Looking at my order history in 10C Profile

slightofjeff wrote:

I'd wager concerts have gotten expensive because it's damn near the only way for artists to make money anymore. Nobody buys CDs anymore. We download shit off the internet and then burn it for all our friends.

After just watching a thing on the news about the death of the cd..I believe you're on to something.

NewJPage wrote:

i understand what you are saying. but the who and the stones never made the low cost of their concert a huge fucking deal. that is where i find it a bit troubling. slightly hypocritical, IMHO. that's why i dont like to compare PJ to other bands, cause they are supposed to be BETTER than other bands at this kind of thing...

dude, that was like 13 years ago. They fought the good fight and lost. When is the last time you heard anyone affiliated with Pearl Jam talk about low prices? I think Jeff was still wearing goofy hats then.

You need to drop the old archetype. That's not Pearl Jam anymore. When it comes to ticket prices, they are just another band now.

I've got no problem with that. There's no need for them to keep ticket prices low anymore. They gave up enough money back in the day.

Irish Al wrote:

I have to admit, I can't believe that people are moaning about the price of tix. These MSG tix are costin me €55 each....there is now way you'd get to see PJ in ireland for any less than €70, so stop bitchin and just go enjoy the gig

Exactly, and I mean it says something about here when The Fray played the Royal Theatre in Castlebar towards the end of last year and the tix were €40 ($60). And needless to say, a couple of thousand mainly 15-18 year olds coughed it up without a bother!!

scpjfan wrote:

For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here are the lines I was talking about;

Over the years, the band has publicly put a lot of effort into donating money and time to various non-profits, and also towards keeping ticket and merchandise prices low (remember the mid-'90s TicketMaster boycott?).

Well, they're back on the TicketMaster boat, and at $60.50 a pop, a seat at the show certainly isn't cheap.

"The first nine years as a band we didn't make any money touring, so there came a point where we wanted to feel good about going out there for eight months and to be able to make a little money," said Ament. "Every once in a while I hear somebody make a comment about how we wear this punk-rock ethos on our sleeves, but we're multi-millionaires. We work our asses off and have worked our asses off for a long time, and not only does the band give away a lot of money but we all individually give a lot of money away and are very involved in (good causes). I feel good about what we do with the money we make -- not a lot of it is wasted."

They should just make this the banner at the top of the page and it would cut down on the griping by at least 2-3%. Many people (myself included) had held on to the mistaken belief that they were still even trying to keep costs down. Clearly that's not the case. I guess I'm okay with that.

The crashing server still sucks though.

just dont use the inflation or gas argument. its bullshit.

No, it's not. That's definitely part of the equation.

i wish prices would go up to $150 each personally.

I remember getting really upset in the 90s and thinking $30 tickets was complete bull$*!t. a good show always ends up being worth the price.

Lsk6453 wrote:

Hey wiseass, I was not complaining. I just said I missed the old days when tickets didn't cost so much. There was no complaint in my note.

exactly. why is it seen as a negative if one simply points out the obvious? i am HAPPY to see pj this year and any year, thus i pay to go see them. it is not a complaint to simply point out how much ticket prices have risen. we all know there is MUCH in the equation, sheesh! none the less...point still stands, i WISH my salary would skyrocket at the same rate.

A few things:

Gas has almost tripled in price since 2003. Not enough on its own to warrant the ticket hikes. But...

The band also invests, quite famously, in carbon credits. Which aren't cheap. Look how much they add to the price of an airline ticket when you check the box next time you book a flight...

Charities. The band gives more than most of us think. The last tour is was in the neighborhood of $2 a ticket, going to a specific charity for each show. 826 Seattle benefited quite a bit from the Gorge shows, and they needed it...

CD sales are down across the board. Not just PJ (though the last record sold better), but most everyone not affiliated with American Idol. I just paid $35 a pop to see Death Cab in EUGENE. Last time they came through it was in the $15 range. And I apologize to anyone who likes Death Cab (I do too!), but they are not in the same league, not even close. I stayed in the beer garden the entire show last time, enjoyed the music, went home. When I see Pearl Jam, I don't leave my seats...

Capitalism. Supply and demand. Pressure from other bands to keep prices equivalent. Who knows? Fact is, they deserve to do well financially. We may begrudge them their success at the cost of our pocketbook, but we still go to see them, right? We make a conscious choice when we open our wallets...

Good point made earlier about band employees. Wages go up for them too to match inflation....

And finally, these guys have families now. Their financial well being extends well beyond five guys who make music. If I was in their place, I'd find a balance between supporting the people who need to be supported, and keeping fans happy. And honestly, I think they do. I think they're still the best deal out there...

decides2dream wrote:

exactly. why is it seen as a negative if one simply points out the obvious? i am HAPPY to see pj this year and any year, thus i pay to go see them. it is not a complaint to simply point out how much ticket prices have risen. we all know there is MUCH in the equation, sheesh! none the less...point still stands, i WISH my salary would skyrocket at the same rate.

Yup, exactly. I am just more conscious of how much I pay to see whom. My general rule of thumb is, esp. for "classic rock" acts like McCartney and the Stones, if I have seen them already, I don't see them again. Esp. for acts like that who I saw for under 50 bucks back in the day. F them. I don't need to see Clapton or Pink Floyd (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) again.

However, certain bands are worth the investment and get my money every time (Oasis, Dramarama, Allman Brothers, Santana). Obviously, PJ is one of them. So is Robert Plant. Of course, Led Zep will be another if I am lucky enough to get a ticket for their supposedly upcoming tour later this year or in early 2009.

And the rest of my hard-earned concert buck goes to see local bands in local venues where the ticket prices are $50 or less. AND...the promoters are getting wise to the tight economy and beginning to offer 2-for-1 deals (House of Blues does this all the time) and half-price tickets (I saw a show at BB King's Blues Club in NYC last night for which I paid $29 for a pair of tix, and the guy at the SAME cabaret table as me, for the SAME show, paid over $60 after TicketMonster fees. Boy was HE pissed when I told him that!).

By the way, I am a concert junkie...I am 42 with no encumbrances (i.e. no hubby or kids keeping me home or sapping my resources), and when they put me in my coffin, I'm going to be rocking in my box. This year, I am celebrating the 25th anniversary of my first concert (Bowie's Serious Moonlight Tour at MSG), so excuse my French, but I know what I'm f-ing talking about!

Moral of the story: spend your big concert bucks on the bands you really love, and spend the rest on bands you might really love someday but kind of like right now.

Peace.

Laura in NJ