I get a sense that some of the negative comments are being influenced by a lot of anger about the ticket prices.

I wonder if the ticket prices were much, much lower, if we would still be seeing all the negative comments about a 60 second clip from this show.

[*] If they kept the ticket prices at ABB levels, we would not be complaining to this degree.
[*] If these four shows were announced as the 'final Stones concerts of all time' then they could charge $1000/head and call it a day.
[*] If they are playing 4 hours every night, they can charge these prices.

We're all fans. Every single person on this forum is a fan. Unlike the casual fan who only knows the hits, most of us on this board have every single album, lots of singles, tons of bootlegs, and will go to see them every time we have the opportunity. That being said... After providing the Stones thousands upon thousands of dollars over my 29 years of life, the PPV will likely be the last dollar they get from me, unless they offer reasonable ticket prices to gigs in 2013.

I remember paying $350/seat for good tickets back in 02... I worked at a summer camp and spent every time I had on tickets. Several close friends gave me a hard time about it... "Why don't you find a new favorite band? One that you can actually email and get a reply from?" I laughed at the thought of a band replacing the Stones, but their point was still the same. The Stones are a giant giant giant company. They are buddies with Ticketmaster/ClearChannel and every other major monopoly within the entertainment industry.

So now come these four gigs, which are part of '50 and Counting' with insane prices. They simply have stopped earning my money, or the money of most of the 'industry' people I know. I work in 'the business', and although almost everyone I know is a Stones fan, none of us are willing to pay those prices for 'decent' seats. First 50 rows for $1000, sure, but the majority of the venue??? Screw that.

We all still love the band. The difference is that most of us do not worship Mick. We have families that would benefit from $1000, rather than spending it on 2 hours of music.

With all the money I've seen others spend on drugs, alcohol, gambling, expensive clothes, luxury cars, art, vacations and fancy restaurants its all about perceived value. I don't like the high ticket prices either... Nobody is forcing me to go and me bitching about it is not going to make ticket prices any cheaper. It is a real struggle for me to afford tickets, hotels etc.etc. but I'm going regardless.

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its good to be anywhere
With all the money I've seen others spend on drugs, alcohol, gambling, expensive clothes, luxury cars, art, vacations and fancy restaurants its all about perceived value. I don't like the high ticket prices either... Nobody is forcing me to go and me bitching about it is not going to make ticket prices any cheaper. It is a real struggle for me to afford tickets, hotels etc.etc. but I'm going regardless.

It's just than rich want and will be richer and the stones are in that case. It's like companies which make more and more earnings and in the same time make cuts to give more to their shareholders. Good example, is the next gig at Mogador for a private company. If tomorrow they think it is the best way to give shows for companies which would pay for that, it should be adios for you and me to go a show.

lets face it its the same show with new window dressing, look at the last five songs , cmon

I first so The Stones at Hyge Park then on every tour since.After many years one child came along named after Keith middle name Richard, He became a fan and came along So it was wife me & child Then later on anther child a girl this time and yes she became a fan so then it was 4 tickets per show.
Got real good tickets for last tour for all 4 of us.
But now it gets worse all the kids married so now its phone calls Hi dad have we got tickets yet for now 6 people how on earth can a poor boy get 6 tickets for the 02 shows without robbing a bank.
Thanks Ticketmaster now even the kids think the Stones are ripping off there fans.
Good job they listen to me I tell them its not The Stones its The internet that has fu**ed up the world.

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melillo
lets face it its the same show with new window dressing, look at the last five songs , cmon

Exactly. I can't criticize their playing that much, Shattered and even more Whip sounded quite ok in this clip...better than I expected anyway.

BUT...there is nothing, simply NOTHING there that suggests any kind of re-invention, going into a new or at least slightly different direction, back to the blues, back to the roots or whatever that could tempt me to shell out the big bucks this time. Just seeing them again for old times' sake is not enough for me...

The songs played were all played during the last couple of tours, and then there's the new one, D&G, replacing Rough Justice on the setlist, but sounding very much the same.

The upcoming shows will be good, possibly even great to some extent, but after the dust has settled everyone will notice that they were just the same old, same old.

Not disagreeing with the complaints or arguments about why longtime fans do not want to go, but my point was more about how the ticket prices and all the anger behind it seem to be tainting a lot of people's views of their performance from that brief clip.

I liked it, I like how they finally slowed JJF down to how it was on Ya's Ya's versus the way too fast versions of late. My original point was more that if the prices were what most fans considered reasonable, I think there would be more of an overwhelming sense of excitement that they are actually playing again, and playing well for a group of 70 year olds.

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Jimmy C
Not disagreeing with the complaints or arguments about why longtime fans do not want to go, but my point was more about how the ticket prices and all the anger behind it seem to be tainting a lot of people's views of their performance from that brief clip.

I liked it, I like how they finally slowed JJF down to how it was on Ya's Ya's versus the way too fast versions of late. My original point was more that if the prices were what most fans considered reasonable, I think there would be more of an overwhelming sense of excitement that they are actually playing again, and playing well for a group of 70 year olds.

Jimmy, I think you're right and everyone else is wrong.

The band sounded great...loved the slowed down JJF.

The ticket prices are (understandably) skewing people's views. Who knows what they'll sound like for the upcoming 4 shows but I'll definitely be checking it out on PPV if it's available....and hope for a tour next year, with reasonable pricing.