Fans didn’t let the sun go down on ticket sales to Elton John’s April 25 Red Deer concert.
The internationally famous singer/songwriter’s shows in Red Deer and Grande Prairie sold out only minutes after they went on sale Friday morning.
Lise Bourret was among the eager admirers of such hits as Rocket Man, Philadelphia Freedom, and Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me who stood in line several hours before the Ticketmaster outlet opened at 10 a.m. at the Centrium.
The Red Deer woman became worried when she saw 25 people already in front of her at 8 a.m. But she was eighth in line after the queue split in front of four kiosks.
“It was probably five or six minutes before we got to the front, and we were anxious,” said Bourret, who’s been a fan of John’s since her childhood, listening to hits such as Daniel and Crocodile Rock.
“Me and my husband are nine years apart in age, and we both listened to his songs. He’s just one of those performers who’s a classic. And that he was coming to Red Deer was, like, wow! . . . We were very, very excited.”
Bourret, who’d never lined up early for any previous concert, did not specify which price tickets she wanted, and doesn’t know whether all the $91.50 tickets were already gone by the time she got to the kiosk.
But she considers herself lucky to have landed eight tickets for friends and family members at $151.50 each. With service charges they came to $179, “which was more than I thought they would be, but that’s OK. We love his music.”
“Elton John proves once again that he holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians,” said Riley C’Connor, chair of concert promoter Live Nation Canada. He added the singer recognizes this by continuing to perform for Canadian fans.
By Friday afternoon, some people were already trying to resell the concert tickets at a profit, with prices on the StubHub! website ranging from $250 to $450 a seat.
But fans who were willing to drive a few hours to hear John sing his greatest hits at the piano still had a chance to line up some regular priced tickets to his Lethbridge show. Tickets to John’s concert in the southern Alberta city were expected to go on sale at Ticketmaster Saturday morning (Feb. 11).
John’s career spans five decades. He’s one of the top-selling solo artists of all time, with 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits, and has sold more than 250 million records worldwide. John also holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time. Candle in the Wind, rewritten in 1997 to memorialize the late Princess Diana, sold over 37 million copies.
Since his career began in 1969. John has played over 3,000 concerts worldwide.