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49+ Hours of Merch Sales for 6 hours of Music
what has become more important for the fans? I'm not trying to pass any judgement on the 10c or the fans... I have stood in a few merch lines in my day so i'm no better than the next guy... I just think the line has been blurred on what the concerts are actually about for some fans
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Cincinnati 2014
Greenville 2016
(Raleigh 2016)
Columbia 2016
the demand from us, the fans, is what I'm interested in... how did it get this crazy? will it get worse? is this healthy? are we making Pearl Jam lame?
My friends who came along to some shows with me this year and never been to any PJ shows, they were amazed about the whole merch thing. How big of a band they are for people to care about merch that much.
I think it's pretty cool.
Not sure what that says about us Americans, but it's definitely interesting if true
I don't find the band greedy with their setup. Almost everything they sell, including tickets, could be valued higher.
For the fans, it's up to each person to experience the weekend and create memories. Mine will come in the field but I don't mind if others come from on the merch line.
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
It's tough for a business to leave money on the table... so it's only natural for the 10c to feed the beast... so my question is are we, the fans, creating a monster with our insatiable desire for anything with "Pearl Jam" on it
I'm not pointing fingers or passing judgement on anybody, just interested in a real conversation about this
I'm interested in the fans, specifically us American fans who seem to be driving this...
What is driving middle aged people to stand in line for 3+ hours for stickers & flip flops? And is that healthy for us as a fanbase? Can our thirst for "stuff" harm the band in any way?
I guess Wrigley '13 was pretty excessive with the pennants, trading cards, hats, and so many other Wrigley specific items.
98' - 6/26, 6/27, 6/29, 8/26, 9/22
03' - 4/25
06' - 6/29, 6/30
07' - 8/05
09' - 8/23
11' - 9/03, 9/04
12' - 9/30
13' - 7/16, 7/19, 10/21, 10/22, 11/15, 11/16, 12/06
14' - 06/28, 06/29, 10/1, 10/03, 10/16, 10/17, 10/20, 10/22
15' - 11/20, 11/22
16' - 4/21, 4/26, 4/28, 4/29, 5/1, 5/2, 7/9, 8/5, 8/7, 8/20, 8/22
17' - 4/7
18' - 7/1, 7/3, 7/5, 8/8, 8/10, 8/18, 8/20, 9/4
21' - 10/1, 10/2
22' - 7/12, 7/14, 9/6, 9/8
I don't judge if people want to get in line, I would be hypocritical if I did. I stood in line for four hours at Wrigley 3 years ago & got jack. No regrets, I met & hung out with some awesome people and that's one of the things I love the most about traveling to PJ shows. I also scored at the merch stand inside. My Cracker Jack & baseball/skull t-shirt are hands down, my favorite concert memorabilia ever. I dropped some major coin on the frame job for CJ, and it's never coming down.
I do wish PJ did more to restrict the secondary market. I know people have suggestions as to how it could be done, I'm not worried about getting into that, but it's unfortunate that so many people who have no stake in this beyond making a profit have access to items that mean so much to many real fans.
I can't worry about the Fenway merch personally, as I have too much going on next weekend. If there's a poster I need, I have plenty of trades to offer, (got lucky in the poster drops after this spring's tour) but at this point, if I get nothing...... I'm still going to both shows, and that is what counts the most.
Philly 1 and 4 (2009)
Newark (2010)
MSG 1 (2010)
Toronto 1 and 2 (2011)
Brooklyn 1 and 2 (2013)
Philly 2 (2013)
Greenville (2016)
Columbia (2016)
MSG 2 (2016)
Fenway 2 (2016)
EV NJPAC (2022)
MSG (2022)
Denver (2022)
Sadly anytime people can exploit something for profit by reselling it doesn't take long before people will jump on this. Its the same for tickets. Its the same for any business venture. Its the American way.
A band this big + Fanatical fans + limited one of a kind items = madness. It is what it is. We created this mess that we love so much.
I've stood in the lines. I'm no hypocrite. This time around I'm gonna pass. I'll be in the bar. If I really like something I'll probably overpay for it on the secondary market. Time/experience is money. The show is the important thing. At the end of the day its just material stuff. I have enough of that stored in my closet already!
While i wouldn't do either, I'm not bothered that people do either of these things, and it's pretty damn easy to care about two or more things at once, so this caring about merch more than about the music theory doesn't fly with me. I'm only bothered when people start getting greedy/sneaky/cheaty about it.... which seems to be the case more and more. People putting their selfish wants (and/or profit) over fairness and ensuring that the maximum number of people benefit equally is what bugs me.
Already seeing the new Hats and thinking I'll be really lucky to even get one, but the next day they will surely be on eBay for $125
True,,,, No long merch lines in Amsterdam 14... well the pop up store did, but not at the shows. Same for Trieste Italy.. you just walked up and bought whatever you wanted ...no lines, but long lines for GA.