What the Hell Happened: Beyoncé Ticket Frenzy

Why are people posting on social media about selling their parents’ houses and kidneys? For Beyoncé, of course.

On Feb. 1, Beyoncé announced that she will be going on a world tour after the release of her latest album, “Renaissance.” Following the announcement that her tour would span locations across Europe and North America — apparently the only two places in the world — some fans were thrilled, while others started thinking about which organs they could live without.

Here’s how it went down: Ten minutes before presale, fans began entering the queue, waiting for their chance to secure tickets. The wait was the easy part: Once in, the process of buying a ticket became a “f-cking bloodbath,” according to one TikTok user, as available tickets kept getting snatched away. Posting how-tos on getting Beyoncé tickets has even become a trend.

Trying to get early tickets was particularly stressful due to claims on social media leading up to sales that tickets would cost up to tens of thousands of dollars. One Instagram user made a faux tutorial on how to get Beyoncé tickets, joking that it would be necessary to “set up your own kidnapping and ransom.” In one viral TikTok, one user showed that she would be sacrificing the money that usually went to therapy to see Beyoncé. In another TikTok, the user filmed themselves on a plane, saying that they were flying to Europe because they couldn’t afford the tickets in the U.S.

But are tickets actually expensive enough to warrant an international flight or kidnapping? Many members of the BeyHive, Beyoncé’s worshipping fanbase, would say no. Depending on location and timing, tickets range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. In light of this, many fans appreciated the fact that tickets cannot be resold for more than their original cost, though it is unclear whether Beyoncé had a role in this decision.

The discourse surrounding the scramble for tickets seems to get at a deeper question: Do celebrities care about their fans as much as their fans care about them, or are they just in it for the money? Fans devote limitless time and money to support celebrities, attend concerts, buy merchandise, and follow their every move on social media. Because of their devotion, some fans feel as though they know celebrities personally, which is why they are so quick to defend Beyoncé.

However, many also sense that celebrities may not have the same level of investment in their fans and instead are primarily motivated by money and fame. Unreasonably expensive tickets can make it seem as though celebrities like Beyoncé are exploiting their fans’ devotion, causing some to wonder why fans would give money to somebody who is already a multimillionaire. But whether you feel that the prices are fair or not, some people are always going to buy Beyoncé tickets no matter what.

Such is the Beyhive.