Terminally ill kids robbed of Glasgow gigs over high prices
TERMINALLY ill kids are being robbed of concerts in Glasgow due to high ticket prices, it has been claimed.
The John O’Byrne Foundation has been forced to shut down “a major part” of the organisation by halting excursions to gigs.
Charity founder John O’Byrne has been taking youngsters to shows for 10 years, but now is forced to reject their “last requests” because of huge costs.
The big- hearted 45- year- old, from Mosspark, revealed that ticket prices have increased so much that it is impossible for him to continue taking Scotland’s sickest kids to big concerts.
John explained: “I have to refuse some terminal kids’ last requests in hospital because I can’t cover these ticket costs anymore.
“Sending sick children to concerts was a huge part of my charity, we did it all the time and it made incredible memories for them.
“It is all different now. It is virtually impossible to keep up with the demand and pay these new prices, which can be hundreds of pounds for just one, so the kids miss out a lot.
“I get parents constantly asking me to help them sort out access to pop shows and I need to say no.
It is heartbreaking because they sometimes aren’t even sold out.
“It is devastating to have to shut down a massive part of my organisation because of these rising costs.”
John spoke to us as part of our latest Glasgow Investigates series Priced Out that is exploring why ticket prices have gone up.
We are speaking to fans, venues, and promoters to ask the city how it is being affected by soaring costs for live music.
John noticed a change in pricing after the pandemic and claims a family could now be better off going on holiday than to a local gig.
Johns said: “We started sending the weans to concerts about 10 years ago but since then I have seen a huge difference in pricing.
“I would say it got pretty bad probably after covid, for whatever reason, that is when there was a noticeable shift.
“Trying to even get tickets is also so difficult, especially for disabled seating.
“A family of four could actually go on holiday for less than attending a pop show in Glasgow these days.”