Show Prices Hold Firm
by Anthony Curtis
Each year, about three weeks prior to the publication of our annual show-ticket-price issue, the same thought runs through my mind: When we release these numbers, lots of media will quote them. So, if keeping track of show-price moves is so important, why are we the only ones doing it? As soon as I start working on the numbers, I remember why. It's because it's almost impossible to do. And each year it gets tougher.
What
makes gathering this data so ridiculously complicated is the trend of either
offloading reservations to third-party vendors (such as Vegas.com, which is the
system we use at LasVegasAdvisor.com) or, more commonly, automating it on the
Web. Usually, the old reservations lines are still manned, but often just
barely.
Take
the Riviera's Ice. We started by checking
online, where two price levels were advertised: "General Admission" and "VIP."
GA was listed at $68.15, VIP at $77.25, but that's not what you pay, because
taxes and fees have to be added. To get to the final price, you need to follow
the process through to the purchase point. When you do this in the Riv's system,
you get transferred to the Vegas.com site, where, eventually, that GA ticket
can be had for $82.42. But what about the VIP? There's no telling, because those
aren't available at Vegas.com. To get VIP tickets, we had to call the box office
(which rang and rang, for six minutes, during one attempt). The quote there
was $83 for GA (58¢
more than booking online) and $93 for VIP. But even that wasn't the end of it.
The Riviera charges a fee for booking over the phone ($3), so I personally drove
down to the box office. Sure enough, there the quote was $80 for GA; and
$90 for VIP. That's what it took to determine the lowest price for Ice ...
kinda.
As
I walked out of the Riv (feeling a bit proud), a girl
with an Eastern-European accent rolled up on skates and handed me a coupon for
$5 off the show. Five feet away was a freebie-mag
stand, where two or three of the magazines had $10 discounts for Ice.
And less than a half-block farther was the Tix4Tonight booth, where Ice
tickets were available for
$37.50 (plus a handling fee). Are you getting the picture? You
have to go through a lot of song and dance to derive the average price for Las
Vegas song and dance.
In our annual comparison, we go with the lowest price available without coupons
or half-price-booth discounts. The survey includes every show playing
in a casino on a permanent basis. The average reflects prices of production
shows, including afternoon productions, comedy clubs, and permanent (but no
temporary) headliners. In cases (most) where a range of prices is offered,
we take the average of the range. Tax is included. The "adjusted price" (in
the chart) excludes afternoon shows and comedy clubs in order to provide a
relevant comparison to earlier surveys that didn't consider these shows. We
refer to this as the average cost for an "A-ticket." One big difference this
year is that most of the prices come from online quotes, which we've determined
is usually the way to get the best price. However, in cases such as the one
described for Ice,
where we know we can get a cheaper price by booking another way, we use
that.
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The big news? Prices have finally stopped skyrocketing upward, rising by just 76¢ (1.09%) over last year to $70.21. Yes, it's the first time ever that the average has surpassed $70 and it's technically the 14th increase in 16 comparisons, but this is really a breakeven result for the first time since 2002. Same for the average cost of an A-ticket, which increased by $1.25 (1.66%) to $75.44.
We
counted 87 total shows, an even dozen more than last year. But that's slightly
misleading, as this year we added some that we'd previously left out, including
the Vegas Mob Tour and Haunted Vegas, both primarily bus tours
that we're recognizing for their staying power. The most expensive on the list
was $276.76, the top ticket for Bette Midler at Caesars Palace and a new
record for highest. The least expensive was $12.95 for Viva Las Vegas at
the Plaza.
There
are now 21 shows with at least one ticket option above $100 (compared to 19
last year). Of these, the five best bargains based on their cheapest-seat
option are Stomp Out Loud ($67.05), Mystère ($66), Jubilee ($60.65), Wayne
Brady ($54), and, as always, Mamma Mia! ($53).
Overall, this bargain crop is better than last year's.
The
results of all 17 surveys are presented in the chart. | 
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Discounts Available
The
price of the average ticket has held the line, but the options for getting it
more cheaply have increased. We made the point a couple years ago that the
rising prices of tickets took into account the fact that most of them would be
discounted, and that remains the case. Hence, you have myriad possibilities to
investigate if you don't want to pay rack rate. Several strategies for paying
less than the average are touched on here.
Half-Price
Outlets-They're not as half-price as they used to be. The
day-of-show discount booths are now a major source of discounts, but the margin
is shrinking. The service charges are up from a flat $4 last year to $4 and $5
(depends on amount of ticket) at Tix4Tonight and $4 and $6 at Tickets2Nite.
Plus, several of the shows now listed are discounted by less than 50% (Zumanity is
20% off, for example). Still, it's one of the best ways to pay less. Tix4Tonight
is easily the leader here, with booths near the giant Coke bottle at the Showcase
Mall, at the Hawaiian Marketplace, just south of the Riviera, at the Fashion
Show Mall, and at the Four Queens (get a $2-off coupon at Tix4Tonight.com). In
a spot check, they had discounts on tickets for 53 shows (about two-thirds of
the total):
$250,000
Game Show, American Storm, American Superstars, Barbra & Frank, Bite, Blue
Man Group, Chippendales, Crazy Girls, Defending the Caveman, Dirk Arthur, Dirty
Hypnosis, Fab Four, Fantasy, Folies
Bergere, George Wallace, Hats, Haunted Vegas Tour,
Ice, Legends in Concert, Little Legends, Louie Anderson, Lucky Cheng's,
Mega-Bubble, Menopause, Marriage Can Be Murder, Mamma Mia!, Mentalist, Nathan
Burton, Neil Diamond, Pet Theater, Phantom, Platters, Ronn
Lucas, Rat Pack, Rita Rudner, Riv Comedy, Roseanne, Scintas, Second City, Sopranos, Steve Wyrick,
Stomp Out Loud, Tony & Tina, Toxic Audio, Trent Carlini,
V, Vegas Mob Tour, Vinny Favorito,
Wayne Brady, World's Greatest Magic,X, and Zumanity.
As in the past, Tickets2Nite has fewer offers and mostly the same shows. However, they do have one good feature-you can call for the list. The problem with the half-price outlets remains that you have to go there the day of the show and choose from that day's inventory, but agreements with the casinos often preclude them from disclosing over the phone what's currently available. You can call Tickets2Nite at 702/939-2222.
Goldstar-This online discounter
has only dabbled in Las Vegas in previous years, but seems to be getting
serious now. Its most recent list had 28 shows discounted from 25% to 65% (with
most in the 40%-50% range). Plus, there were some higher-end shows, such as Mystère and Spamalot.
Check it out at goldstar.com.
POV-If you like a show
that's in the POV, use that coupon. POV coupons are true twofers and have no
service charges attached. Twenty-one shows are available in this year's book.
We add new ones throughout the year in "Daily Deals" at LasVegasAdvisor.com.
Freebie
Mags-Most of the discount coupons in the freebies
are for the shows listed above, though they're often for $5 or $10 off, rather
than twofers. But if you can't get to a discount booth, it's better than paying
rack. Plus, you will find the occasional freebie-only offer, such as $5
off the "Comedy Stop."
Auctions/Locals-In this technological
age, there are more options yet. One is the auction sites. There's eBay, of
course, and we've heard of another that sells Vegas show tickets called
skyauction.com. Also available are a couple of "papering" programs. This is
when a show gives out free passes to fill seats. Two such programs in Las Vegas
deal only with locals: show tickets4locals.com and houseseatslv.com. We've
heard of some excellent offers coming from these (and we have a lead on a
non-local option that we'll report on in the future).
Basic
Strategy-When
all else fails, don't abandon the basics. Use deals where they materialize,
such as the free Bobby Slayton tickets for joining the Hooter's players
club (see LVA Top Ten) and go for the "cheaps." Really, the cheap seats are rarely terrible and
buying them can save you a bundle. Or you can always hang out at Bellagio's
Fontana Bar, where you get a great show and a beer for $6.