Doja Cat<\/a> at Spark Arena on November 18, prices range from $450 for VIP Early Entry to just under $900 for the Ultimate VIP Lounge Experience. <\/p>\nThe most expensive package offers a ticket to the show, photo opportunities on the stage \u201cwhere Doja Cat will be performing\u201d, photos with a VIP backdrop, drinks and snacks and some commemorative items. But none of the experiences include \u201cartist participation\u201d or any involvement from Doja Cat herself.<\/p>\n
![\"Doja]()
Doja Cat’s high-energy pop blend will bring the heat to Spark Arena. Photo \/ Getty<\/p>\n
Are VIP tickets worth it for fans?<\/p>\n
According to Jessica Davidson, who saw Eminem perform in Wellington in 2019 at the then Westpac Stadium, the answer is clear: VIP experiences are absolutely worth the price. <\/p>\n
\u201cI paid $500 for VIP standing [tickets] to see Eminem,\u201d Davidson tells the Herald, adding that, despite not getting to meet him as part of the package, and lots of logistics and waiting, it was the experience of a lifetime. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe lined up early in the morning and got given a card with a number. Then we came back in the afternoon, and they lined us up in number order and walked us out in a line to the front row. We had to stand in the same place for four hours before he even hit the stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was worth every dollar and [it was] mind-blowing.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Eminem.]()
Eminem. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Layton Lillas, president of the New Zealand Promoters Association, agrees paying such big prices is absolutely worth it for some \u201cdie-hard fans or high net-worth individuals who now want to maximise their concert experience\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes the discomfort out of it. Both the star and the fan know what the transaction entails,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
What do bands get out of offering VIP tickets? <\/p>\n
Lillas says while fans get a special encounter, for the artist it\u2019s about the money, \u201cnothing more, nothing less\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the band has more control, they will curate it more cleverly for their fan base, and it will be a well-honed operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the event is run by the show\u2019s promoter, Lillas says the the experience is usually set up a bit differently.<\/p>\n
\u201c[They] will generally be sharing the profits 50\/50 with the artist, and then it\u2019s usually just things [the promoters] can control – maybe an item of merchandise, maybe early entry to the venue, VIP bar in the venue. <\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally with higher priced [tickets], there is… a meet-and-greet for a pre-determined number of fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lillas says he\u2019s watched these types of experiences be executed both incredibly well and incredibly poorly, but ultimately for audience members, \u201cit is putting a price on an encounter with your favourite band\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201c[But] I\u2019ve seen some [acts] who clearly are displeased; it\u2019s part of their daily routine, and they can\u2019t wait to get backstage and for it to be over.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tickets for the long-awaited gig are sold out, but those who did nab them will be clambering for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[308,95,192,25759,6309,2842,2082,1333,702,38781,300,111,139,69,95475,213,4969,95474,23331,6923,19985,197,1959],"class_list":["post-140633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-actually","tag-and","tag-are","tag-concert","tag-do","tag-experienced","tag-for","tag-get","tag-it","tag-jealousy","tag-money","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pangs","tag-sports","tag-tickets","tag-vip","tag-weve","tag-what","tag-worth","tag-you","tag-your"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}