MCD to sell 2.5m tickets in 2025 on back of Oasis and Robbie Williams shows
Gordon Deegan
The managing director of MCD Productions, Denis Desmond, has said that MCD is on track for its second busiest year in history, with plans to sell around 2.5 million tickets in 2025.
Mr Desmond said that business for MCD in 2025 “is very solid” and he said that the gross ticket sales from the 2.5 million tickets would be between €212 million to €225 million based on average ticket prices of €85 to €90 per ticket.
The bumper ticket sales for 2025 follows trade industry journal, Pollstar reporting that MCD last year sold a record €238.5 million in ticket sales.
Mr Desmond said that the 2.5 million tickets this year follows MCD’s busiest year in its 45 year history last year which was boosted by sell out shows by Taylor Swift and Coldplay.
He said that ticket sales for 2025 “are very good” and said that upcoming gigs by Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo are sold out adding that Croke Park shows by Oasis and Robbie Williams along with Electric Picnic are also sell outs.
Mr Desmond said that MCD will sell slightly less tickets in 2025 than 2024 due to a reduced number of shows compared to last year.
Beyonce has just finished a six date sold out run at Tottenham Hotspur football stadium in London and Mr Desmond said that Beyonce would have come to perform in Dublin but was unable to do so due to stadium unavailability in the capital.
In an interview, Mr Desmond said: “Beyonce is only touring Europe in June and Croke Park is not available until August because of the games being played. She would have come to Dublin otherwise. The economics of big shows at the moment means multiple dates at the same venue and there was nowhere available.”
He said that Beyonce played Croke Park eight years ago “and I’m sure she will come back here again to perform in three or four years time”.
Mr Desmond said that a series of gigs at St Anne’s Park in Dublin have been very successful this summer while gigs for Fairview Park - where Kneecap performed last week - “are also doing very well”.
Mr Desmond said that ticket sales for the 2025 string of gigs for Virgin Media Park in Cork have performed well for the likes of Macklemore, The Corrs, Snow Patrol earlier this month and Duran Duran next week.
He said: “We are in the third year of staging concerts at Thomond Park in Limerick and we have the Wolfe Tones and The Script there next month so business overall is very good.”
MCD Productions is owned by LN Gaiety Holdings Ltd which is a joint venture between Mr Desmond’s Gaiety Investments and Live Nation.
Mr Desmnond said: “There is nothing better than a live show. You might have 10,000-20,000 people at a gig and they are all at one as they are all there for the person or people on the stage. You feel it and you come away from there, dare I say it, feeling alive.”
Mr Desmond said that the patrons coming to gigs are now inter-generational. He said: “Rock n roll is over 60 years old now and you have parents with kids, grand-parents with their grand-kids."
Mr Desmond questioned why the likes of sporting events such as the upcoming US College and NFL football games receive State subsidy but live entertainment doesn’t.
He said: “Live entertainment events generate a huge return for the exchequer in terms of the spend on restaurants, transport and hotel bednights.”
Mr Desmond made his comments when asked to comment on new accounts for MCD Productions Ltd which show that it made a post tax profit of €3.53 million in 2022.