1 post tagged “concerts”
One of my favorite acts of all time is coming to my town. The Who (which is now just Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend) are playing in support of their upcoming album Endless Wire at the Xcel Energy Center on December 8th.
Now, so far no specific ticket details for this show, but I checked the surrounding shows that are going on sale and....
tickets are upper level $87 to $127 and lower level $177 to $202.
Ugh.
And to top that off, if I want presale access to good seats, I have to pay $60 to join the fan club thing.
First, this fan club thing. I understand the thinking behind this increasingly popular trend for bands is to try and curb ticket scalping. Make the good seats available for fans. All noble reasons. But that isn't the reason. By charging $60 to gain access to $202 seats, all they are doing is cutting out the middle-man and doing the scalping themselves.
Honestly, is a fan like me (and mainly the Who fan in residence, my wife) supposed to be ok with laying out $500 for a couple hours of entertainment? This isn't a Broadway opening, or a high-brow charity event.....it's a rock concert at a hockey arena.
I'm sure it's all about the high cost of a travelling giant rock show and blah blah blah....but really, at these average ticket prices, tickets gross around $2 million for just this one show. How much of that is actually paying touring costs and direct labor? And if it's like the last Who tour, it's not like it's some giant complicated stage setup....The Who is about Pete's guitar, Roger's voice, some of the greatest rock songs written, and seeing/hearing that up close and personal.
And besides, Bob Dylan is playing the Xcel soon as well. Tickets are $35 upper and $75 lower. and that's with an interesting/quality opener like the Foo Fighters. Do these prices mean Bob, Dave Grohl, and the promoters are going hungry? For my entertainment dollar the Dylan prices are about what I am willing to pay for legend-level entertainment.
But not $500.
I have seen my share of Who shows...nearly all great performances. My wife has seen more, including ones with Kieth Moon.....The Who's music has always had a special place in my heart, so missing this just makes me plain sad.
