$5000 to See Bruce Springsteen????

[HammondDave]

16 minutes ago, RABid said:

I've never understood why companies don't charge more for the front rows and put a premium on the first row. Somewhere a lazy programmer has convinced them that they have to charge the same amount for all the seats in a section.

Many venues have been doing this for a while… but apparently it was still not enough to fill their coffers… I stopped going to overpriced concerts years ago.  

[Outkaster]

Well you can shit all over him if you want but his band is ten times better musically then a lot of stuff posted here. 

[BluMunk]

I apologize if this gets a little off-topic for the forum, but this "problem" (tickets being more expensive than many can afford) is not something that musicians can solve, or any of the skeevy money-sucking middle-men for that matter. It's a factor of:
 

• Tickets are a limited commodity
• Prices will always rise to the level at which there are enough people willing to pay for the privilege of getting one
• There are enough people who want to see Springsteen (or whoever) with a lot of expendable wealth that ticket prices are going to soar
• Because travel is easy and fairly accessible, you're also selling these tickets not just to the folks who live regionally, but folks anywhere who can afford a plane ticket
• It only takes 15,000 moderately wealthy people from around the country who want to see a show to drive those prices up
• The only way to keep seats available at prices for the hoi polloi is to price tickets at some version of affordable and to then not permit resale or transfer (and figure out how to enforce that). But, this likely leaves a lot of money on the table, and when music is a business, that doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

In a lot of ways, I think that it's fine that huge names become unaffordable. Go see some local music. Go make local music. The era of national mega-stars being accessible to the masses is fading away as wealth inequality increases. Too many people who make way more money than you want to see Springsteen. 

[Outkaster]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-springsteen-ticket-controversy-1391011/

[ProfD]

17 minutes ago, BluMunk said:

Go see some local music. Go make local music.

True words written there.😎

[Bill H.]

4 hours ago, Delaware Dave said:

 

 

Capitalism or not, for someone whose mantra is to represent the 'working man' and then charge those ticket prices is somewhat shameful. 

 

 

 

 

Yeah... It's one thing for the Rolling Stones to overprice their tickets (we all know what Mick Jagger is all about!) but for someone who's cultivated this image for decades as a modern day Woody Guthrie... well it's just too much. But I haven't been much of a fan since Born In The USA anyway.  

[synthizen2]

8 minutes ago, ProfD said:

True words written there.😎

 

Very true, and very relevant to our times.

 

Yes, go out and have some fun making music, and support others doing the same. It's what people have been doing for thousands of years.

[Threadslayer]

14 hours ago, Jr. Deluxe said:

Every concert ticket I ever bought wouldn't add up to $5k. I'm not sure it would add up to half that. Including parking and overpriced beer. 

I just found my old ticket from Watkins Glen 1971 featuring the Allman Brothers, the Dead and the Band at a 2 or 3 day festival... 20 bucks.

[Mills Dude]

I can't begrudge these artists and promoters for letting capitalism take its course.  Yeah, I think its obscene but its obviously what the market is dictating.  My biggest problem is with Ticketmaster, in that they're holding a virtual monopoly.   The scalpers back in the day were operating an illicit secondary market and Ticketmaster just swooped in and took it over making it licit.    The artists and promoters are now in cahoots, which is fairer to the artists since they saw no benefit from the scalper market.  

 

The rise in face value of ticket prices has been attributed to the collapse in music sales.  That back in the day, the concert was a promotion to sell records.  The mega artists and all their management need a way to keep their profits in the stratosphere.  So there we are, huge ticket prices.  These legacy mega artists aren't even making new records so the ticket sales have become their new revenue.   I've heard Donald Fagen say more than once in interviews that he keeps going for the money.  Why not take advantage if there's a market willing to pay?

 

Since Billy Joel started his MSG residency, I've wanted to go for a "one last time" nostalgia event.  But whenever I check the prices for decent seats, I decide my money would be better spent elsewhere.  I can watch him on youtube, get a better view and get that nostalgia fix.  Then I can head to the Village and see Oz Noy play the sh*t out of the guitar with a monster like Will Lee for less than $100.

[El Lobo]

Herman's Hermits top-billed and The Who bottom-billed, $2.50

 

[stillearning]

I won’t go into why I feel it’s so expensive, others have nailed it down, but count me among those who don’t feel like paying big money to see overproduced extravaganza events. I’ll live with my memories of Pink Floyd, Genesis, ELP, Uriah Heep, Brian Auger, Joe Cocker, Peter Hammill, etc in small venues just playing their music with minimal production budgets. All for a couple dollars + parking. Seeing all these bands before they were big-time holds priceless memories, (no pun intended).

 

ps. Last ‘big’ show I attended was Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live tour. Without question the best stage production I’ve ever been lucky enough to enjoy in person.

[Lou_NC]

2 hours ago, Mills Dude said:

.........The rise in face value of ticket prices has been attributed to the collapse in music sales........

Yep, this about nails it.  Concerts used to promote album sales, which provided an income stream to musicians.  Nowadays, cheap music streaming (with relatively low $$ going to the artists, relative to older album sales) is used to promote concert attendance (with the expensive tickets).  The music industry has inverted their business model.

 

None of the above excuses the "hotel/airline" pricing model for tickets/seats, though, IMHO.  I just attended a James Taylor concert at an arena here in Raleigh NC, as a birthday gift for my wife.  The acoustics were so poor, and itty bitty James Taylor WAY WAY down there on stage, (coupled with the video screen that lagged the sound by a hundred milliseconds or so), just about ruined the experience for me.  Thanks, but count me among those who will stick to "unknown" musical acts in very small venues, or simply get my fix of the big names on Youtube, while wearing a good pair of headphones and hearing a good sound mix. 🙂

[timwat]

One simple answer is simply supply and demand. As I noted above, no one is forcing a buyer to fork over ducats. We vote for perceived value with our wallets.

 

This is one of the reasons for the Machine to constantly message us about The Beautiful People Who Are Worth Worshipping (TBPWAWW). It's to increase perceived value, which keeps the Machine profitable, collecting revenue, and perpetuating the great distraction. Whether it's Paul McCartney or <insert famous musician>, Dave Chappelle or <insert famous comedian>, or Kim Kardashian or <insert celebrity>, we are convinced they are worth seeing. Oh and by the way, "experiences are more valuable than things" so say the younger generation. Although I might suggest there ain't no experience quite like equity LOL

 

To the degree we are a people without a foundation of self-knowledge and a settled contentment with our place in this world (thus many given to outsized self-assessments on the one hand, self-loathing on the other), we run to TBPWAWW in some aspirational way - and this increases acceptable ticket price. 

 

This is somewhat normal when we are much younger and given to celebrity worship - this was for me the lion's share of adoring the prog rock icons, and later the straight jazz icons. 

 

But at some point, I asked myself am I really the richer for having sat in a distant seat in Winterland for a Genesis concert? Certainly, I enjoyed it, and I remember it fondly, and I had a great time. I suppose in some ways it was part of living a life exposed to music, and in that way it moved me a nudge closer to a better version of myself. And at some point, we look at normal (non-Ticketmaster demand pricing) event ticket prices, consider what else that money might purchase, and some of us will decide, "Thanks, but I'm good".

 

 

[Dave Bryce]

56 minutes ago, timwat said:

at some point, I asked myself am I really the richer for having sat in a distant seat in Winterland for a Genesis concert?

 

It wasn’t for me…and I’m a huge Genesis fan - seen them a bunch of times, including (what was supposed to be) their last show in 2007 at the Hollywood Bowl.

 

There’s no doubt that Phil barely being able to walk and not able to play drums was a factor. 😬

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, timwat said:

And at some point, we look at normal (non-Ticketmaster demand pricing) event ticket prices, consider what else that money might purchase, and some of us will decide, "Thanks, but I'm good".

I am good! We have a fairly robust music scene here with some talented acts. I've seen many and played a few myself. Most venues don't have a cover charge, they just want customers in the door. 

 

I went to many concerts way back when, missed a few of the greats, saw a few.

 

Some things stand out and I don't know if they would even happen now. I went with my sister to see Loggins and Messina, it was her first concert. Taj Mahal opened for them, he was a solo act. 

He started with a mbira (African thumb "piano") then switched to the banjo. He fired up "Shake It On Down" and had 7,000 people up on their feet, clapping and stomping and shouting at the top our lungs - "Shake It On Down!!!!"  Loggins and Messina were really good but that was an impossible act to follow, Taj owned it. 

[stoken6]

32 minutes ago, KuruPrionz said:

Taj Mahal opened for them, he was a solo act. 

He started with a mbira (African thumb "piano") then switched to the banjo. He fired up "Shake It On Down" and had 7,000 people up on their feet, clapping and stomping and shouting at the top our lungs - "Shake It On Down!!!!"  Loggins and Messina were really good but that was an impossible act to follow, Taj owned it. 

Did he do "She Caught The Katy"?

 

Tangent: Taj Mahal's sister Carole Fredericks sang with French singer/songwriter Jacques Goldman, who is a favourite of my wife. She was delighted to get last-minute tickets to a London show of his, which was sensibly priced because a. back in the day and b. not such a big name in the UK. She still talks about that gig...

 

Cheers, Mike.

[bfields]

There are lots of things a person with money might do to help working people.  Should "keep Springsteen tickets cheap" really be at the top of anybody's (including Springsteen's) list?

 

I'd rather he charge market prices and put that money to some better use, than  go to a lot of (probably fruitless) effort trying to keep his concert tickets cheap.

[TommyRude]

My memory is a little fuzzy, but I may have paid $0.00 for a Journey concert.  Me and some friends snuck in.

[Doerfler]

13 minutes ago, TommyRude said:

My memory is a little fuzzy, but I may have paid $0.00 for a Journey concert.  Me and some friends snuck in.

sounds like a fair price 

[El Lobo]

My son saw Keb Mo and Sheryl Crow night before last at Hollywood Bowl. Keb was opening but son said he should have had the whole show. He says: 

 

I want to see Stevie Nicks at the Hollywood Bowl and the seats I pay $130 for my season tickets, they want $750.  Uh, no.

The truth is the money should be going to the artists and this way it does.  But the prices they can get away with are insane.

[Anderton]

I wonder if escalating prices for major acts will spur more people to patronize local bands and clubs.

[Mills Dude]

7 hours ago, Anderton said:

I wonder if escalating prices for major acts will spur more people to patronize local bands and clubs.

Well Craig, its not a new phenomenon.  Its been like this for more than 10 years at least.  Maybe $5K Bruce tickets are a 'new-ish' thing but us old folks can hearken back to the days of < $20 tickets for an arena show.  Those outdoor Live Nation (also owned by TicketMaster) venues have been charging < $200 for tix for decent seats on popular acts for a long time.  Not sure what lawn seats are selling for these days but they still ain't that cheap.   Surge pricing can send that cost way up. 

 

In NYC area, the small clubs have been dropping like flies for 20 years or more.  Back in my heyday ('80s), I'd pick up the Village Voice weekly to scan all the smaller clubs.  It was a smorgasbord and we'd have to plan accordingly and choose between competing acts.  There's just not nearly as much happening now as there has been in the past.  

 

I still regret selling my tickets for  Zappa at the Beacon (his last tour) to see the Jazz Explosion Super Band with Holdsworth and Stanley Clarke.  Thankfully managed to see Zappa the next night as the Jazz Explosion Super Band was a train wreck.  

 

The small clubs out there are available for acts, if they can guarantee a certain amount of tickets,  My son's college acapella group is 'on tour' this summer in NYC area.  I love my son to bits and happy he's doing this, but they ain't Pentatonix and they're not going to be stars.  Its really just a friends and family thing.  So yesterday he told me they have 2 booking lined up at downtown NYC clubs, Rockwood Music Hall and The Bitter End.   I was a bit surprised as these are well known venues where I have seen famous acts.  I'm happy for them that they get to do that but I also think that > 10 years ago, no chance they'd even be able to step foot on one of those stages.   

 

IMHO, there's just not as many kids playing music these days so these clubs that are still around need to 'rent' out the stage.   Also, anecdotally, the number of local bars (NYC suburbs) with live music have declined and those bars still around ain't paying bands what they used to.  10+ years ago, my buddies band used to get $1000+ a night at a local bar.  They could afford to pay a sound person $150 and still walk away with $200+ per person.  Now they'd get $200 total for a night.

 

Painting with a wide brush but I think the idea of patronizing a local club is dying with us old folks (Boomers and Gen X).  Sure its still out there but its been declining.  I think someplace like Florida, where you've got vacationers and retirees, still affords opportunity for giggers.  I was down in the Villages (huge retirement community on central FL) a few years back and was struck by the amount of live music happening there.  But its all nostalgia, nothing 'new' is being created, so keep that Mustang Sally fresh.

[MotiDave]

On 8/4/2022 at 6:17 PM, bill5 said:

And the problem with that is? Why shouldn't they? Capitalism, remember? If I could get people to pay $5000 to see me in concert, I'd be all over it. Course if I could get people to pay $5 to see me in concert I'd be all over it lol

 

What gets me are the morons who are willing to pay it. A fool and their money...

A consistent $5/head would be appreciated lol

 

I’m not a Boss fan, i find his music derivative common denominator and uninteresting but thats just me.  He is surrounded by a very talented collection of top shelf musicians, of course, so if the music suits - I expect it would not disappoint.  

 

If people buy the tickets, then the price is “fair” in a market sense.   Not a working man’s rock band and I’m also sure he knows.  he doesn’t owe me anything - i don’t care obviously.  The ability for working class folk to get Boss tickets is probably not a cause I’ll take up

 

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, Mills Dude said:

Painting with a wide brush but I think the idea of patronizing a local club is dying with us old folks (Boomers and Gen X).  Sure its still out there but its been declining.

 

Yes and no...until the pandemic hit, clubs in Europe were plentiful among a much younger demographic. Granted it was DJ culture, but cultures can change. My most active time playing DJ-type clubs was in the early 2000s, and it was a great experience. Reminded me of the 60s   The scene was also trending toward more incorporation of live instruments. In 2016 (or maybe 2015?) I was asked to be a panelist at the International Music Conference in Ibiza, because the theme that year was integrating live instruments with DJs, and that was sort of my thing (I sometimes refer to myself as the world's oldest living techno guitarist, LOL). All the bands that performed had electric instruments in the mix.

 

One problem with clubs here are the draconian drug laws that were passed in several states, where club owners were responsible for the actions of their patrons. Some owners decided it wasn't worth the stress to lose their club if someone came in and sold a couple of joints to someone else.

 

But things go in cycles. If people want to pay to see live music, then clubs will open to make money off of them. That's a big "if," but not an impossible one.

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

24 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

Yes and no...until the pandemic hit, clubs in Europe were plentiful among a much younger demographic. Granted it was DJ culture, but cultures can change. My most active time playing DJ-type clubs was in the early 2000s, and it was a great experience. Reminded me of the 60s   The scene was also trending toward more incorporation of live instruments. In 2016 (or maybe 2015?) I was asked to be a panelist at the International Music Conference in Ibiza, because the theme that year was integrating live instruments with DJs, and that was sort of my thing (I sometimes refer to myself as the world's oldest living techno guitarist, LOL). All the bands that performed had electric instruments in the mix.

 

One problem with clubs here are the draconian drug laws that were passed in several states, where club owners were responsible for the actions of their patrons. Some owners decided it wasn't worth the stress to lose their club if someone came in and sold a couple of joints to someone else.

 

But things go in cycles. If people want to pay to see live music, then clubs will open to make money off of them. That's a big "if," but not an impossible one.

 

 

Cannabis was legalized in Washington state a few years back. The pandemic continues to be a factor here, recently I've noted that 10 close friends have gotten Covid and one of those friends knows another 8 or 9 people who also got it. Almost 20 people and I'm sure there are more than my small circle of friends. 

Supposedly I'm playing a gig at Sand Point Idaho in a couple of weeks, they had 40 new cases today. Will follow that page and print as .pdf. A couple more days like that and I am cancelling - not worth the risk.

[surfergirl]

On oahu unless your a lounge act you are pretty much screwed. Now our new  airbnb laws have put an end to most parties. Even tho it hurts, I favor the law. We don't care about making money, we just love to play. We have considered renting the Filipino Community Center and putting a dance on once a month to get a chance to play.

I'm not Keyboard player, so thank you for letting visit.

 

 

 

[stillearning]

If you have a School of Rock nearby, check out one of their kids’ shows. If it’s the young ‘uns playing, have fun watching their faces light up as the audience applauds! If it’s the teens putting on their Headliners Show, you may be surprised at how good they are! I teach keys part time in retirement at one of the Cleveland schools and it’s a blast! If there’s any cover charge at all, it’s minimal, and you’re supporting a worthwhile cause.

[D. Gauss]

I would never pay more than a hundred bucks to see anyone, unless they were playing in my living room. Granted, I'm old, but I saw Bruce on the Darkness tour (1st ever performance of Independence Day too), front row, for 7 dollars.

Ticketscalper has the industry by the balls as they have exclusive deals with the big venues.  I imagine if it was just Bruce (and it obviously isn't, he has a whole machine to support),  he'd just show up at the Stone Pony and play for tips.  Bruce makes money whether he tours or not, but his guys don't.  As much as it sucks, ima guessing he knows that the uber fans will pony up the cash and in doing that he'll also be able to provide his more than loyal bandmates with a healthy late life pay out. I don't like it, but i understand it.

[o0Ampy0o]

17 hours ago, Anderton said:

I wonder if escalating prices for major acts will spur more people to patronize local bands and clubs.

 
Perhaps if all you crave is live music that might be the case.

 

I was walking away from the venue to my car after seeing Paul McCartney. There was a busker doing a George Harrison song. I have observed people blasting their car radios playing the music of the band they have just seen. Nothing comes close to the real deal.

 

After the restrictions of the pandemic many people do crave more socializing. There are major economic factors impacting prices and who ends up being in the audience. No decent businessperson in this field would overlook how they do not need to bother accommodating the average Joe and Josephine. Their contribution is less significant in today’s music economy. Live shows of the greats are events for the elite who are hardly phased by any price.

 

I live in a vacation destination. It is close enough and with the pandemic more people have moved here permanently and work from home but can drive to the office when necessary. It is interesting how a guy pulls up in a Maserati yet will balk at the price of a quart of milk while at the register of the market. The same guy will drop thousands in a heartbeat to do something like see some performance or attend a game or whatever. Lots of people have tons of money. 

[TommyRude]

With all this talk, I have decided to put on a show in my driveway.  I will be charging much less than Bruce, only $500 for curbside seats, $250 to stand in the street - but you have to move back when cars drive by.  I will also have a tip jar for extra donations, $20 minimum tip.  I will place a $2,500 cap on the tip jar so as not to be perceived as gouging.  I will also auction off 3 roadie experiences for lucky folks to carry my gear down to the driveway.  Those who win the auction will not have to pay for the show.  The bidding starts at $1,000.