driventotheedge Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Not sure this is in the correct forum so Mods, feel free to move if deemed necessary. OK, here goes.......Paul McCartney is making a tour stop in Seattle on July 19th this summer. I am absolutely a GIGANTIC fan of The Beatles and really, really like most of his work since the band dissolved in 1970. He's playing this concert at Safeco Field which is a large baseball stadium (it's where the Seattle Mariners play their home games.....seats roughly 47,000 for baseball. Looks to me like the stage will be set up near 2nd base with seats on the field and then all the stands around the field from 1st base line around to third base line, three levels up for sale so if I had a guess I'd say around 30,00- seats for the concert. The field seats which are obviously the best and most expensive seats and they are .....*gulp*.......$277 counting Ticketbastard rip-off service charges! Live Nation's website has the price breakdowns and there are definitely more affordable seats, but get too far off the field you'll end up watching it on the big screen cuz you'll be too far away if you do get most of the cheaper ones. Like I said, there is no bigger fan of Beatles. They always have been and always will be my all-time favorite band but damn man, these guys are starting to price me out of concerts. I paid $225 to see Waters do The Wall last year but had 12th row floor so thought it was worth it (it WAS amazing) but $277 for a baseball stadium show. Sorry Paul, even if I wasn't tied up that weekend, I wouldn't be going. Besides, not sure I'd have access to the good seats anyway since I'm not an AMEX card holder and don't have any of the other presale access. I think my concert attending is really going to become very selective from here on out. Rush down here in Portland cost me $110 including rip-off charges which is much more reasonable. Bob Seger was the same price. I have a decent paying job, am established financially but at some point you just gotta draw the line. $277 for floor in an arena for Sir Paul? Maybe. Same price in a baseball stadium? Um, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bathory Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 prices suck and they should be lower wish I could change things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSnwdog Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Supply and demand. If people stop going, prices will come down. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that yet. I miss the old days. I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushfanforever! Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Supply and demand. If people stop going, prices will come down. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that yet. I miss the old days. I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Only $18? Wow...boy how have times changed! Need to spend mega $$$ now just to guarantee a great floor seat...Not everyone can afford it now with the economy the way it is...it's the fault of the greedy ticket brokers; prices should be capped at a certain ceiling to prevent the outrageous prices that I've seen on StubHub for example. $1,500 for a first row tix...please!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nappy2112 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Supply and demand. If people stop going, prices will come down. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that yet. I miss the old days. I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( $10 here for Moving Pictures Tour... :codger: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adace1 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Yeah, I used to go pay extra to see the big bands but I just stopped. Fortunately, the smaller bands I like play at venues that don't use Ticketbastard and thus charge reasonable prices (usually $20-$30, sometimes even cheaper). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdFireYYZ Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I occasionally pay a lot for concerts but there are tons of concerts that interest me in the $20-$40 range. Last week I saw Yes for $20, and in two weeks I'll be seeing Steven Wilson, which cost me less than $30. Most of the really expensive shows tend to be arena shows. I'd rather spend my money to see a bunch of newer, upcoming artists (or conversely older bands that no longer draw large crowds) in smaller venues than say paying hundreds to see The Rolling Stones in a huge arena. With a few exceptions, Rush being one, it's just not worth it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Last week I saw Yes for $20, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyBlaze Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Crazy to think I paid $10.50 for the New World tour and thought it was expensive....but I guess it was at that time for a 5th grader. I think some get into the mindset of "You only live once", "I work hard so I deserve to spoil myself sometimes", "This might be the last chance to se this band", etc. so the ticket-selling vultures jack their prices into stratospheres of rape and absurdity. I don't give a shit how financially secure someone is, nobody should pay those prices. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfmoran13 Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 1st Concert - KI$$ at Madison Square Garden in December 1985... $12.50. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Some of the past few shows I've been to (Rush, Roger Waters, The Big 4) have averaged about $85-90 apiece. And, those haven't even been super spectacular seats. At the height of my concert-going days (mid- to late-90's), I was hitting over 20 shows a year. Now, with a kid, a mortgage and ticket prices being what they are, if I go to 3-4 shows in a year, it's a lot. I've been to one so far this year (Anthrax/ Testament - free admission for me) and I don't have any other shows in sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syrinx Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 My first concert in 1974 was $7.00 I think! The Guess Who. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driventotheedge Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 (edited) My first concert in 1974 was $7.00 I think! The Guess Who.Mine was Grand Funk Railroad around the same time. Cost, $5.00. Look, I get that the productions and sound are light years beyond what they were in the mid-70s and I'm not unhappy paying in the neighborhood of $100-$125 for a 2 1/2-3 hour show. But shit Paul, you're a billionaire and your old lady is worth more than you. You don't need the fukking money that badly man. Price your baseball stadium show at a level that's reasonable. Edited April 11, 2013 by driventotheedge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 First concert - Fillmore East - Spirit, Kinks and Bonzo Dog Band - $5.00 - in 1969. Now those were the days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CygnusX-1Bk2 Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I was just reading about Stones tickets in my local "paper" and have read they are charging upwards of $1500-$2500 for good seats (face value). KISS has been charging $1500 for the front rows for a while now. The problem isn't the bands it's idiots who were willing to overpay scalpers for the past 2 decades. The bands are merely claiming monies that others have been capitalizing on for decades. My first big show was KISS in '79 which was general admission @ $8.50. I remember thinking that $34 for Rush was getting expensive in the 90's. The Eagles were the first serious gougers when they returned in '94. They were the first tickets I remember being over $100. McCartney in 1990 were around $35 for medium distance in a large stadium of 35k seater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangy Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yeah, I used to go pay extra to see the big bands but I just stopped. Fortunately, the smaller bands I like play at venues that don't use Ticketbastard and thus charge reasonable prices (usually $20-$30, sometimes even cheaper). right on, the upcoming bands at small venues are the best. has anyone read about the kid rock tour? i dig very few of his tunes but what he is doing seems cool. you can read the details elesewhere but apparently he has teamed up with wal-mart to do a $20 flat fee tour. i guess the traditional ticket brokers passed and while i typically dislike mall wart, this idea is cool. half the tour will be with kool and the gang, the other half with zz top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driventotheedge Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 First concert - Fillmore East - Spirit, Kinks and Bonzo Dog Band - $5.00 - in 1969. Now those were the days!Spirit? Wow!! You are most fortunate (and I am most jealous) and IIRC '69 was still the original band. I saw The Kinks in '85ish and they were still very, very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 First concert - Fillmore East - Spirit, Kinks and Bonzo Dog Band - $5.00 - in 1969. Now those were the days!Spirit? Wow!! You are most fortunate (and I am most jealous) and IIRC '69 was still the original band. I saw The Kinks in '85ish and they were still very, very good. I am always happy to meet another Spirit fan as there aren't many. Back then, there was so much competition, that they sort of fell behind. But I had all of their albums back then. As for the Kinks, by the time I saw them, they were already "has-beens" which is why the lead group that night at the Fillmore was Spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driventotheedge Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) First concert - Fillmore East - Spirit, Kinks and Bonzo Dog Band - $5.00 - in 1969. Now those were the days!Spirit? Wow!! You are most fortunate (and I am most jealous) and IIRC '69 was still the original band. I saw The Kinks in '85ish and they were still very, very good. I am always happy to meet another Spirit fan as there aren't many. Back then, there was so much competition, that they sort of fell behind. But I had all of their albums back then. As for the Kinks, by the time I saw them, they were already "has-beens" which is why the lead group that night at the Fillmore was Spirit.Has-beens before Lola. LOL Spirit was a very underrated band. A friend of mine in Jr. High had an older brother that was heavily into them which is how I got introduced. I actually saw them in I believe '95 in Encinitas, CA. It was Randy, Ed and a bass/keyboard player named Scott Monahan. They were OK but nothing like I'm guessing what you saw in '69. I've heard a few boots from that era and they sounded very, very good. RIP Ed Cassidy. Edited April 12, 2013 by driventotheedge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony R Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Supply and demand. If people stop going, prices will come down. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that yet. I miss the old days. I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Only $18? Wow...boy how have times changed! Need to spend mega $$$ now just to guarantee a great floor seat...Not everyone can afford it now with the economy the way it is...it's the fault of the greedy ticket brokers; prices should be capped at a certain ceiling to prevent the outrageous prices that I've seen on StubHub for example. $1,500 for a first row tix...please!!! I paid £3.50 for Rush in 1977, that's around $5 I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus 2112 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I've spent $140.25 for a second tier ticket at the end of the arena to see the Who in 2006 and last June I paid $75.00 to join the KISS ARMY and get pre-sale tickets on the floor for $195 each.` Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritz44 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I paid £1.50 (about $3) to see AC/DC in '78, my first gig. First Rush gig in '79 was about £3.50 - 4.00. I paid not far short of £150 (don't tell the wife) for Glasgow tickets on 30th May. How times have changed. Last time i saw AC/DC, we had to join the fan club for £?? and then £60. for tickets. It gets worse - a crowd surfer broke my glasses, another £250. I hate stadium/arena gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geddyforlife Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Supply and demand. If people stop going, prices will come down. Unfortunately, we haven't seen that yet. I miss the old days. I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( $10 here for Moving Pictures Tour... :codger: yeah...but are you accounting for inflation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geddyforlife Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Did you know that is a 700% inflation increase since the mid 80's!?!?!?! Holy Crap. I wish my raises were like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geddyforlife Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 (edited) I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Did you know that is a 700% inflation increase since the mid 80's!?!?!?! Holy Crap. I wish my raises were like that! What cost $18 in 1988 should cost $34.40 in 2012. Now that is a dose of reality for ya isn't it. Shows you how inflated the tix really are! Edited April 15, 2013 by geddyforlife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSnwdog Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I think I paid $18 to see Rush during the Power Windows tour. :( Did you know that is a 700% inflation increase since the mid 80's!?!?!?! Holy Crap. I wish my raises were like that! What cost $18 in 1988 should cost $34.40 in 2012. Now that is a dose of reality for ya isn't it. Shows you how inflated the tix really are! It's disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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