Britney Spears’ concert organisers add ‘slightly more affordable’ tickets, stage catwalk

SINGAPORE – Ticket sales for pop princess Britney Spears’ concert have indeed been slow, organiser IME Singapore confirmed to TODAY.

In an effort to turn things around ahead of Spears’ concert on June 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the organisers have added three new ticket categories that are “slightly more affordable”. It will also be making changes to the stage plan for the concert by adding a catwalk from the main stage, according to an IME Singapore’s spokesman.

The organiser has also posted on its Facebook page on Thursday evening (June 15): “In response to the recent feedback and comments we have received from fans pertaining to ticket prices and stage layout for Britney’s first concert in Singapore, IME Productions has undergone careful planning and internal discussions together with Britney’s management to derive with the following updates.”

The new ticket categories Category 8 and 9 are priced at S$488 and at S$388 respectively. And a new Standing Pen C – located behind Pen A and B – will be priced at S$428.

Before these new additions, ticket prices ranged from S$188 restricted view tickets to S$568 for the most expensive.

IME’s spokesman told TODAY: “These new categories are actually priced in between. We are making it slightly more affordable for these two seating categories.”

Category 8 will be situated in between Category 1 and Category 2, while some Category 9 seats will be between Category 2 and Category 3.

The new categories will not affect the venue capacity, said the spokesman, “there’s going to be a reduction in the original categories to accommodate these new categories”.

Last week, TODAY reported on the Britney Live in Singapore possibly facing a poor showing, with fans complaining about the high ticket prices and poor stage layout.

Addressing the earlier complaints about ticket prices, IME’s spokesman said: “The (artistes) that we can put Britney in comparison with are (artistes) like Madonna ... (whose) ticket prices were even higher.”

Tickets to Madonna’s 2016 concert were priced from S$108 to S$688. VIP tickets went for S$1,288.

The spokesman said talks with Spears’ management team and Sports Hub Ticketing began early June over amendments to the stage layout and floorplan.

“We don’t want the fans to feel that we just dictate prices on our own and don’t care about what their comments are,” the spokesman said.

“Everything has to be brought to the management of the artiste first,” he explained, and it was only “after careful discussion, then we can move on”.

He added that the decision to add a catwalk extension to the stage layout followed from feedback that the original layout lacked “closeness for fans”.

The additional ticket categories will go on sale from Friday, 10am.

IME’s spokesman wanted to assure fans and the general public that “their feedback has not gone on deaf ears”. He said: “We hope that because of our response to this, we are able to help out with some of the fans who could not decide whether or not to buy the tickets and come and watch the show.”

Spears last came to Singapore nearly 20 years ago in 1998 for a closed-door event. She will perform in Hong Kong on June 27 before coming here. Singapore will be her seventh stop in her tour.