BuffettNews.com

http://www.freep.com/article/20130808/ENT/308080187/
Kid Rock's gamble on cheap tickets wakes up concert industry
Answers some questions about guarantees most acts take.

So, Jimmy, do you want bigger crowds, thanks to cheaper tickets, and more shows or the status quo?

Hey, I remember the '80s - or most of them.

Another Jimmy wrote:http://www.freep.com/article/20130808/ENT/308080187/
Kid Rock's gamble on cheap tickets wakes up concert industry
Answers some questions about guarantees most acts take.

So, Jimmy, do you want bigger crowds, thanks to cheaper tickets, and more shows or the status quo?

Hey, I remember the '80s - or most of them.

I'm not a Kid Rock fan in the least but I do admire him for taking this stance. Unfortunately, not every artist can afford to do so.

Not every artist can afford to do it, but I know one other that could.

pbans wrote:Not every artist can afford to do it, but I know one other that could.

I've seen folks like Pearl Jam and String Cheese Incident really go to bat for their fans when it comes to high ticket prices and exorbitant fees but have also seen plenty, like Buffett, who never have. There's also those that actively battle scalpers like Springsteen and the aforementioned String Cheese Incident but I never seem to see Buffett's name in those conversations. His name is more closely associated with the building of his business empire. As I've said many times, there's nothing inherently the matter with that but there's a certain segment of the population that thinks of those things first rather than his music. That's an aspect of Buffett that I find unfortunate.

I saw Kid Rock at Great Woods this summer. Kid Rock can "afford" to sell tickets for 20$ because Jim Beam and Chevy Trucks and other endorsements were able to show their commercials during the show on the big screens. The concert would literally stop to show a commercial. During the concert, in between songs, Kid Rock would take a sip from a Jim Beam bottle and say something like, "Man, that is the best tasting bourbon in the world . . ." You can view this however you want. I would prefer full price tickets without the commercials.

drunkpirate66 wrote:I saw Kid Rock at Great Woods this summer. Kid Rock can "afford" to sell tickets for 20$ because Jim Beam and Chevy Trucks and other endorsements were able to show their commercials during the show on the big screens. The concert would literally stop to show a commercial. During the concert, in between songs, Kid Rock would take a sip from a Jim Beam bottle and say something like, "Man, that is the best tasting bourbon in the world . . ." You can view this however you want. I would prefer full price tickets without the commercials.

Agreed.....as far as Buffett goes. I know that with him it's no longer about the music. I still enjoy the show, but more importantly the new friends I have met.

drunkpirate66 wrote:I saw Kid Rock at Great Woods this summer. Kid Rock can "afford" to sell tickets for 20$ because Jim Beam and Chevy Trucks and other endorsements were able to show their commercials during the show on the big screens. The concert would literally stop to show a commercial. During the concert, in between songs, Kid Rock would take a sip from a Jim Beam bottle and say something like, "Man, that is the best tasting bourbon in the world . . ." You can view this however you want. I would prefer full price tickets without the commercials.

It's like .... commenting in a thread,
even though you have nothing really to add to the conversation
just so your signature promoting your book appears again.

So annoying.

surfpirate wrote:

drunkpirate66 wrote:I saw Kid Rock at Great Woods this summer. Kid Rock can "afford" to sell tickets for 20$ because Jim Beam and Chevy Trucks and other endorsements were able to show their commercials during the show on the big screens. The concert would literally stop to show a commercial. During the concert, in between songs, Kid Rock would take a sip from a Jim Beam bottle and say something like, "Man, that is the best tasting bourbon in the world . . ." You can view this however you want. I would prefer full price tickets without the commercials.

It's like .... commenting in a thread,
even though you have nothing really to add to the conversation
just so your signature promoting your book appears again.

So annoying.

Shameless hussy.

lime rickie wrote:

surfpirate wrote:

drunkpirate66 wrote:I saw Kid Rock at Great Woods this summer. Kid Rock can "afford" to sell tickets for 20$ because Jim Beam and Chevy Trucks and other endorsements were able to show their commercials during the show on the big screens. The concert would literally stop to show a commercial. During the concert, in between songs, Kid Rock would take a sip from a Jim Beam bottle and say something like, "Man, that is the best tasting bourbon in the world . . ." You can view this however you want. I would prefer full price tickets without the commercials.

It's like .... commenting in a thread,
even though you have nothing really to add to the conversation
just so your signature promoting your book appears again.

So annoying.

Shameless hussy.

And at what fine establishments can we purchase this literary masterpiece at again? I already own a copy which I LOVE and plan to order more as Christmas gifts. It's this year tickle me Elmo!

Bottom line is if you can't afford to go you won't. Jimmy's crowds have shrunk slightly and there are usually tickets available up until the show. $250-$90 plus fee seats will do that. Jimmy has advertising too even if it's a little more subtle. Landshark is always pimped on signs and oft mentioned.

When the arena's start being 2/3 full either the price will drop or he will hang them up.

As an aside I saw Chris Izaak last night 5th row dead center for $60. Great show, that band is tight and he is a showman. Values are out there.

LiveandletLiver wrote:Bottom line is if you can't afford to go you won't. Jimmy's crowds have shrunk slightly and there are usually tickets available up until the show. $250-$90 plus fee seats will do that. Jimmy has advertising too even if it's a little more subtle. Landshark is always pimped on signs and oft mentioned.

When the arena's start being 2/3 full either the price will drop or he will hang them up.

As an aside I saw Chris Izaak last night 5th row dead center for $60. Great show, that band is tight and he is a showman. Values are out there.

I loved the record he did when he recorded songs from the Sun Records years

As a teenager (mid-70s) I didn't want to pay $6-8 for lawns at the Arts Center. So we jumped the fence instead.

Meanwhile I read that lawns for Rod Stewart there recently have been are around $150.

lime rickie wrote:As a teenager (mid-70s) I didn't want to pay $6-8 for lawns at the Arts Center. So we jumped the fence instead.

Meanwhile I read that lawns for Rod Stewart there recently have been are around $150.

Rod puts on a great show, but not for $150 lawn...wow

We can all blame one of the greats for starting this trend. Back in 1994 when the Eagles had the Hell Freezes over tour... They were the first to charge $40 for a lawn seat. Where as the most it would cost to sit in lawn anywhere would be $20, and that was usually the most. I have stubs from the same time period, where I paid like 15 dollars for a lawn seat for aerosmith, who now charges over $125 for a ticket. I even have a stub from a Tom Petty show I went to where we paid under $10 for a lawn seat.

Most of the bands that come to Walnut Creek in Raleigh these days are of the mainstream country variety as that's their biggest draw (a notable exception is the upcoming Allman Brothers/Steve Winwood bill). I love country music but really have no desire to see the majority of the mainstream stuff unless it's someone like Willie Nelson (who's back at the DPAC in Durham soon). Meanwhile, there's shows by Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Robert Plant, Tift Merritt that are around $25 before service charges (tickets for Guy are closer to $40), usually in much more intimate venues than the Creek. I'd sooner see an artist in that setting anyway. Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to ride the nostalgia train. I have no desire to see them to start with but I really have no desire to see what is essentially an overpriced oldies act that's out to squeeze every last dime out of their back catalog, especially on the heels of The History of the Eagles documentary that aired on Showtime earlier this year.

Tiki Torches wrote:Most of the bands that come to Walnut Creek in Raleigh these days are of the mainstream country variety as that's their biggest draw (a notable exception is the upcoming Allman Brothers/Steve Winwood bill). I love country music but really have no desire to see the majority of the mainstream stuff unless it's someone like Willie Nelson (who's back at the DPAC in Durham soon). Meanwhile, there's shows by Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Robert Plant, Tift Merritt that are around $25 before service charges (tickets for Guy are closer to $40), usually in much more intimate venues than the Creek. I'd sooner see an artist in that setting anyway. Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to ride the nostalgia train. I have no desire to see them to start with but I really have no desire to see what is essentially an overpriced oldies act that's out to squeeze every last dime out of their back catalog, especially on the heels of The History of the Eagles documentary that aired on Showtime earlier this year.

I felt the same way about the Eagles but my wife wanted to see them so I went along. We saw them at the Hollywood Bowl and it was a great show. They are a tight band and have written some great songs. I don't care if the are squeezing every last dime they are doing it by playing a solid show and giving value for the ticket price.

LiveandletLiver wrote:

Tiki Torches wrote:Most of the bands that come to Walnut Creek in Raleigh these days are of the mainstream country variety as that's their biggest draw (a notable exception is the upcoming Allman Brothers/Steve Winwood bill). I love country music but really have no desire to see the majority of the mainstream stuff unless it's someone like Willie Nelson (who's back at the DPAC in Durham soon). Meanwhile, there's shows by Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Robert Plant, Tift Merritt that are around $25 before service charges (tickets for Guy are closer to $40), usually in much more intimate venues than the Creek. I'd sooner see an artist in that setting anyway. Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to ride the nostalgia train. I have no desire to see them to start with but I really have no desire to see what is essentially an overpriced oldies act that's out to squeeze every last dime out of their back catalog, especially on the heels of The History of the Eagles documentary that aired on Showtime earlier this year.

I felt the same way about the Eagles but my wife wanted to see them so I went along. We saw them at the Hollywood Bowl and it was a great show. They are a tight band and have written some great songs. I don't care if the are squeezing every last dime they are doing it by playing a solid show and giving value for the ticket price.

Which is all perfectly fine but considering I've never been much of a fan to start with, I really have no desire to see them. I remember when the Hell Freezes Over special first aired on either MTV or VH1, I watched a bit of that but I'm not really into bands that recreate the sound of their studio records note for note. That kind of defeats the purpose of seeing them live. On the upside, they do have Bernie Leadon on the road with them for this current tour. I believe he was a huge part of what made their early records such a success.

Back to the $20 ticket thing, these days I'm much more apt to see bands (known and unknown) in area clubs and theatres rather than large venues like Walnut Creek. I'm not completely opposed to that, especially when it comes to someone like the Allman Brothers but I attend far more concerts in smaller venues these days and actually prefer that experience. To that end, I'm really looking forward to seeing Steve Earle at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh later this month. He doesn't normally play venues that small, he's doing it on this tour for the intimacy it provides. Last time he was through here, he played the much larger DPAC in Durham. I also really enjoyed seeing Robert Plant at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary earlier this summer. Tickets for that were $25 with no service charges.

Tiki Torches wrote:

LiveandletLiver wrote:

Tiki Torches wrote:Most of the bands that come to Walnut Creek in Raleigh these days are of the mainstream country variety as that's their biggest draw (a notable exception is the upcoming Allman Brothers/Steve Winwood bill). I love country music but really have no desire to see the majority of the mainstream stuff unless it's someone like Willie Nelson (who's back at the DPAC in Durham soon). Meanwhile, there's shows by Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Robert Plant, Tift Merritt that are around $25 before service charges (tickets for Guy are closer to $40), usually in much more intimate venues than the Creek. I'd sooner see an artist in that setting anyway. Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to ride the nostalgia train. I have no desire to see them to start with but I really have no desire to see what is essentially an overpriced oldies act that's out to squeeze every last dime out of their back catalog, especially on the heels of The History of the Eagles documentary that aired on Showtime earlier this year.

I felt the same way about the Eagles but my wife wanted to see them so I went along. We saw them at the Hollywood Bowl and it was a great show. They are a tight band and have written some great songs. I don't care if the are squeezing every last dime they are doing it by playing a solid show and giving value for the ticket price.

Which is all perfectly fine but considering I've never been much of a fan to start with, I really have no desire to see them. I remember when the Hell Freezes Over special first aired on either MTV or VH1, I watched a bit of that but I'm not really into bands that recreate the sound of their studio records note for note. That kind of defeats the purpose of seeing them live. On the upside, they do have Bernie Leadon on the road with them for this current tour. I believe he was a huge part of what made their early records such a success.

Back to the $20 ticket thing, these days I'm much more apt to see bands (known and unknown) in area clubs and theatres rather than large venues like Walnut Creek. I'm not completely opposed to that, especially when it comes to someone like the Allman Brothers but I attend far more concerts in smaller venues these days and actually prefer that experience. To that end, I'm really looking forward to seeing Steve Earle at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh later this month. He doesn't normally play venues that small, he's doing it on this tour for the intimacy it provides. Last time he was through here, he played the much larger DPAC in Durham. I also really enjoyed seeing Robert Plant at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary earlier this summer. Tickets for that were $25 with no service charges.

We have a small theater in State College, PA called the State Theater. It's a great small venue. I have seen Steve Earle (multiple times), John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Jake Shimabukuro, Roseanne Cash, all there over the last 8 years. It's a great intimate little theater. I've even seen Verlon Thompson perform in State College in a small yoga studio believe it or not that only sat 80 people. I'm with you 100%, though I do enjoy a big venue concert, I prefer the small theater setting shows. Enjoy Steve Earle, it's a great show with the Dukes and Duchesses.

The show Steve Earle is playing here is at the Lincoln Theatre, a bar. It's one of (if not the) largest club in Raleigh so it's definitely much smaller than the DPAC in Durham. Several years ago, he played (solo) at the Artscenter in Carrboro when he was out in support of his Townes album. It's also considerably smaller than the DPAC. The band I'm going to be seeing him with here is the Dukes, Allison Moorer evidently isn't on this tour. The Mastersons, who are also in his band, open the show. They were with him last time as well. There was no opening act, it was more like a "revue" where the band members (including Allison) did individual sets with the Dukes prior to Earle taking the stage for the main set.

Nighthawk wrote:We can all blame one of the greats for starting this trend. Back in 1994 when the Eagles had the Hell Freezes over tour... They were the first to charge $40 for a lawn seat. Where as the most it would cost to sit in lawn anywhere would be $20, and that was usually the most. I have stubs from the same time period, where I paid like 15 dollars for a lawn seat for aerosmith, who now charges over $125 for a ticket. I even have a stub from a Tom Petty show I went to where we paid under $10 for a lawn seat.

the Eagles charged $30 or $35 for Shoreline (third night of the tour)

Someone we know, sold them for $75