The world’s economic troubles over the past few years seem to have done nothing to affect concert ticket prices, which have been rising now for decades. It’s a surprise, then, that a rock superstar this week decided to perform a show for free.
According to an Associated Press report, Jon Bon Jovi and his backing band announced this week that they will be waiving their performance fee for a concert in Madrid, Spain. By dropping the fee, ticket prices to the concert have been cut in half, with the lowest-priced tickets selling for just €18.
The AP quotes an El Mundo story as stating Bon Jovi had originally not scheduled dates in Spain, over fears that the cash-strapped population would not be able to pay for tickets. Spain, along with Greece, was one of the European countries worst-hit during the economic crisis that struck in 2008.
Bon Jovi is currently on his European “Because We Can” tour, which wraps up at Hyde Park in London on July 5. Later in July, the tour will shift to North and South America, with scheduled concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.