Bocelli's Concert Brings High Prices To Hear High Notes

How high can they go?

Ticket prices in Seattle have hit the ozone with the announcement of Andrea Bocelli's April 22 concert at KeyArena.

The top price for the Italian pop tenor with the operatic voice: a whopping $500, by far the most expensive ticket ever charged for a nonbenefit concert in Seattle. But if that's too steep for you, tickets can also be had for $350, $250, $200 and $125, all the way down to nosebleed seats for $45.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday at Ticketmaster outlets.

The photogenic Italian tenor is skyrocketing in popularity, launched by his PBS special, "A Night in Tuscany," and his commercials for Las Vegas' Bellagio resort hotel. He recently appeared on the Grammy Awards show in a duet of "The Prayer" with Celine Dion.

The Rolling Stones' current tour - which will not play Seattle - is a bargain in comparison, with prime seats topping out at just $300.

Michael Smith, director of promotions at Ticketmaster Northwest, said that quite a few of the $500 Bocelli tickets had already been sold, in a special pre-sale for American Express Gold Card holders.

Fans of famous tenors are accustomed to soaring ticket prices: The Three Tenors' 1996 New Year's Eve concert in Vancouver, B.C., had a top price of $2,000 in Canadian dollars for special seating, champagne reception and other amenities.

The most famous of that threesome, tenor Luciano Pavarotti, sang a recital in May 1997 at KeyArena, but the ticket span then was a

mere $20 to $200. High ticket prices were cited as the reason why only about 6,000 of the available 11,000 KeyArena seats (in the concert configuration) sold.

"When these tenors appear with an entire orchestra, there are some substantial extra costs," explained Smith, who also noted that the San Diego Symphony will accompany Bocelli.