Tickets for Sir Paul McCartney's first-ever concert in Buffalo are still available online, but to get them one must be prepared to pay a hefty sum of cash.
According to the website SeatGeek.com, the average resale price of a ticket to the former Beatle's gig at First Niagara Center on Thursday is $381. By comparison, the next most-expensive resale ticket for a Buffalo concert this year was for the Eagles show. Those tickets, resold online, went for an average $210.
Tickets for the Rolling Stones' July concert at Ralph Wilson Stadium resold online for an average $219, but analyst Chris Leyden with SeatGeek.com says there were more tickets available, playing a part in the lower average price.
McCartney, on the other hand, is playing a smaller venue. And, it's not only his first Buffalo show but, at the age of 73, could possibly be his last.
"That demand has been building up for many years," Leyden said. "I think it's not only fans that have been waiting to see him. Even his new fans maybe know, hey, this might be my one-time chance to see him in Buffalo."
McCartney tickets were already sold out before most folks had a chance to place their orders. There was at least one presale available to American Express credit card customers. There were also bulk amounts of tickets gobbled up by online 'bots' working for ticket brokers and resellers.
The latter caught the attention of Senator Charles Schumer, who appeared in Buffalo to announce legislation cracking down on such 'bots' in an effort to level the playing field for ticket-buying consumers.
