Rihanna sure ain't cheap

The cost to bring superstar Rihanna to South Africa for two concerts in October was "on par" with that of Lady Gaga, despite the considerable difference in ticket prices, organiser Big Concerts said yesterday.

While the tickets for Mother Monster's two dates in Johannesburg and Cape Town ranged between R315 and R715, tickets for Riri's Diamonds World Tour - which go on sale on Thursday for the Johannesburg show (October 13), and Friday for the Cape Town show (October 16) - range between R275 and R930.

They're certainly pricier than those for Canadian star Justin Bieber's sold-out Believe Tour stop in Johannesburg and Cape Town next month.

Big Concerts marketing manager Sophie Doherty said the main reason for the difference in the prices was that the 25-year-old Diamonds singer's tour has a golden circle, which Lady Gaga's didn't have.

The rand had also devalued 12.5% since Big Concerts organised the Lady Gag tour.

For the Gaga concerts, the space usually reserved for a golden circle was turned into the Monster Pit, which was reserved for her most dedicated fans.

Just minutes after the Rihanna announcement yesterday, the Navy - the singer's term for her legion of fans - was making plans to see their "fave" live - seven years after some locals managed to catch a glimpse of her during Jay-Z's Rock tha Block Tour. The reaction on Twitter included:

• @rea_moutlana: "My mom won't let me miss school to queue for Rihanna tickets :( [sic]"
• @MsKattMohlolo: "But the Rihanna tickets are expensive, sheesh, they killing us! But we still dig RiRi baby :) [sic]"
• @shereegolightly: "Rihanna be having men and women prostituting themselves so that they can afford those tickets. #RihannaInSA [sic]"