"Official ticket sales have been kept started between 40 to 80 pounds for all venues' would be more accurate, as Ticketmaster are selling price inflated 'Platinum Tickets' for shows.
As Ticketmaster put it: These tickets vary in price driven by demand from fans, similar to airline tickets and hotel rooms. By using this dynamic pricing, we give fans an opportunity to safely buy official tickets for the events they love right up to the date of the show.
So a quick look shows:
Manchester hasn't sold out - Ticketmaster have increased the prices to £148.95+
Blackpool hasn't sold out - Ticketmaster have increased the prices to £222.60+
Doncaster hasnt sold out - Ticketmaster have increased the prices to £201.30 +
Birmingham hasn't sold out - Ticketmaster have increased the prices to £122.25
Palladium hasn't sold out - TIcketmaster have increased the prices to £254.40+
The only show which appears to have completely sold out in the old-fashioned use of the word (as in no tickets available from the primary seller) is Doncaster.
That said - I'm sure all venues would have sold out, were not for Ticktmaster's new price-gouging policy, which kicked in on some seats as soon as they went on sale
Morrissey is absolutely responsible for allowing this behaviour by the promoters and ticket agencies.
It's now commonplace for bands and artists to pitch reasonable ticket prices to gauge demand. If there's genuine market enthusiasm for a gig, they claim it's sold out, hoping to create panic buying, so they can then flog tickets on secondary sites to beat the touts whilst allowing artists to feign ignorance and plausible deniablity. In other words: the bands and artists are now the ticket touts. If they don't flog them at inflated prices, they mysteriously reappear close to the event date due to 'production venue release' criteria.
The 'pre-sales' now routinely flog crap seats to gullible fans, keeping the prime stock for reselling on secondary sites.
No doubt the pre-sale purchasers here got seats in the front rows of stalls and balconies at these gigs?
Important to note this is now industry wide, not specific to Morrissey. However, he invites censure and a firm rebuke because he makes such a demonstrably false claim of pricing democracy in this press release. He is responsible for allowing the promoter to seek premium sales on official sites.
If demand is indeed at 'sold out' levels, extra gigs at venues will be added. Otherwise, it's marketing spin, devious bullshit to try to create a buzz for recording contract negotiations that Morrissey is still a 'hot ticket'. If he is, he'll add a few arenas to mop up the fan's demand to see him. If not. Who cares?
Loads of C-List 80s acts are flogging their arses around small venues, flogging dodgy merch to prop up the pension fund. Why should we expect otherwise given the income stream from recorded music is negligible other than for A List mega-acts? Morrissey is no more or no less ludicrous than any other 80s has-been like Ferry or ABC.
It's just a memory night out for the balding Boomers mourning the collapse of their quiffs as they approach their dotage. Morrissey appears to have had some 'work' or maybe just Botox or temporary interventions for his re-emergence. He's now such a fcUKin saddoe that he uses ancient pics of himself thinking it's terribly Dorian Gray. It isn't. It's just silly. But no more than all the other losers thrashing around imagining they're still punk rock rebels as they hold in their midriff with an appropriate swathe of lycra.
BB