It was nice when you could go see a huge band like Van Halen or Rush for 20 bucks. You could get your ticket. T-shirt. Kick in for gas and buy some herbal refreshments. Times have changed. Lol
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When you think that next bass is "too expensive"...
- Thread starter Rabidhamster
- Start date
I like Pearl Jam, but I don't twenty-eight-hundred-dollars-like Pearl Jam.
I wouldn't have paid that much to hang out with Rush! One of my best friends and collaborators is a big PJ fan and always wanting to sneak one of their tunes into the set. As a pure gesture of friendship, I'll humor him from time to time but really find no joy in playing their arrangements. To me, it's Neil Young, but in different packaging. Bores me to tears.
Lol just paid 300 for Gabriel tickets and couldn't believe I actually did it. Good to know it's not even particularly gouging anymore!Wow.
And to think I (reluctantly) passed on seeing McCartney at the Denver Pepsi Center back in the day 'cos I couldn't see paying $300+ @ for decent seats. That's peanuts nowadays.
In a way, I'm almost glad there are no big music venues where I live now...
What's with all the Pearl Jam bashing? I don't know the bass player's name, but HE must be the most underrated bass player of all time! 
This is like buying a second hand Geddy Lee Jazz bass on ebay for $10,000 and ragging on Fender about the pricing … or blaming Geddy. Geeesch!
We saw them in Lisbon at the beginning of their fateful tour that ended a few days later in Sweden. We were seated way in the back, it was loud and distorted and we'd never heard of them before. Fortunately someone in the row in front of us, with a great voice, sang along with every song and every word and helped us to enjoy it.
This is like buying a second hand Geddy Lee Jazz bass on ebay for $10,000 and ragging on Fender about the pricing … or blaming Geddy. Geeesch!
We saw them in Lisbon at the beginning of their fateful tour that ended a few days later in Sweden. We were seated way in the back, it was loud and distorted and we'd never heard of them before. Fortunately someone in the row in front of us, with a great voice, sang along with every song and every word and helped us to enjoy it.
The memories keep flooding back;
Jethro Tull / The Flock Drew university 2.50
The Who Union Catholic High School, also Cream in the same school. 2.50 ea
I considered going to Pearl Jam. Got in the verified fan lottery. Did not get a code and was wait-listed. Then I got off the wait list and tickets in good locations were about 1K each. I think it's the Ticketmaster algorithm that sets these types of prices if the artist allows it. Way too much money for me to see any band. Most I have paid was $300 a ticket to see Elton John a few months back as a surprise for my wife. Face value. Front row. That was worth it but something like that would be a once in a while splurge.
Taylor Swift is selling out 3-day shows in big cities with people flying in and paying for hotel rooms, on top of paying stupid ticket prices. I dont get it, and i love music. The only thing I'd pay more than $300 for would be if someone could take me back to the 70s to see live shows.
Turnaround
Commercial User
Times have changed a bit. In 1969 I attended a festival in Toronto that was a two day event. Tickets were $6 per day, or both days for $10. On the bill were:
Alice Cooper
Eric Anderson
The Band
Johnny Winter
The Velvet Underground
Sly and the Family Stone
Procol Harum
Ronnie Hawkins
Chuck Berry
Blood Sweat and Tears
Dr. John
Steppenwolf
José Feliciano
and others.
Seemed a reasonable price at the time. Now I would gladly spend $10 to see any one of them.
Alice Cooper
Eric Anderson
The Band
Johnny Winter
The Velvet Underground
Sly and the Family Stone
Procol Harum
Ronnie Hawkins
Chuck Berry
Blood Sweat and Tears
Dr. John
Steppenwolf
José Feliciano
and others.
Seemed a reasonable price at the time. Now I would gladly spend $10 to see any one of them.
My wife and I saw Paul McCartney in Lima, Peru five or six years ago for 30-40 bucks each. I saw Roger Waters here four years ago for about the same price.
For most if not all bands from back in the day I believe that what most people are paying for is not to see them play, as much as just to be in the room with them. Tickets for those kinds of shows long ago passed the "no rock concert is worth that" level. Meanwhile, often as not the show is the artist doing a tribute band show of themself. (I don't know if that applies to Pearl Jam, who are one band I could imagine not doing that, but I'm not going to pay their ticket prices, even "regular" ticket prices, just to find out.)
March 1976. My mother bought tickets for my sister and I to see Neil Diamond and his band do the Hot August Night show in Perth Western Australia.
All three of us sat together, five rows back from the stage, right in front of Neil. The music, the performance, the players, the sound coming off the stage... everything was impeccable. The whole show sounded exactly like the (Hot August Night) album. The band opened with Crunchy Granola Suite, and it blew my mind. The drummer in particular (Dennis St John) was amazing. Forty-seven years later and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
The ticket price to see Neil and band at the height of his powers? $13.00. Adjusting for inflation, that's about $70.00.
Meanwhile back in the present. Even if they put on a show in Perth, you'd have to pay me $2800 to see Pearl Jam.
Let's break it down:
All three of us sat together, five rows back from the stage, right in front of Neil. The music, the performance, the players, the sound coming off the stage... everything was impeccable. The whole show sounded exactly like the (Hot August Night) album. The band opened with Crunchy Granola Suite, and it blew my mind. The drummer in particular (Dennis St John) was amazing. Forty-seven years later and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
The ticket price to see Neil and band at the height of his powers? $13.00. Adjusting for inflation, that's about $70.00.
Meanwhile back in the present. Even if they put on a show in Perth, you'd have to pay me $2800 to see Pearl Jam.
Let's break it down:
- Two hours' drive to and from the concert.
- Four hours at the concert.
- $100 in fuel there and back.
- $250 for O/N accommodation (ten hours).
- Pay $2800 less expenses ($350 for fuel/accommodation) = $2450
- $2450 divided by 18 hours away from home = $136hr.
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I'll stick with the overwhelmingly positive experience of having groceries for the next 9 months.
I do not understand the Taylor Swift phenomenon. Wasn't it just a few years ago that she even had issues with her pitch.
Thats in Austin, I've been surprised before with other bands / tours where the Vegas show or similar would theoretically be less expensive for similar seating.
Agreed. That's a lot of pressure to have a good time with a stadium pit full of sweaty people leaning on you.
The Pearl Jam prices cited by the OP are outrageous but also keep in mind that the paradigm has shifted and there is very little money in album sales/streams these days for all but the most elite artists. Concerts used to be the way to promote and sell your album which was the money maker. So a cheaper concert ticket was like getting fans to pay a fee to see you and then the band had to convince the fan to buy the album. That logic no longer applies.
So yeah, concert prices have skyrocketed but I don't know many people buying dozens of CDs/records a year at 15-20 bucks a pop.
So yeah, concert prices have skyrocketed but I don't know many people buying dozens of CDs/records a year at 15-20 bucks a pop.
devnulljp
Supporting Member
Peter Gabriel was the most expensive show I went to when I was a kid. Must have been 1983ish.
Ticket was £6.50 compared to £3~3.50 for everyone else. Didn't go see the Rolling Stones because ticket was £15, which was just crazy money to go see a band.
I'm all about spending money on experiences rather than things, but that's one experience you'd have to pay me to have.
Oh hell no! Not only do I NOT have that kind of disposable income, but there are plenty of really good tribute acts for bands I love around that play the songs I want to hear.
As if those multi-millionaire rock stars need the money with those outrageous prices!!
