How hard is it to get tickets for A-list concerts in 2025? We did the math

The moment concert tickets go live, you're in a virtual warzone. Tabs open. Phones buzzing. To refresh or not to refresh? What if I miss out, but my friends get tickets? Did my purchase go through? Where’s my confirmation email? 

Everyone knows concerts are hot right now. Due to the ever-growing demand and limited tour dates, many fans are anxious about their chances of seeing their favourite artists.

That’s where we come in. We’ve done the math — analyzing ticket availability, venue sizes, and demand trends — to give you a realistic look at your chances of getting into the biggest shows of 2025. Let’s break it down.

Ticket probability for 2025’s biggest concerts

We’ve calculated your chances of securing tickets for the biggest artists touring worldwide in 2025. 

🎤 Artist	🏟️ Tour name	📅 Concert tour dates	📈 Ticket probability (Global)
Kendrick Lamar & SZA	The Grand National Tour	April 19th - August 9th	2.3%
Beyoncé	Cowboy Carter Tour	April 28th - July 14th	2.8%

The data in the above table was last updated on 21/02/2025

If these numbers look grim, that’s because they are. Scoring tickets to the year’s biggest shows is starting to feel like hitting a jackpot. But just like in a game of strategy, there are ways to shift the odds in your favour.

Kendrick Lamar & SZA: The most in-demand tickets of 2025?

Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Grand National Tour might be the hottest ticket of 2025.

Kendrick Lamar ranks among the top 25 most searched people on Google in 2025, with over 5 million searches in the past 30 days, according to Glimpse.

His Super Bowl LIX half-time show with SZA only fueled demand, and millions of people are desperate to see one of their shows live.

Let's be clear here: The chances of you getting a ticket aren't great.

🌍 Country	🎟️ Total expected tickets	🎧 Monthly Spotify listeners	📈 Ticket Probability
🇳🇱 Netherlands	56,120	934k	2.82%
🇬🇧 UK	294,706	3.69m	2.99%
🇫🇷 France	40,000	625k	3.54%
🇸🇪 Sweden	45,000	259k	6.68%
🇩🇪 Germany	108,000	1.14m	7.47%
🇮🇹 Italy	72,698	449k	16.19%

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour: Your odds of seeing the queen live

Beyoncé has announced a mammoth global tour for 2025. Kicking off in LA on April 28th, it'll make stops in London and Paris before wrapping up in Atlanta.

Despite not being the top searched artist, Beyoncé still ranks 82nd most searched person in 2025, according to Glimpse. 

Before the additional two dates in London were announced, UK fans were estimated to have just a 3.86% chance of getting tickets. Across the original 22 dates, only 2.8% of global fans had a chance of seeing one of her shows.

🌍 Country	🎟️ Total expected tickets	🎧 Monthly Spotify listeners	📈 Ticket Probability
🇺🇸 US	1,217,174	12m	0.16%
🇫🇷 France	240,000	966k	0.24%
🇬🇧 UK	377,100	6.06m	3.86%

Why are tickets so impossible to get?

Not that long ago, buying concert tickets was simple. Remember when you could just queue up outside a venue, hand over some cash, and walk away with a ticket in your pocket?

Well, those days are over. Now, everything is online, and you’re not just fighting over tickets with the people you’re close to, but the whole world. 

Security checks, virtual queues with thousands of people and bots, not to mention getting kicked out of those enormous queues after waiting hours. Yeah, it can be extremely frustrating. 

So, what exactly are the factors that make it so hard to get tickets? 

• Artist popularity

• Venue size

• How many tickets are on presale

• Dynamic pricing

• Resale vendors

Ticket prices

In spite of the rising cost of concert ticket prices — 2023 saw prices rise by 23%, according to the BBC — shows are still selling out. In the UK, 51% of people stated that the surging cost of attending a concert had stopped them from attending at least once over the past five years. 

The high cost of attending a gig has affected the younger demographic the most. Two-thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds who attend concerts have said that they have reduced the number of shows they attend. 

Still, the demand for the world’s biggest artists is still as high as ever, with tickets selling out. This is because music fans make irrational decisions about seeing their favourite artists, thus paying crazy amounts of money to go to gigs. 

Touts

Ticket touts have been a long-standing problem in the music industry and across many forms of entertainment. This is because touts will purchase tickets to resell at a higher price once the general sale has sold out.

Promoters and artists have been trying to combat these issues by implementing stronger security measures and making tickets purchased on third-party sites invalid. So far, these efforts have been met with little success.

How to increase your chances of getting tickets

Just like in blackjack, there’s no foolproof way to guarantee a win, but you can play smart to improve your odds.

While securing concert tickets isn’t as simple as doubling down on an 11, using the right strategies can give you a much better shot at getting in. Here’s how:

🎲 Strategy	✍️ Description	✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Presale	Sign up for fan clubs or newsletters	Early access	Requires extra effort
Credit card priority	Some credit cards will give you early access	Less competition	Limited to certain banks
Multiple devices	Use a laptop, phone, and tablet simultaneously	More entry points	Can slow internet speed
Use different vendors	Look beyond Ticketmaster (Live Nation, AXS, etc.)	Expands options	Harder to track multiple queues
Attend a music festival	Festivals often feature top artists	More chances to see them	Different experience than a solo show

Alternative ways to experience a sold-out show

Okay, so you’ve gone through the queueing process, and, unfortunately, the tickets are sold out.

Like the time you’ve invested in playing casino games, you come away with a loss. It’s tough to take, but staying calm and not letting your emotions get the better of you is essential. 

We always recommend not chasing your losses after a bad gambling session. The same concept can be applied to concert tickets. Don’t spend an extortionate amount on a ticket from a third-party website. You’ll have to pay way above face value, and your ticket may not even be accepted at the venue.

Instead, stay calm and try out these alternatives instead: 

• Watch the live stream

• Look for last-minute drops and giveaways 

• Use official resale sites

Watch the live stream

Okay, so I know watching a live stream isn’t the real deal, but you can still enjoy the show from the comfort of your own home. Grab some snacks, invite some friends over and chill out.

Last-minute drops and giveaways

Watch for giveaways and drops on social media and newsletters. You may still get a chance to attend at the last minute, as artists and promoters will hold back some tickets for this reason. 

Official resale sites

Finally, official resale sites, like Twickets, are legitimate fan-to-fan ticket sites. These are sold at face value, meaning you won’t get ripped off when buying outside the presale or general sale. You’ll be surprised at how many people can’t attend just before the show. 

Stay updated

Getting tickets in 2025 is half luck, half strategy. In casino terms, it’d make it more of a game of blackjack than slots.

The odds aren’t in your favour, but with the right approach, you might just land a seat at one of the year’s biggest shows.

We’ll keep this page fresh with all the key information you need about the biggest concerts in 2025 and beyond.

Methodology

The data, last collected on 16/02/2025, is used to estimate the likelihood of securing tickets for the most in-demand concerts worldwide. The probability calculations factor in historical queue data from previous high-profile tours, Spotify listener data sourced from SongStats, and search trend spikes provided by Glimpse. This page will be regularly updated with the latest insights as new tours are announced.

References 

Why do concert tickets now cost as much as a games console? (BBC) 

The 100 Most Searched People on Google in 2025 (Glimpse)