LaVillaSean

how would anyone possibly think taking a baby to a rock concert is even romotely a good idea?....C'mon man!

If you were in your early 60s and had more than enough financial security....AND you wanted to spend more time with your wife and daughter, would you keep working just because your job wanted you to do so? Kinda the same thing here...just because we would all like to see more tours means nothing. If they want to retire, it's their right. Let it be and enjoy THIS tour

Alpine is a great place to see a show...I don't recall Rush playing there in the last 10 years. Perhaps it is too big...doesn't it hold 40,000? when was the last time they played Alpine?

I booked at the Marriott right by Amalie Arena on the day the tour dates were released, and I got the rate of $150. Not too terrible, although who knows if that rate has ballooned up since then

I was curious about Tulsa as well...about a week ago some floor seats popped up on ticketmaster way in the back. I don't know if 600 is a high number for secondary market availability with 10 days left....I guess we will see as the time gets closer

I am not a musician and couldn't tell you the first thing about the technical aspects of playing guitar. Of course the inclination is to proclaim that he is underrated. People alluded to Rolling Stone ranking Alex so low....I think they had him at 98. On the flip side, guitarworld did a readers poll and it ended up ranking Alex at number 3, one slot ahead of Jimi Hendrix....that's a pretty lofty spot to be in. So, who knows. One thing is for sure....Alex has a unique playing style and an even more unique sound. I think he is perfect for the band and that's all that really matters.

A friend is a facilities director for an arena here in Florida. He says they operate 365 days a year. The building has to be climate controlled to preserve the ice as well as to avoid mold, etc.. And they host more events than people would think, obviously a full hockey season, but also the circus for two months every year doing two shows a day, touring ice based shows also do weeks at a time and regional sporting events, motocross, wrestling, etc... He says the arena is in use more than 65% of the year. He also says costs are based on how many shows, projected sales, etc... I can say that the 'sheds' in Tampa & West Palm both say they hold 20K but there is no way. I've never seen any artist offer more then 13K tickets and both are packed and traffic is a nightmare at that attendance. West Palm has a much larger lawn area and less seats than Tampa but it is still less than 25% of total capacity not over 50%. Also, you have to consider that if an arena holds 22K for hockey yes you loose one end for a concert but you also gain several thousand seats on the floor. My friend says if they don't sell the seats behind the stage you loose approx. 15% and capacity is usually 18-20K depending on the size of the stage. So with Tampa as an example you have the amphitheater with 13K tickets with 9K being seats at $85-$175 each and 4K being lawn at $35 each. And then you have the arena with say 18K tickets at $85-$350 You raise some very valid issues that I had not considered regarding the different price tiers for an arena v a shed with a lawn and those vastly cheaper seats. I guess I was under the misconception (not sure where I came to the understanding) that bands get paid a set amount for doing a tour regardless of the number of tickets sold or the price of the tickets....something like "ok, 35 dates, you get X." Anything added on would be a percentage of merchandise sold and concessions at the venue...but if it as you say, I can indeed see how they would make more money in an arena.

Please I hope we don't get Red Lenses or Kid Gloves....both are very weak songs. If they play something off of Grace under Pressure, I hope it is anything but these two

Also, I am not buying the argument that the sheds are bigger so they would cost more. Most sheds hold 15-20k, with a large portion of that (10-15k) as lawn seats that are unprotected from the elements. Most hockey arenas have a capacity of 18-22k, so with the area behind the stage blocked off, it would be more like 14-15k available seats. Given that most shows do not sell out, it seems like the issue of spectator capacity is moot as attendance numbers would seem to be more or less commensurate at a shed or arena

I am curious about the hypothesis that they make a greater profit by playing indoor hockey/basketball arenas as opposed to sheds. To me, this seems counterintuitive. An indoor venue would likely have more upscale club/lounge areas plus there must be a cost associated with climate control. Plus, indoor areans may involve more scheduling conflicts to work with given hockey/basketball playoffs in full swing or pending. I would think amphitheaters outside would be significantly cheaper to rent and put on a production than an indoor arena that houses a professional sports team. Can someone explain the conclusion that they make more money for indoor shows?

I never understood why the map is open for some events but not others. I suspect it is open for non-high-demand shows and not for high demand stuff (unless sold out, in which case ticketbastard has it open for the resale crap where they make fees again and again). I always will try to find an event at the same venue with the map to see what is what...try it. It is a good tool

plus if it is listed on TM resale you are 150% certain it is legit. If you buy there, it invalidates the original buyer's barcode, issues a new one and it is then in your name totally. Nevertheless, Vividseats is legit....you will be fine. i'd just worry that the seat is what I call a "wallbanger" (so far to the outside that you are banging against the outside wall...lol)

my uneducated guess would be that the setlists (both A and B) are pretty much determined by now as is the light/video part of the show and they are in full on rehearsal mode to make sure it sounds great and flows etc....perhaps a song or two would get moved to a different place in the set. But remember, that doesn't mean we are, or should be, privy to it at this time.

i looked at it - looks like seat # 1 on Geddy's side is the far outside of the floor and seat #20 is the center aisle. My source was to go to TM and punch in the venue--Smoothie King Center. Then, find an event that has the interactive map available. In my case, the Motley Crue show at the venue on 9/4/15 has the interactive map available....check it out and, assuming the map layout is the same for Rush, you will see where the seats #s are and how they flow.

Vivid Seats is legit. I have used them. $218 seems like a bargain for second row in today's marketplace. Just make sure you account for the extra fees they will assess you (depending on the broker, it can be 10-20% on top of listed ticket price, plus the fedex/ups or download delivery charge). Also, given the price of it and how that seems low, you should do some research and see if you can find out the seat number. My guess is that seat very well might be close to the very far outside of the second row, which might not be to your liking at all. I once had a front row seat but it was so far to the outside on Alex's side that it actually sucked as I was outside of the speakers. I couldn't see shit. I would have preferred to be a few rows back but more centered. Check Stubhub or ticketmaster resale to see if the seat is listed on those sources--if so, ticketmaster resale will give the exact seat #. If stubhub, click on the listing. If it is an instant download or the seller is courteous, it might indicate the exact seat number. I would be very wary of any listing that is not in the center section that omits the seat number. Know what you are buying....prices today are so ridiculous, you need to know exactly where you'll be when you drop hard-earned cash

wow, 1k is serious coin for a meet and greet. I was lucky enough to get one on the C&A tour through a friend who has ties in the music industry. I knew it was quick and I wouldn't be chit chatting with Geddy and Alex....but the thing that stood out was Geddy was extremely aloof and visibly upset about something that particular afternoon. You could see it in all of the M&G photos that day. Maybe he was annoyed that something went wrong at soundcheck--who knows. I wasn't upset--the man owes me nothing and we all have our bad days. I am very grateful though to have the photo and for the opportunity in general....but paying that money for a 2- second M&G is insane. If you have that much extra cash laying around, buy a front row seat (or with today's prices, put it towards a front row seat).

I wouldn't necessarily buy into the interactive map, when available on tm, as showing all seats that are or will be for sale. We all know they hold seats back and drop them randomly or closer to show date (particularly good seats). It's also obvious that tm funnels seats directly to brokers and stub hub....so while it would seem they have been "sold" already so as to be available on the secondary market, that isn't really the case if they were funneled initially to those secondary sources.

I don't get why there seems to be such interest in Far Cry with a segue into something else or vice versa....they have played the hell out of Far Cry on every tour since S&A was released. It's a good song but I would rather hear something else off that album that hasn't been played or not as much. Mix it up...and if they do play it, at least get some new videos

very tough to pinpoint why it is mostly indoor arenas for this tour. I know locally here in South Florida where I live, Rush has tended to alternate tours between Cruzan Amphitheater (shed) and the BBT Center (hockey arena)...although this might be to hit slightly different client bases (Cruzan is in West Palm and BBT is in Sunrise). Obviously the tour management has large input into the venue of a show, as do scheduling and routing concerns. One other possibility worth mentioning is given their advanced age and recent chatter about how physically grueling tours are, it might be possible that they or their management opted for mostly indoor venues in order to avoid playing outside too many times this summer where it could be pretty hot/humid. Yes, I know most places are nowhere near as hot and humid as where I live, but it can be pretty brutal in several parts of the country during the summer months....even places like Chicago, New York etc. I know I would rather play 35 nights indoors during the summer from a physical exertion standpoint than outside in the potential heat and humidity. Who knows--it's all conjecture...most likely it is a combination of the various factors.

QUOTE (snowdog212 @ Jun 12 2010, 09:41 AM) I dont trust Craiglist at all. But about Stub Hub or any other broker if its the day of the show.How do you get tickets delivered to you? I never know if you can barter with broker for seat prices.Do you e-mail them with an offer? craigslist is very dicey--lots of scammers. I am very leery of it. Stubhub has what's called "last minute delivery"--it is a designated location near the venue where they have any tix that cannot be downloaded electronically. I've used it before with no issues at all. The ones I have been to are hotel lobby locations very close to the venues. Very easy. Just pay online and it gives you the address where to go and then you swing by on your way to the show. I think other broker sites have it as well (I am pretty sure ticketsnow does it also)

I am not disabled but this whole scam of able-bodied people using seats allocated for disabled people really bothers me. About 2 years ago, I bought 2 seats on stubhub for a west palm show. They were in the first row of the left front section. I was not aware that this was an area of the venue reserved for disabled people until I received the tix in the mail--which clearly reflected that they were for wheelchairs. I contacted stubhub and said I would return the tix and get my money back--because I am not disabled and didn't want to deprive someone who needs that seat. They fought me on it--I escalated it about 2-3 levels and finally got my money back and returned the seats. The point is that the problem is two-fold. First, the venue should not sell them unless proof of disability is somehow given. Second, able-bodied people should not buy or take them. I know this may be an altruistic view, but it's the right one.