Didn’t get tickets for final Grateful Dead show and still want them? It’ll cost you

The price to catch the Grateful Dead’s final shows, to be held this summer at Soldier Field, soared in the secondary market after Ticketmaster sold out of tickets Saturday for the shows.

The asking prices for passes for all three shows at the lakefront stadium were being listed for thousands of dollars — from $1,500 in the upper deck with “no view” to more than $20,000 for general admission.

The face value for the tickets ranges from $59.50 to $199.50.

Organizers for the concert, billed as “Fare Thee Well,” posted an online thank-you Saturday to Deadheads and said, “This morning you broke Ticketmaster’s on-sale record when nearly half a million of you queued up to buy tickets online.”

Some people who tried unsuccessfully to buy tickets Saturday were unhappy about the outrageous prices being asked in the seconary marketplace.

“I don’t think it keeps with the spirit of the band, the spirit of the music and the spirit of the vibe,” said Aaron Darnell, 31, of St. Louis.

The concert organizers offered a cryptic message for fans who didn’t score tickets.

“Please know that we are working on various ways to help everyone experience these shows in a way that will help you share this special moment with us,” they posted.

–