Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world have to drop ticket prices

Bob-Dubery · 2013-05-06T08:49:05+00:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/may/04/rolling-stones-face-pay-cut-ticket-prices-slashed Yep, demand for tickets for the Stones last ever tour has been underwhelming. Promoters are having to drop ticket prices, and this may put the band's guaranteed fees at risk. I'm not surprised. Sky News showed some recent live footage on the weekend, and the Stones sounded pretty dismal. Keef and/or Ron seemed to be playing a different song to the rest of the band. In fact things got better when Keef stopped playing guitar to sing on the chorus (the song turned out to be "The Last Time"), though the vocals got worse. This was footage from their recent LA gig. I don't think it did them any favours.

strataxe

Someone mentioned they're 50ish, try 70ish...close to 70. Still the greatest band ever, no other band has gone that distance. I think they may have reached their sell by date, or hpefully it was just a once off that they messed up completely.

[deleted]

Whether they've still got it or not, I think it's possible the tickets were just utterly unaffordable for mere mortals... I saw tweets about fans paying hundreds of dollars for perfectly ordinary tickets. A quick google now revealed that the starting price for one upcoming Hyde Park gig is 135 GBP... That's R1908. ???

Bob-Dubery

MoreCowBell wrote Whether they've still got it or not, I think it's possible the tickets were just utterly unaffordable for mere mortals... I saw tweets about fans paying hundreds of dollars for perfectly ordinary tickets. A quick google now revealed that the starting price for one upcoming Hyde Park gig is 135 GBP... That's R1908. ???

The world is going crazy. I subscribe to a Richard Thompson mailing list. Another person on that list has a ticket for a show she can't make and which she wishes to offload. She doesn't want to make a profit - she wants face value. Face value is 130 US dollars.

OK... it's a "premium" ticket which, for this open air show, gets you a deck chair in a special area right in front of the stage. But no "meet and greet" and signed geegaws at this show.

But really, the prices are getting crazy now. I paid 25 quid last time I went to a show of his (actually him and Loudon Wainwright) and you don't mind paying a bit for somebody you think is special. But when you're travelling from SA you get a bit conscious of the zeroes, so I wouldn't do it at those prices. No thanks.

This year he has new management and fans are wincing at the ticket prices. Apparently his winter tour in the UK wasn't too bad, but since then.... He did a package tour with Emmy Lou Harris and Rodney Crowell who, apparently, are used to playing for very rich people. Now he's got a string of solo dates but the same ticketing schemes are in place with multi-tier pricing (tickets, tickets for seats in prime areas, whole kaboodle with a handshake after the show and a photo opportunity blah blah). Any day now he goes on a tour with Wilco and Bob Dylan. God only knows what those shows are going to cost.

I note that a lot of artists are pushing various performance opportunities clearly aimed at those of us with lots of disposable income. There are nice winter cruises for well off folks in the USA now. Sail out of Miami, cruise around the caribbean and the boat is packed with musicians. Not cheap, mind you.

TBF it might be the fans fault. Do we think his management don't watch that mailing list and the FB page. Of course they do. So they saw all the comments like "yes it was pricey, but I'd pay twice that to see him do a full length set rather than open for Emmy Lou". Well, here's your chance.

I think we're going to see more of this. More expensive and/or exclusive shows (Thompson recently did a breakfast thing with Buddy Miller in LA, limited seats, expensive tickets) and the rest of us can buy the DVD.

singemonkey

Music for the 1%?

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote Music for the 1%?

I'm starting to think so.

Hammeron

OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.

Psean

Hammeron wrote OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.

I always thought of that one as a sort of official nickname more than an actual title like a boxing champion or whatever is given until somebody else beats them at it. It's just become what they're called. If you actually had to judge them on it though - ja, not for the last 40 years maybe?

chris77

Psean wrote
Hammeron wrote OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.
I always thought of that one as a sort of official nickname more than an actual title like a boxing champion or whatever is given until somebody else beats them at it. It's just become what they're called.

Yeah, that's how I figured as well.

But who is the Greatest then? Of all time I reckon Led Zep. Of the current contenders? Hell, toughie. Muse maybe?

Bob-Dubery

Psean wrote
Hammeron wrote OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.
I always thought of that one as a sort of official nickname more than an actual title like a boxing champion or whatever is given until somebody else beats them at it. It's just become what they're called. If you actually had to judge them on it though - ja, not for the last 40 years maybe?

It's like Clapton and "World's Greatest Guitarist". It's not a reputation they've sought or claimed.

Keef was asked about this in an interview once (I read this in the 80s). He said "every night there is a different greatest rock 'n roll band."

DaFiz

Chances are the entire audience has seen the show before... Those that are still alive can't drive to the show, nor will the pension plan still cover the cost of the tickets...
It's highly unlikely they'll be able to win over the younger audience... :-[
Time to give it up methinx ???

singemonkey

Hammeron wrote OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.

Important point you've missed: Not being the greatest does not equal crap. I would not want to fight the second best boxer in the world.

The Rolling Stones put on a fantastic show - better than most you'll ever see. But from 1969 - 1973 they were, almost certainly, The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band in the World.

Edit: and few subsequent bands (with the exception, of course, of Zeppelin from '69-'75) would want to compete for the title with The Stones in that incarnation. They were better then than just about everything that followed to this day.

Psean

X-rated Bob wrote
Keef was asked about this in an interview once (I read this in the 80s). He said "every night there is a different greatest rock 'n roll band."

That's a good way to think of it.

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