Celine Dion, a complete concert, mad prizes

Of the 40,000 seats planned for Celine Dion’s concert on July 12 at Parc OL, only 15,000 were put on sale to the general public, the rest being shared between the partners and the fan club. So, the show was complete in a few seconds. A parallel market has developed, with astronomical prices. Attention, many fakes also circulate, explains the Lyons promoter of the concert.

Jean-Pierre Pommier has organized concerts for forty years, and he confesses: “I’ve never seen this. The boss of Eldorado watched, dumbfounded, the Celine Dion concert fill in in minutes, and display full in stride. “We sold 15,000 seats in a few seconds,” he sighs.

Fake tickets, from 100 to 900 €

Only 15,000 places out of a total of 40,000? In fact, only a minority of tickets was offered to the general public, the others were reserved for pre-sales. This also explains the almost immediate saturation of the networks at the time of the sale to the “real” public, on February 3rd.

Before the “simple” spectators, it was the customers of the partners (One Live, American Express, OL) who were able to buy their seats, just like the members of the fan-club Celine Dion. “The problem is that it is enough to register on the site to join the fan club, without any other formality. So, it sucked plenty of places, and especially those that are now found for resale, “says a fan.

For places, there are on reselling sites, at sometimes delusional prices : 200, 300, up to 900 euros. The problem, besides that it is forbidden in France to sell concert tickets more expensive than the price indicated on the ticket, is that some are simply fakes. “We saw incredible stuff, rude fakes. It’s sad, because people risk making hundreds of kilometers to come to the stadium, and be denied entry, “says Eldorado’s boss. “I can only advise people not to buy places outside the official networks, the risk is too great,” continues Jean-Pierre Pommier.

Céline Dion’s 2017 tour began to sprout last year in Paris, where the Quebec diva had given a series of nine complete concerts in Bercy. “We knew she wanted to go on a tour in the provinces, and go through the stadiums,” explains Jean-Pierre Pommier, the local promoter of the Lyon concert, scheduled for the stage of the Enlightenment on July 12th.

Several producers were among the ranks, including Inter Concerts (which had produced Bercy) and the giant Live Nation (which produces Coldplay, U2 or Beyoncé). It was the first one, led by Jackie Lombard, which was selected, and she called on Eldorado to ensure the Lyon’s commercialization of the event. “Before Christmas 2016, we had the schedule of the tour and that of the ticket sales,” explains Jean-Pierre Pommier.

8,000 people on the floor, 32,000 in the stands

With its company Eldorado, the Lyon promoter has drawn up a plan of the stadium. “This is our first concert at Parc OL, and it’s also the first concert all seated. With the size of the stage, the placement of the lights and the control provided by the American producers, we were able to project a precise plan, which gave a gauge of 40,000 spectators. There will be 8,000 people on the floor and 32,000 in the stands, “said Gerland, who has already staged several concerts by Johnny Hallyday, Stones and Genesis.

On this basis, the distribution of the different tariffs was organized: the most expensive seats (€ 144.50) in front of the stage or on the nearest seats, the most affordable (€ 62) being located at the back of the stadium. Between these two extremes, three intermediate tariffs, farther on the lawn, or higher in the bleachers.