Want to party like – no, with – a rock star? VIP concert packages promise access, but buyer beware

You've heard about those show-stopping, wallet-busting VIP concert packages. That's where you shell out far more than the price of the ticket in exchange for a hopefully indelible experience that often includes a chance to meet your heroes.

Now we seem to need it more than ever. Music lovers and performers alike are craving a post-pandemic normalcy that centers on just the kind of human connection that VIP offerings provide.

Such packages provide not only premium seating, but also bragging rights. Maybe you’ll sip wine with John Legend in a cozy room after he serenades you with a lush ballad. Or meet the members of Kiss before taking in the show from the normally off-limits pit.

Sound great? Terrific. But you'll need to come to the table with a wad of cash (VIP packages can run into the thousands), be eager to do some research (offerings vary wildly and contain disclaimers), and recognize there's always an element of risk (everything from COVID-19 to unpredictable weather can alter offerings on the spot, often with little fan recourse).

Those caveats aside, a VIP package experience has the potential to forge lasting personal memories in our increasingly virtual world.

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Goo Goo Dolls fan Jacquelyn McNair bought tickets in 2019 for a show that never materialized because of the pandemic. When the band resumed touring this year, she and her family had the same thought: upgrade.

"We were like, let's get the VIP, why not?" says McNair of Yardley, Pennsylvania. "Because we wanted to meet them."

Although VIP packages exist to make bands money, “they can be very satisfying for a fan,” says Dean Budnick, co-author of “Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped.”

Whether personal interaction is involved or not, packages are typically sweetened with items such as limited edition T-shirts, snazzy laminates, less-trafficked entrances to the venue and signed memorabilia.

One of Budnick’s favorite perks takes place before the lights go down: soundcheck. That’s when musicians hit the stage a few hours before show time to check their instrument levels and sound while running through a few songs. Consider it a mini-concert with the band at their most relaxed.

Artists including Paul McCartney and the Doobie Brothers offer that exclusive perk to VIP fans.

“It can be very fun and truly memorable,” Budnick says.

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A VIP package gets you a great seat. What you get beyond that varies.

VIP package offerings differ dramatically, depending on the magnitude of the star and their feelings about meeting strangers in a pandemic age.

For example, Bob Dylan fans springing for a VIP experience get a front-row seat and some sort of gift. No mingling with the 81-year-old icon. Alan Jackson's VIP fans get a backstage tour, but led by Jackson's road crew. "Weird Al" Yankovic not only will greet you after the show, but he'll also fork over a collectible Weird Al mug and Weird Al-branded coffee beans. Alicia Keys will give you an autographed copy of her book "More Myself: A Journey" and access to products from her skin-care line.

Backstreet Boy AJ McLean says he and his bandmates hold backstage gatherings for about 110 people that include a quick photo and chat ($500).

“It’s not that taxing, it’s just fun,” he says. “We have the best fans in the world, and you do tend to see a lot of repeat offenders, so you become friends with them.”

But he acknowledges that the pandemic has changed the band's approach to fan interaction. While McLean will still put his arm around a fan for a picture, “back in the day, we would be doing hugs and kisses and handshakes,” he says.

In a review of more than a dozen VIP packages, USA TODAY found that about half offered access to musicians, and of those, only two mentioned social distancing protocols. And in the case of Maxwell, fans were advised for at least one of the singer's shows that they would need to show "proof of vaccination or negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event.”

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Country superstar Reba McEntire says the pandemic radically altered what she was willing to do with fans. "COVID changed a lot of things, and the meet-and-greet was definitely one of them," she says.

But she's still eager to provide fans with something unique. Now that includes viewing an array of outfits from the singer's career, as well as the fairly commonplace VIP perk of food and drinks. "It's what I would want if I went to a concert, no matter whose concert it was," she says.

Legend’s VIP packages for his Las Vegas residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood ($500 and $1,000) include a Q&A session, a one-song performance and two glasses of his LVE wine. They also offer a photo in a “COVID-safe booth,” with fan and artist separated by Plexiglas.

“It’s not the same as hugging (fans) or putting my arm around them, but we feel it’s the safest way I can be with them,” Legend says.

For some fans who snap up VIP packages, it may about getting great seats without the hassle of dynamic pricing fluctuations, says Bob Lefsetz, whose The Lefsetz Letter follows the concert industry.

“This is mainly a way to sell those great seats, and fans are buying these packages for that, not for the extras,” he says.

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Why do artists want to interact with fans?

For musicians, whether legendary or new stars, the appeal of the VIP package is “making extra money,” Lefsetz says. But he notes that some performers envision VIP access as a way to cement a relationship with fans, “which is particularly true for country music acts.”

Carly Pearce, who recently wrapped an opening stint on Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour, believes that mingling with VIP concertgoers not only makes them feel “welcome and important” but also helps her cultivate “lifelong fans.”

Pearce holds a 30-minute Q&A session and two-song performance for an add-on of $75. She describes the event as a win-win.

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“Is it a profit for all of us artists? Yes. But I don’t feel good about charging an absurd amount of money,” she says. “I want it to be affordable and accessible to my fans, especially since they’re already buying a ticket.”

Though critics pounced on controversial R&B singer Chris Brown for charging $1,000 for his meet and greets, the gleeful social media posts from fans snuggled against him – in sometimes dubiously salacious poses – suggest they feel it was money well spent.

Brown took to social media to defend the cost and also chide “lame” artists who “won’t even make eye contact with the people who made it possible to even have a career.”

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Not all VIP encounters play out the way fans hope

Whatever the motivation, purchasing VIP packages can sometimes seem confusing, given the number of companies out there providing them.

While some artists offer the option to fans through their own websites, more often such packages – both their creation and sales – are outsourced to companies with names such as CID Entertainment, SLOTix, Host VIP and Meet and Greet Tickets.

The only company that responded to USA TODAY's request for comment on VIP packages was On Location.

“It’s a true partnership and understanding of the creative vision of the artist,” says Erin Woody, On Location's senior vice president of music. “From the moment a fan is purchasing a ticket through going home with memories, we have consistent touch points to make sure they have a customizable experience.”

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Motley Crue fan Joe Weaver was anticipating a memorable backstage interaction with the band recently at New York's Citi Field, after spending upward of $8,000 (or twice the face value) on two VIP packages being re-sold on StubHub.

He says the package included meeting the band, an autographed lithograph and the opportunity to bring a drumhead to be signed.

But after waiting 90 minutes backstage while other acts were on stage performing, the couple spent just a few seconds posing with Motley Crue standing some distance behind them and were escorted out. No signed memorabilia. No lithograph.

“We were flabbergasted,” says Weaver, who is seeking legal recourse. "We did not meet the band, nor were we greeted by the band."

In a statement to USA TODAY, Chris Nilsson, part of Motley Crue's management team, said the band has done thousands of successful meet and greets with fans over the decades," adding that COVID-19 has “created a new set of challenges for every aspect of touring.”

“As any business owner knows, it is difficult to make every single customer happy. But Motley Crue and their crew do their very best to deliver what they’ve promised,” Nilsson wrote.

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But a good VIP package can fulfill your rock 'n' roll fantasies

For many fans, however, the VIP experience typically is a happy one. In June, On Location produced a Latin music weekend at Resorts World in Las Vegas with Colombian heartthrob Maluma, dubbed “Maluma Land,” which included a brunch with the “Sin Contrato” singer.

Maluma curated the weekend and was adamant about bringing his fans together to dine with him, Woody says.

Usher, in his new Las Vegas residency at Park MGM, offers a pricey ticket for fans to sit at tables in the wings of the stage, a few feet from his performance.

He also makes appearances at the “A Taste of Passion” after-party, a 21 and older gathering at a club inside the casino that costs $153 (three drinks are included, as well as the caveat "artist not guaranteed to appear").

“You might want to have an immersive experience after the show ... or a meet and greet and have a classic photo taken with me upstairs,” Usher says. “There are so many different options of things you can get that are an extension of the live performance.”

Contributing: Ralphie Aversa and Anthony Robledo

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VIP concert packages offer rock star access, but buyer beware