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Post by westerplacement on Apr 23, 2005 0:09:16 GMT -5
Paul in Columbia, MO was a great show. He didn't have much in the way of meltdowns, played easily 30+ songs and seemed to be having fun. It was a blast and I loved the whole thing.
At one point, he stopped a Dylan cover and yelled at someone to shut the fuck up and pay more respect to Dylan. I thought, "uh oh, here we go" and worried for a second that the show would be over. Instead, he jumped back into the song and continued to deliver a great show. He also had a bit of give-and-take with some superfan (the guy who really, REALLY wanted to hear Gary's Got A Boner) located at stage right, which had the potential to get silly.
Afterwards, my wife had no idea that the train looked like it might jump the tracks during the Dylan thing. She, not a huge fan, thought it was part of his song/show. She also continues to tell everyone what a fun time it was.
What's the point here? I kinda forgot. Sorry. But for me, the show was great in that he played an amazing set and that he had a couple sketchy interactions with the crowd when the potential existed for it to go wild. For my wife, she was just enthralled with a good set of music from a guy who seemed to be pretty into playing his songs. Would she have liked it as much if the wobbles had turned into crashes? Hard to say. Would I have liked the show more? Probably not, but I'd have a good story and wouldn't have been surprised by it.
Maybe the excitement of seeing PW for the first time in 16 years would have made it fun no matter what. But probably not. I probably saw exactly what I wanted to see, a great show that had a couple edgy moments to keep me guessing.
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Post by kgp on Apr 23, 2005 11:53:11 GMT -5
Oh I remember that guy. My one request would be for Paul to strangle the boner guy. Well, maybe strangling's a little extreme. How about a playful stooges-esque slapping?
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Post by ElegantMule on Apr 23, 2005 13:21:34 GMT -5
Alright, WHO IS THE BONER GUY?
He was in Chicago too.
We must find him.
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Post by Strange and Grandiose on Apr 23, 2005 14:10:33 GMT -5
Maybe we could make "Gary's Got a Boner" the new "Freebird." I'm going to yell for it at the Wilco show tonight.
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Brad
Star Scout
Posts: 364
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Post by Brad on Apr 23, 2005 15:01:00 GMT -5
Ticket prices are completely out of hand. When PW tickets went on sale I was happily stunned that the price was only $22 (well, before TM tacked on their fees & shipping, sending the price to nearly $35 each). My dad called the other day to tell me that Brian Wilson was headed back this way. Tickets are nearly $60, plus all the fees. I've already paid that the past two times he was here and he's drained me. U2 tickets *start* at $52 for the nosebleeds. For decent seats you're looking at a minimum of $100 and up to $162 if you actually want to be able to see them.  I can't think of anybody I'd pay that amount of money to see. And certainly not Bobo and friends. Ticket prices piss me off more than anything. Ticketmaster is evil. Those service charges are ridiculous. Yeah, it's $22 with an $8 service charge and a $5 dollar breathing air charge which makes it $35! Why can't they INCLUDE these bullshit charges in the price in the first place. Just say it's $35 f*cking ticketmaster. I dont' understand this!  I also don't understand how the liberal Bono can let tickets for his shows be that much. He is always trying to raise money for worthy causes but will rip off his fans? Some may say they are worth it but I think that no one is worth that much money to see. If you're paying $100 for a concert ticket that has to be a pretty big profit they make per person(and if the concert is that much the artist is already crazy rich). I know they put on a great show but I will NEVER, EVER see them because of these prices. So are U2 fans only well off professionals? What about the U2 fans that wait tables or work in retail or teach? Huh, Bono, Mr. Caring, Mr. Heart of Gold? Gold that was paid for by having $100 concert tickets I guess! |
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angela
Beagle Scout
smoochies to you.
Posts: 1,110
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Post by angela on Apr 23, 2005 15:15:07 GMT -5
Ticket prices piss me off more than anything. Ticketmaster is evil. Those service charges are ridiculous. Yeah, it's $22 with an $8 service charge and a $5 dollar breathing air charge which makes it $35! Why can't they INCLUDE these bullshit charges in the price in the first place. Just say it's $35 f*cking ticketmaster. I dont' understand this! I also don't understand how the liberal Bono can let tickets for his shows be that much. He is always trying to raise money for worthy causes but will rip off his fans? Some may say they are worth it but I think that no one is worth that much money to see. If you're paying $100 for a concert ticket that has to be a pretty big profit they make per person(and if the concert is that much the artist is already crazy rich). I know they put on a great show but I will NEVER, EVER see them because of these prices. So are U2 fans only well off professionals? What about the U2 fans that wait tables or work in retail or teach? Huh, Bono, Mr. Caring, Mr. Heart of Gold? Gold that was paid for by having $100 concert tickets I guess! I don't know where U2 are playing this tour, but the last time I saw them in '97 they were playing the Pontiac Silverdome, a football stadium. I stood in line and got tickets as soon as I could. Ended up half way back on the floor, couldn't see anything, even standing in the folding chair they so generously gave us. You just had to watch the big telly screens like you were at home watching the show with 10,000 of your closest friends. When they toured for All That You Can't Leave Behind, I got tickets again. Same situation, halfway back. I had a nice long talk with myself and decided I could not afford an $80 ticket and I didn't even really like U2 anymore. They were great when I was 12-14 and thought they were deep (gag) but bar Sweetest Thing and a couple tracks on Unforgettable Fire I didn't even listen to them anymore. So I sold the tickets and decided I will NEVER ever ever ever see a band in a stadium ever again. I don't care who it is. You pay $80-100, get a shitty seat, shitty sound, and the band makes off with millions. Screw that. I'll just buy the inevitable DVD if I simply *must* see the show. |
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Brad
Star Scout
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Post by Brad on Apr 24, 2005 13:59:20 GMT -5
I don't know where U2 are playing this tour, but the last time I saw them in '97 they were playing the Pontiac Silverdome, a football stadium. I stood in line and got tickets as soon as I could. Ended up half way back on the floor, couldn't see anything, even standing in the folding chair they so generously gave us. You just had to watch the big telly screens like you were at home watching the show with 10,000 of your closest friends. When they toured for All That You Can't Leave Behind, I got tickets again. Same situation, halfway back. I had a nice long talk with myself and decided I could not afford an $80 ticket and I didn't even really like U2 anymore. They were great when I was 12-14 and thought they were deep (gag) but bar Sweetest Thing and a couple tracks on Unforgettable Fire I didn't even listen to them anymore. So I sold the tickets and decided I will NEVER ever ever ever see a band in a stadium ever again. I don't care who it is. You pay $80-100, get a shitty seat, shitty sound, and the band makes off with millions. Screw that. I'll just buy the inevitable DVD if I simply *must* see the show. I've never seen them and from you're message I'm glad about that. Stadium shows do suck unless you're related to the band or are rich or win a radio contest. I'm not a big fan of U2 either (although I don't deny they are pretty damn good). It just makes me sick that the more rich and successful a band gets the more they charge to see them. If a band is really popular as U2 is why not charge normal prices for tickets because you will sell out? Because we live in a time when all business people think about is "...we could charge this much and make a lot or we could charge this and make a hell of a lot of money. Let's go for the hell of a lot." Just like when they sell bottled water at concerts for 4 bucks a bottle or beer for 8 or fast food for the price of a meal in a restaurant. If you're making a profit why rip people off for more? This is a big annoyance of mine. The belief that we are only here to spend and consume and, if we can, get 4 dollars for something worth 1. Bullshit. |
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Post by Kathy on Apr 24, 2005 14:06:52 GMT -5
I had this same U2 conversation with someone last night - tickets at $165? No thanks. I've heard the show son this tour are great but I'm not forking over that much cash. They have *enough* money -- how rich do you need to be? They could easily do this tour with tickets under $100 and still make money - on the $40 t-shirts they will be selling.
The idea of pushing the price up to the highest you can get away with is not a kind and gentle way to treat your fan base, and given that Bono has so much interest in making this a kind and gentle world (and I support anyone with that aim), it's inconsistent, to say the least, with his other activities.
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Post by Cotton on Apr 24, 2005 14:20:47 GMT -5
Ticketmaster - Upcoming Las Vegas shows
Cold Play - Hard Rock - $150-$350
Bon Jovi - Hard Rock - $75 -$150 - $950 - Resv. scalp
NIN Hard Rock - $82
Stevie Nicks - The Coloss. $68.18 - $159.09
Lenny Kravitz - $100- 125
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Post by allshookup on Apr 24, 2005 14:54:02 GMT -5
Lenny Kravitz - $100- 125 I promise you - if you offered me $125 to sit through Lenny Kravitz, I'd turn you down flat. |
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Apr 24, 2005 15:17:02 GMT -5
They could easily do this tour with tickets under $100 and still make money - on the $40 t-shirts they will be selling. Are there people selling $5 Replacments shirts at the concerts everywhere or was that just Milwaukee and Chicago? Didn't see them on the west coast. I just thought it was funny that someone was trying to sell a Replacements Live In Concert shirt. |
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Post by FreeRider on Apr 24, 2005 15:42:52 GMT -5
Wow, those ticket prices are just out of control. I understand the band's right to earn a living and all. But once they get successful, I wonder if they miss the old days of playing smaller venues, where it's a more intimate atmosphere for them and the audience.
And if they really hunger for that, I don't see why they can't play somewhere in some small venue, but do it for like 5 nites in a row. I remember reading that back in the early 80's, Neil Young would occasionally pay off the house band in some San Francisco club and put a small sign outside saying, "Neil Young and Crazy Horse---$5". He and Crazy Horse would play.
David Grohl of the Foo Fighters is from the DC metro area and has done exactly that. When he comes to the 9:30 Club here in DC, he almost always plays an unannounced show at the Black Cat. But it also helps that Grohl is part owner of that club too....
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Post by thetwilitekid on Apr 24, 2005 16:29:03 GMT -5
The Rolling Stones will play a club show in Toronto before their tours and they'll hand pick an opening band, last time it was Toronto band Danko Jones.
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Post by ElegantMule on Apr 24, 2005 18:15:40 GMT -5
Ticketmaster - Upcoming Las Vegas shows Cold Play - Hard Rock - $150-$350 Bon Jovi - Hard Rock - $75 -$150 - $950 - Resv. scalp NIN Hard Rock - $82 Stevie Nicks - The Coloss. $68.18 - $159.09 Lenny Kravitz - $100- 125 Stevie Nicks is NEVER gonna be able to afford more coke after only charging....... never mind. FWIW, NIN is playing two nights in Chicago next weekend and tickets were $30. They were on sale for exactly 1 1/2 minutes before they sold out. My friend is a huge NIN fan, so I've been trying to find a ticket for her. Average price: $175 apiece. *I ain't sayin' it's right |
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MikeR
Star Scout
All Hopped Up On Goofballs
Posts: 850
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Post by MikeR on Apr 25, 2005 11:40:29 GMT -5
Even apart from the usually crappy music, it would still suck to be a fan of a bunch of mainstream acts based on finances alone. Two hundred bucks a ticket would add up pretty fast, unless you're in the country club crowd...
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Post by kgp on Apr 25, 2005 12:03:36 GMT -5
It's not just the mainstream acts. Elvis Costello tickets were going for $37.50 and $47.50 for balcony. My two Louisville PW tickets plus the room for the night were pretty close to that--if I'd decided to stay in town and see Elvis.
And I third (or fourth, fifth?) that U2's tickets are beyond outrageous. Even by arena standards. The last 'arena' show I went to was REM about five years ago for a mere $35.
I *thought* the bigger the venue, the cheaper the ticket. Someone posted on the Blue Note's site (a theatre that holds around 850) that Billy Idol's (ugh...) tickets were more expensive in Columbia than St. Louis (at a venue that holds probably 1400) because of the smaller size. Higher prices to break even.
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Post by bigbak on Apr 25, 2005 17:22:59 GMT -5
Me, I'm going to play Devil's Advocate. I strongly suspect that the rate of inflation has a bit more to do with the rise in ticket prices than the greed of individual performers or even businessmen (gasp!)
PW and HOF played the Ogden here in Denver. I would guesstimate they pulled in 500 or so fans. $22.00 a ticket. That's $11k. What's the cost of operations for a small act like Paul's? People other than Paul have to be paid, from the tour bus driver on down.
Then there's insurance, lodging, food, equipment maintenance, hospital bills (In PW's case, anyway), props, etc. None of that has gone down in price since 1985.
For the bigger acts, like everybody's fav whipping boy du jour, U2, those costs have to be considerably higher. I know a member of a gold-record band that was on top of the world in 1985, and though the ticket prices for their shows were considered high for the time ($10.00 - $15.00, when minimum wage was $3.35 an hour), he tells me they really didn't earn what everybody assumed - no member of the band was a millionaire then, and if it wasn't for royalties, no one would be today.
The expenses of touring the world have to be enormous - imagine the costs just for the legal department that has to be maintained for a touring rock band. Insurance has to be exorbitant too - not just on individuals in the band, but for the act itself - completion bonds and all that.
Finally, even if these performers are raking it in, hell, they are the ones who dedicated themselves to becoming top performers, they are the ones who honed their craft to the point where they could sell it, they risked all for their art and made it - they reached for the brass ring and have every right to it. To ask them to play as buskers despite their hard work, their commitment, is bullshit.
The best at anything get to charge what the market will bear - that's true freedom for the individual. What man or woman has the right to steal another's labor or achievement?
Yeah, there may of been a lot of luck involved, but they are the ones who put together the music that is palatable enough to the LCD to get airplay, etc., so they are the ones who get to enjoy the rewards.
That being said...
"I don't believe in excess
Success is to give
I don't believe in riches
But you should see where I live"
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Apr 25, 2005 18:32:20 GMT -5
So my Dad just bought us tickets to Paul McCartney this morning. Wants me to go with him since I go to all these concerts. Yeah he paid $250 a ticket. I couldn't forkin believe it. And he said he has no problem paying for my ticket. My dads far from being a rich man. Damn he's crazy. But he's a huge beatles nut.
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Post by A Regular on Apr 25, 2005 18:36:09 GMT -5
So my Dad just bought us tickets to Paul McCartney this morning. Wants me to go with him since I go to all these concerts. Yeah he paid $250 a ticket. I couldn't forkin believe it. And he said he has no problem paying for my ticket. My dads far from being a rich man. Damn he's crazy. But he's a huge beatles nut. baby you're a rich man baby you're a rich man baby you're a rich man too |
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Apr 25, 2005 18:38:43 GMT -5
Eat the Rich: there's only one thing that they're good for
Eat the Rich: take one bite now - come back for more
Eat the Rich: I gotta get this off my chest
Eat the Rich: take one bite now, spit out the rest
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I can't think of anybody I'd pay that amount of money to see. And certainly not Bobo and friends.
