Ticket prices for concerts have consistently increased in the past decade. It's pretty ridiculous has much ticket prices have sky rocketed in the entertainment industry. Ten years ago, I was paying $40 to see lots of bands. Now those bands are charging $125+. The costs to tour has increased - - from gas to employee salaries to what the venues charge. Pearl Jam can't continue charging $30 forever.
Pearl Jam tickets are still significantly lower than other bands. I don't know how anyone can complain about spending $75 (TOTAL ... includes taxes, fees, etc.) for the best seats in the house. Do I miss paying $81 for a pair of tickets like I did in 2003? Of course! But, I also miss being able to fill up my car for $35.
.
No time to be void or save up on life. You got to spend it all.
"$148 is a bargain! It's Pearl Jam, for Pete's sake!"
$148 is a bargain only if it's $148 Monopoly money. This "cost of inflation" business is a bunch of crap. How many thousand people fit into Madison Square Garden? Are you telling me that the band needs anywhere from $75 to $500 (go to Tickets.com and look at the most expensive seats - good grief) from each concertgoer in order to finance a tour and still make it worth the band members' while? It's the natural order of things, though - as Pearl Jam gets older, so also do their fans get older, and it's logical to assume that a kid who could only afford $25 for tickets in 1993 might now be a lawyer who won't bat an eye at $100. But, I'm not one of them.
As a fan, I feel like my favorite band has always gone to great lengths to make sure that *can* support them, and it disappoints me to learn that this time around, I cannot. Or maybe "will not" is the more adequate phrase. Pearl Jam are the best band in the world, but gone are the days when I can justify blowing my month's utility bill on standing in the back of an amphitheater and watching tiny specks on a stage jump around and sing my favorite songs.
Ticket prices for concerts have consistently increased in the past decade. It's pretty ridiculous has much ticket prices have sky rocketed in the entertainment industry. Ten years ago, I was paying $40 to see lots of bands. Now those bands are charging $125. The costs to tour has increased - - from gas to employee salaries to what the venues charge. Pearl Jam can't continue charging $30 forever.
Pearl Jam tickets are still significantly lower than other bands. I don't know how anyone can complain about spending $75 (TOTAL ... includes taxes, fees, etc.) for the best seats in the house. Do I miss paying $81 for a pair of tickets like I did in 2003? Of course! But, I also miss being able to fill up my car for $35.
I don't fill up my car anymore because I don't have one, but I agree with everything you said.
However it's a bad sign to see PJ tickets go for so much! That and the frequency of festivals sucks! Festivals suck! They are overpriced half sets in the terrible heat in the middle of nowhere!
The recent news of Ticketmast saying they are getting in on the scalping is bad news as well. Essentially they are going to hold back tickets to increase demand and sell them for much more than face.
It's a sad situation for concert goers. I am fastly becoming a one band concert goer, which sucks!
U2 fan club seats @ $165 each got me 6th row in a lower tier section at the far back corner of the stadium
Clapton fan club seats @ $ 125 ea got me 28th row on the floor far right side
The Who fan club seats @ $ 150 ea got me 19th row floor far right side
PJ fan club seats in 2006 @ $98 for a pair got me 2nd row floor center btwn Ed and Stone
Inflation rears it's ugly head in all markets, but I'm happy to pay PJ $148 for a pair of seats to a guaranteed awesome show.
As much as I love Pearl Jam they are not U2, Clapton, or the Who. U2 continues to have major success with albums. Clapton has done similarly well with album success in his late career and is a legend. The Who are legends. PJ is a great band who has fallen off average Americans radar. They will always be etched in rock n roll history because of the Seattle Grunge scene. They cont to do well because they have a rabid fan base and put on a great live show.
"pearl jam tickets $150 a pair.....
the pearl jam coloring book....$200
multi-millionaires singing a song telling me...
the gas in their tanks...is like money in the bank
PRICELESS!!!!!!" -SpeedyMcCready...You may be banned but the message lives on!
For everyone assuming the tix are $74 apiece, I believe you'll find the $74 will consist of 3 components... 1. The face value of the ticket B. Some small, reasonable 10club handling fee Third. A "facility fee" that amphitheaters always tack on each seat
I bet the actual face value of the ticket is likely around $65, we will see later.
I agree about the other costs involved but I bet the face value for a ticket in 2006 was $50 so that still means that the ticket is $15 more. So where is that extra money going? Gas in 2006 was around 3.10/gallon. Now gas is around 3.50/gallon, so i am not buying fuel as the reason for the price increase.
As to the person who talked about clapton, u2 and some other bands charging $150/ticket: Just because they charge that much does not make it ok. Also with u2 i can see why they charge so much because of the elaborate stage setup. Where as Pearl Jam has a bare-bones set up.
A small tour is probably more expensive pro-rata. Some of the overheads will be the same as for a larger tour but with less opportunities to cover the costs, thus higher ticket costs.
As much as I love Pearl Jam they are not U2, Clapton, or the Who. U2 continues to have major success with albums. Clapton has done similarly well with album success in his late career and is a legend. The Who are legends. PJ is a great band who has fallen off average Americans radar. They will always be etched in rock n roll history because of the Seattle Grunge scene. They cont to do well because they have a rabid fan base and put on a great live show.
I'll agree with this... hence the prices not being in the U2, The Who and Clapton range. Are the prices similar to other tours this year?? yes... are they what you have come to expect from PJ?? maybe... does the answer to both of these questions mean we should all just pay up and not say anything about it??? absolutely fucking not.
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Admin
Social awareness does not equal political activism!
5/23/2011- An utter embarrassment... ticketing failures too many to list.
Does anyone recall a couple of years ago when there was published that list of "demands" the band required for performing at any given venue? The luxuries they require are insane. Does anyone know if there was any legitimacy to that list?
As to the person who talked about clapton, u2 and some other bands charging $150/ticket: Just because they charge that much does not make it ok. Also with u2 i can see why they charge so much because of the elaborate stage setup. Where as Pearl Jam has a bare-bones set up.
Tool has the most elaborate stage i've ever seen. Much more elaborate then U2. Tool tickets were $50 - $60.
Most people earn more and more money as they get older, so if you do the math, hopefully, everyones' wages/salary are growing at a faster rate then PJ's ticket prices. If thats the case, then the tix actually cost less, in terms of how many hours you need to work to purchase a ticket!
Anytime I think things are getting expensive, I remind myself that my services are also getting expensive. It goes hand-in-hand.
There is no way that prices can stay stagnant as wages rise.
I agree with the original poster, I think the prices are fair and reasonable. But I find it so funny when people compare the prices of PJ with other acts. Not U2, the Who and Clapton, those make sense, but the other ones:
Rod Stewart? Bette Midler?! Barry Manilow!! Is there anybody on this board that seriously likes both PJ and Barry F'n Manilow? no offense, just curious.
As a lifelong dedicated Rolling Stones fans, I have spent literally tens of thousands of dollars on their concert tickets. They do have the most technologically advanced stages in the industry IMO and charge accordingly for that as well as their legacy.
In General, Pearl Jam fans are not used to big ticket prices like the Stones and are offended. Most of us are all professionals now in their 30's and forties with disposable income...We (true stones fans) spend thousands on Stones tickets, so this is a huge bargain and fan friendly as NO ONE does fan club ticketing better than Pearl Jam....and that says a lot as the Stones fan club offered me 4th row center at Fenway park for their 2005 opener. (I had better seats than Tommy Hilfiger, who was sitting directly behind me)
There's Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson......and then everybody else.
Does anyone recall a couple of years ago when there was published that list of "demands" the band required for performing at any given venue? The luxuries they require are insane. Does anyone know if there was any legitimacy to that list?
Most people earn more and more money as they get older, so if you do the math, hopefully, everyones' wages/salary are growing at a faster rate then PJ's ticket prices. If thats the case, then the tix actually cost less, in terms of how many hours you need to work to purchase a ticket!
Anytime I think things are getting expensive, I remind myself that my services are also getting expensive. It goes hand-in-hand.
There is no way that prices can stay stagnant as wages rise.
You must have missed the last six months where the economy taken a shit and people have lost their homes and jobs. People who have gotten more than a 3% raise the last few years have been extremely lucky. 378000 people lost their job last week. I wouldn't say that their wages are rising.
The last time Pearl Jam played the United States was Lollapalooza last August. That was 6 months ago. If that was the last time someone saw Pearl Jam that means you had 6 months to save up for the next tour. That's about 86 cents a day. Is that really that difficult?
I think that a lot of Pearl Jam's opposition to ticketmaster fees back in the day was they knew that much of their fanbase were teenagers. Now, the average age is probably closer to the upper 20s. Most of us have jobs and can afford a bit more, so it's not as big of an issue. I think the prices are reasonable for an act of their stature.
I agree about the other costs involved but I bet the face value for a ticket in 2006 was $50 so that still means that the ticket is $15 more. So where is that extra money going? Gas in 2006 was around 3.10/gallon. Now gas is around 3.50/gallon, so i am not buying fuel as the reason for the price increase.
Have you had a raise since 2006?
I have (thankfully), and I assume the crew for Pearl Jam has as well, and heck, maybe Ed, Jeff, Mike, Stoney and Matt deserve a raise as well. (Boom plays for free, its a labor of love for the big guy)
Oh, and the tix are down to $144 a pair for Tampa, at this rate Mansfield will be free!!!!!!!!!!!
Anytime I think things are getting expensive, I remind myself that my services are also getting expensive. It goes hand-in-hand.
There is no way that prices can stay stagnant as wages rise.
I don't disagree with any of your reasoning, but I will say that the band once stood for lower prices to make shows accessible. Could the average high school kid go to a show these days? Who do you market tickets to? I don't know the answer. PJ fan base is getting older and as a result likely has better income. Then again I remember interviews with Eddie going on about seeing concerts when he was a kid and ask yourself if a kid could do the same today.
"pearl jam tickets $150 a pair.....
the pearl jam coloring book....$200
multi-millionaires singing a song telling me...
the gas in their tanks...is like money in the bank
PRICELESS!!!!!!" -SpeedyMcCready...You may be banned but the message lives on!
You must have missed the last six months where the economy taken a shit and people have lost their homes and jobs. People who have gotten more than a 3% raise the last few years have been extremely lucky. 378000 people lost their job last week. I wouldn't say that their wages are rising.
That is true, but at the same time if you are someone who lost your home and your job concert tickets at any price shouldn't be anywhere close to anything called a priority.
Tool puts on such a badass show, far better than U2.
I'm a bigger u2 fan and I'm not arguing with either of you, but paying for a giant stage show with a musical act seems ridiculous and I"m a u2 fan. I'd so much rather they cut the crap with the screens and lights and just play a stripped down show. Also, when you get into screens, it seems you have to plan everything to what plays on the screens which just shits on any kind of spontaneity. I actually thought the lasers on PJ's last tour was kind of silly, just my opinion. If I were into Tool I'm sure it'd kick ass.
You must have missed the last six months where the economy taken a shit and people have lost their homes and jobs. People who have gotten more than a 3% raise the last few years have been extremely lucky. 378000 people lost their job last week. I wouldn't say that their wages are rising.
Its not just a matter of getting raises, there is also the matter of career advancement that enables people to earn more.
Jesus people it is Pearl Jam!!!
I just watched a bunch of videos on youtube and I got so excited that right now I'd pay double what the tickets are going for!
I haven't seen them since 06, passed on Lolla and Bonnaroo because I hate heat and sweat and summer so I am happy they are doing this small tour. I am no where near any of the places but will fly out to see them.
I mean it is PEARL JAM!!!
To 10c; "Your PJ tshirt should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to show you're a lady." - bionicamy
I guess if you can't afford it, don't go...it's not that hard...
No shit. Thats why people are complaining. I make a comfortable living. I own two homes and have a great job. I'll be at VA Beach. But people adopting a "holier than thou" attitude against people who can afford to go are just being jack-asses.
As much as I love Pearl Jam they are not U2, Clapton, or the Who. U2 continues to have major success with albums. Clapton has done similarly well with album success in his late career and is a legend. The Who are legends. PJ is a great band who has fallen off average Americans radar. They will always be etched in rock n roll history because of the Seattle Grunge scene. They cont to do well because they have a rabid fan base and put on a great live show.
I'll agree with this too, that PJ hasn't reached the same legend status as the aforementioned bands. But does that still make it right for ANYBODY to charge $400 for a concert ticket? When PJ reach that stature, would it then become acceptable for them to charge that amount? Of course not.
A $400 ticket says "I don't give a flying f*ck about my fans."
so inflation has cause the price to jump $25 per ticket???
Yes yes it does that is how inflation works:) We';re lucky that Pearl Jam are a semi communist band and keep ticket prices ARTIFICIALLY low. Look at the Prices for any other artist with the same drawing power as PJ, they cost 3,4,or even 5 times what we pay. Pearl jam could double their prices and still fill venues across the world, so it's certainly NOT a cash grab as some simple minded, self absorbed people have intoned, but rather a cost associated with living in a capitalist society. Stop fucking complaining, if you wanna see a show for $20 look at the poster on the next telephone pole you pass and see the quality of band that charges $20 these days, join their BBS and stop bitching about Pearl Jam's ticket prices. Christ you sound like whiny kids. I totally AVOID this BBS when they start touring cuz i hate the bitching and moaning about insignificant shit like ticket prices, how the set list wasn;t quite up to so and so's standards, not enough posters available etc.
"So forget the other boys because my love is real.
Come off your battlefield."
Comments
Pearl Jam tickets are still significantly lower than other bands. I don't know how anyone can complain about spending $75 (TOTAL ... includes taxes, fees, etc.) for the best seats in the house. Do I miss paying $81 for a pair of tickets like I did in 2003? Of course! But, I also miss being able to fill up my car for $35.
.
$148 is a bargain only if it's $148 Monopoly money. This "cost of inflation" business is a bunch of crap. How many thousand people fit into Madison Square Garden? Are you telling me that the band needs anywhere from $75 to $500 (go to Tickets.com and look at the most expensive seats - good grief) from each concertgoer in order to finance a tour and still make it worth the band members' while? It's the natural order of things, though - as Pearl Jam gets older, so also do their fans get older, and it's logical to assume that a kid who could only afford $25 for tickets in 1993 might now be a lawyer who won't bat an eye at $100. But, I'm not one of them.
As a fan, I feel like my favorite band has always gone to great lengths to make sure that *can* support them, and it disappoints me to learn that this time around, I cannot. Or maybe "will not" is the more adequate phrase. Pearl Jam are the best band in the world, but gone are the days when I can justify blowing my month's utility bill on standing in the back of an amphitheater and watching tiny specks on a stage jump around and sing my favorite songs.
I don't fill up my car anymore because I don't have one, but I agree with everything you said.
However it's a bad sign to see PJ tickets go for so much! That and the frequency of festivals sucks! Festivals suck! They are overpriced half sets in the terrible heat in the middle of nowhere!
The recent news of Ticketmast saying they are getting in on the scalping is bad news as well. Essentially they are going to hold back tickets to increase demand and sell them for much more than face.
It's a sad situation for concert goers. I am fastly becoming a one band concert goer, which sucks!
As much as I love Pearl Jam they are not U2, Clapton, or the Who. U2 continues to have major success with albums. Clapton has done similarly well with album success in his late career and is a legend. The Who are legends. PJ is a great band who has fallen off average Americans radar. They will always be etched in rock n roll history because of the Seattle Grunge scene. They cont to do well because they have a rabid fan base and put on a great live show.
the pearl jam coloring book....$200
multi-millionaires singing a song telling me...
the gas in their tanks...is like money in the bank
PRICELESS!!!!!!" -SpeedyMcCready...You may be banned but the message lives on!
I agree about the other costs involved but I bet the face value for a ticket in 2006 was $50 so that still means that the ticket is $15 more. So where is that extra money going? Gas in 2006 was around 3.10/gallon. Now gas is around 3.50/gallon, so i am not buying fuel as the reason for the price increase.
As to the person who talked about clapton, u2 and some other bands charging $150/ticket: Just because they charge that much does not make it ok. Also with u2 i can see why they charge so much because of the elaborate stage setup. Where as Pearl Jam has a bare-bones set up.
I'll agree with this... hence the prices not being in the U2, The Who and Clapton range. Are the prices similar to other tours this year?? yes... are they what you have come to expect from PJ?? maybe... does the answer to both of these questions mean we should all just pay up and not say anything about it??? absolutely fucking not.
Admin
Social awareness does not equal political activism!
5/23/2011- An utter embarrassment... ticketing failures too many to list.
Drink 2 less beers at a concert and you can afford the $15 hike in ticket prices.
Tool has the most elaborate stage i've ever seen. Much more elaborate then U2. Tool tickets were $50 - $60.
Just sayin..
2005 - 9/15, 9/16, 9/30, 10/1, 10/3
2006 - 5/5, 5/12, 5/13, 5/27, 5/28, 5/30, 6/1, 6/3, 6/23, 7/22, 7/23, 12/2
2007 - 6/27, 8/3
2008 - 6/14, 6/19, 6/20, 6/22, 6/24, 6/25, 6/27, 6/28, 6/30, 7/1
Anytime I think things are getting expensive, I remind myself that my services are also getting expensive. It goes hand-in-hand.
There is no way that prices can stay stagnant as wages rise.
Rod Stewart? Bette Midler?! Barry Manilow!! Is there anybody on this board that seriously likes both PJ and Barry F'n Manilow? no offense, just curious.
In General, Pearl Jam fans are not used to big ticket prices like the Stones and are offended. Most of us are all professionals now in their 30's and forties with disposable income...We (true stones fans) spend thousands on Stones tickets, so this is a huge bargain and fan friendly as NO ONE does fan club ticketing better than Pearl Jam....and that says a lot as the Stones fan club offered me 4th row center at Fenway park for their 2005 opener. (I had better seats than Tommy Hilfiger, who was sitting directly behind me)
Tool puts on such a badass show, far better than U2.
Three crooked hearts, swirls all around
You can't spell Gossard without G-O-D
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/jampearl/pearl_jam_1.html
I believe this is their tour rider for the 2003 tour.
You must have missed the last six months where the economy taken a shit and people have lost their homes and jobs. People who have gotten more than a 3% raise the last few years have been extremely lucky. 378000 people lost their job last week. I wouldn't say that their wages are rising.
I have (thankfully), and I assume the crew for Pearl Jam has as well, and heck, maybe Ed, Jeff, Mike, Stoney and Matt deserve a raise as well. (Boom plays for free, its a labor of love for the big guy)
Oh, and the tix are down to $144 a pair for Tampa, at this rate Mansfield will be free!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't disagree with any of your reasoning, but I will say that the band once stood for lower prices to make shows accessible. Could the average high school kid go to a show these days? Who do you market tickets to? I don't know the answer. PJ fan base is getting older and as a result likely has better income. Then again I remember interviews with Eddie going on about seeing concerts when he was a kid and ask yourself if a kid could do the same today.
the pearl jam coloring book....$200
multi-millionaires singing a song telling me...
the gas in their tanks...is like money in the bank
PRICELESS!!!!!!" -SpeedyMcCready...You may be banned but the message lives on!
That is true, but at the same time if you are someone who lost your home and your job concert tickets at any price shouldn't be anywhere close to anything called a priority.
it is that simple....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Its not just a matter of getting raises, there is also the matter of career advancement that enables people to earn more.
I just watched a bunch of videos on youtube and I got so excited that right now I'd pay double what the tickets are going for!
I haven't seen them since 06, passed on Lolla and Bonnaroo because I hate heat and sweat and summer so I am happy they are doing this small tour. I am no where near any of the places but will fly out to see them.
I mean it is PEARL JAM!!!
No shit. Thats why people are complaining. I make a comfortable living. I own two homes and have a great job. I'll be at VA Beach. But people adopting a "holier than thou" attitude against people who can afford to go are just being jack-asses.
I'll agree with this too, that PJ hasn't reached the same legend status as the aforementioned bands. But does that still make it right for ANYBODY to charge $400 for a concert ticket? When PJ reach that stature, would it then become acceptable for them to charge that amount? Of course not.
A $400 ticket says "I don't give a flying f*ck about my fans."
Three crooked hearts, swirls all around
You can't spell Gossard without G-O-D
Come off your battlefield."