It's first important to mention that Fender has listened to his fans; last year, he received criticism for not prioritising his Geordie fans for his homecoming shows. This time, in order to get tickets for Utilita Arena on the 20th December, you will need to apply to be in a ballot with a North East postcode, which is great news for Newcastle University students! Unfortunately, getting through this ballot isn't the only hurdle to getting tickets. For the Newcastle show, there will be no presale, and instead all those who get through the ballot will have to face the dreaded Ticketmaster queue.
The price of the tickets is another issue. Standing tickets are currently (at the time of writing) charged at just over £80, while seats range from £60 - 80. Not to mention, these tour dates lie very close to the holidays: student loans are running low, presents are to be brought, and other plans are already in place! The lack of notice surrounding the tour is fairly unusual; typically, tour dates are released 6 months to even up until a year before the gig. For an artist who advocates for the working class, Fender has been facing much criticism for the lack of accommodation for fans who cannot drop £80 on a gig with such short notice.
It's also interesting to note that Fender's third album, currently Untitled, will be released on February 21st 2025, two months after the tour. We might hear a single or two before then, but it's unlikely that the setlist will be much different to the last time Fender was in Newcastle. Perhaps if he had advertised these as warm up shows for lower prices, these gigs might be worth going to.
Unless you're a die hard Sam Fender fan, perhaps waiting for a tour after the release of the album is the way to go; but then again, there is no way to know if this will even happen. Either way, Fender is an outstanding performer, and as a Newcastle student, it's almost a rite-of passage to see him live at least once.
