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Inside the Growing World of VIP Concert Experiences, From Soundcheck Access to Immersive Pre-Parties
The world of VIP concert experiences is growing after the pandemic, from private sound checks to immersive pre-parties.
For Wu-Tang Clan superfans with money to burn, snagging a premium ticket for their upcoming tour won’t just buy killer seats, but gain them entry to an exclusive pre-party offering an immersive look at the kung-fu and iconography of the famed Staten Island hip-hop collective. The VIP business was born in the 1990s thanks in part to the work of New Yorker Shelley Lazar — the beloved “Ticketing Queen” who convinced iconic artists like the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and The Who to let her build out premium offerings for diehard fans she came to know on a first name basis — and it continued to grow in the new millennium as touring exploded. By 2022, a new crop of companies founded by these execs started popping up, including One More Time, which won the contract to build the Shaolin Temple Preshow Party for Wu-Tang Clan’s upcoming Final Chapter North American arena tour.
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