Rolling Stones Tour 2013: Stones Can't Sell Out US Shows, Premium Tickets Reduced

Though there seemed to be a lot of anticipation surrounding the Rolling Stld h tour ones' 2013 world tour, that enthusiasm didn't translate into ticket sales. The Stones announced that they are cutting the prices on many of thier premium seats in light of poor sales (this process is known as "flexing" in the live music industry). The Stones will probably face a pay cut into their guaranteed paydays, due to flagging sales.

An industry insider told The Guardian that the has suffered in a number of ways, and hinted that perhaps the Stones should have gone out on their last tour (the monstrous A Bigger Bang Tour which ran from 2005-2007 and was the second-highest grossing tour of all-time).

"Total disaster. Too expensive and no vibe on the shows ... it's a terrible way to go out," a source said.

He added that the band will likely have to take a cut in the amount they stand to make.

"What's the band gonna do? Say we're not going to play if you touch our gross?"

The Stones have cut the prices of 1000 premium seats at their Staples Center opener to $85, in an attempt to avoid playing to a half-empty house.

What the Rolling Stones thought was going to be a cash cow has quickly turned into a perfect storm of all of the things that can negatively affect ticket sales. There decision to only play a few cities has put the pressure on fans to travel to the shows, and with tickets priced so high this is simply not an option for many in their blue-collar fanbase. On top of this, they thought they could tour on the strength of their 50th anniversary however, lack of new material has left fans disinterested.

"They did everything backwards," said one tour veteran. "It was a last-minute decision to celebrate their 50th anniversary. A bit more thought should have gone into it because now they are up against all this summer competition."

While fans in the US have failed to buy into the 50th anniversary tour, fans in the UK have responded quite differently.Both of their performances at Hyde Park have sold out (excluding the packages).