fair point in that she would be a great headliner for that demographic though and  her alongside two more established boomer acts as per this year would work well re appealing to everyone. Stick Chemical Bros on the dance stage for the old folk, jobs a goodun