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Gibson668
Something else that has happened over the recent years, in my opinion, is that concerts, in general, have become 'events' so as to attract customers that wouldn't normally have gone. I'm sure, in days of old, there weren't 'Hospitality Packages'..'Golden Circles'.. 'Glamping' at Glastonbury etc...but the promoters have identified a market and now exploit it.
It leaves someone who's a genuine fan stuck in the middle..The concerts these days are generally so large, that for me, being stuck at the back of a stadium or field means nothing...there's no connection with the band, their large video screen and wind blown sound system..I really cant justify the prices charged for the better areas..so don't go..
I've rediscovered my enjoyment of 'live music' by seeing bands play in smaller venues, pubs and clubs.
It is a shame it's changed like this..and I feel for those who spent their hard earned money on what should have been something special for them.

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Gibson668
Something else that has happened over the recent years, in my opinion, is that concerts, in general, have become 'events' so as to attract customers that wouldn't normally have gone. I'm sure, in days of old, there weren't 'Hospitality Packages'..'Golden Circles'.. 'Glamping' at Glastonbury etc...but the promoters have identified a market and now exploit it.
It leaves someone who's a genuine fan stuck in the middle..The concerts these days are generally so large, that for me, being stuck at the back of a stadium or field means nothing...there's no connection with the band, their large video screen and wind blown sound system..I really cant justify the prices charged for the better areas..so don't go..
I've rediscovered my enjoyment of 'live music' by seeing bands play in smaller venues, pubs and clubs.
It is a shame it's changed like this..and I feel for those who spent their hard earned money on what should have been something special for them.

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Doxa
In the end of the day I see the biggest problem here that people thought that you can buy that - a freeride for being in the front of stage - like you can do in "normal" surroundings - seated arenas/stadiums. They were fooled to think so, and it is totally immoral and criminal. But a the same time I wonder how much people are pissed off not only that they were fooled but that the whole scenario is not possible - there is no way you can do that: buy your place in the sun. If you want to be in that spot the only option is the old traditional one: come early and run for your life. That's the impression I have gotten of some posts in the thread dedicated to that fiasco. It is only that reason why the cheated ones are not willing to take the option of having a refund and a 3 tier ticket. They want to have it all, as they were lead to expect. But it is not simply possible this time.

So I think there is a clash of "concert cultures": the expectations based on a "normal" Stones gig are applied to the extarordinary gig.

- Doxa

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Seb91

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Doxa
In the end of the day I see the biggest problem here that people thought that you can buy that - a freeride for being in the front of stage - like you can do in "normal" surroundings - seated arenas/stadiums. They were fooled to think so, and it is totally immoral and criminal. But a the same time I wonder how much people are pissed off not only that they were fooled but that the whole scenario is not possible - there is no way you can do that: buy your place in the sun. If you want to be in that spot the only option is the old traditional one: come early and run for your life. That's the impression I have gotten of some posts in the thread dedicated to that fiasco. It is only that reason why the cheated ones are not willing to take the option of having a refund and a 3 tier ticket. They want to have it all, as they were lead to expect. But it is not simply possible this time.

So I think there is a clash of "concert cultures": the expectations based on a "normal" Stones gig are applied to the extarordinary gig.

- Doxa

Well, at Hyde Park there is/was a precedent for doing a 'golden circle', as per the original layout. When I saw Queen in 2005 there was a golden circle so you could, technically, buy a ticket that got you closer to the stage. The Diamond circle is a new thing though.

It is possible to do it like an arena/stadium show with different sections although of course there are no reserved spots within those sections.

The problem here seems to be that they're trying to please everyone. It is an odd layout. I wonder if they'll just revert back to the original plan like the Bon Jovi setup if they have too many complaints.

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beepee2
The map was intentionally concealed: it just surfaced after everything was sold-out, and Rob Hallett said it wouldn't change. If it can't change at all in 3 months it means it was discussed, reviewed, signed-off... and kept private while BST was advertising for "circles directly in front of the stage" that didn't exist.

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Green Lady
Why would they need to do that? The whole thing sold out almost instantly and would have done so even if the descriptions had been 100% accurate. Different people would probably have bought different kinds of tickets, but I don't believe BST would have found the Tier 1 and Tier 2 packages left on their hands unsold.

This smells to me of a last-minute decision by the Stones that it would be nice to have a romantic old-fashioned GA gig, which BST had to try and shoehorn into their existing Hyde Park arrangements at short notice. What you might describe as the Altamont effect. A monumental cock-up, not a conspiracy, because a conspiracy wasn't necessary - the tickets would have sold anyway.

Anyway, whichever it was, the unfortunate buyers are just as screwed.

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Green Lady

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beepee2
The map was intentionally concealed: it just surfaced after everything was sold-out, and Rob Hallett said it wouldn't change. If it can't change at all in 3 months it means it was discussed, reviewed, signed-off... and kept private while BST was advertising for "circles directly in front of the stage" that didn't exist.

Why would they need to do that? The whole thing sold out almost instantly and would have done so even if the descriptions had been 100% accurate. Different people would probably have bought different kinds of tickets, but I don't believe BST would have found the Tier 1 and Tier 2 packages left on their hands unsold.

This smells to me of a last-minute decision by the Stones that it would be nice to have a romantic old-fashioned GA gig, which BST had to try and shoehorn into their existing Hyde Park arrangements at short notice. What you might describe as the Altamont effect. A monumental cock-up, not a conspiracy, because a conspiracy wasn't necessary - the tickets would have sold anyway.

Anyway, whichever it was, the unfortunate buyers are just as screwed.

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bv


A second Hyde Park show is expected for Saturday July 13.

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Christos
Insiders and fortune tellers, is the 2nd Hyde Park show still on, or has it been affected by the ticket/standing plan mess?

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bv


A second Hyde Park show is expected for Saturday July 13.

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Doxa

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Gibson668
Something else that has happened over the recent years, in my opinion, is that concerts, in general, have become 'events' so as to attract customers that wouldn't normally have gone. I'm sure, in days of old, there weren't 'Hospitality Packages'..'Golden Circles'.. 'Glamping' at Glastonbury etc...but the promoters have identified a market and now exploit it.
It leaves someone who's a genuine fan stuck in the middle..The concerts these days are generally so large, that for me, being stuck at the back of a stadium or field means nothing...there's no connection with the band, their large video screen and wind blown sound system..I really cant justify the prices charged for the better areas..so don't go..
I've rediscovered my enjoyment of 'live music' by seeing bands play in smaller venues, pubs and clubs.
It is a shame it's changed like this..and I feel for those who spent their hard earned money on what should have been something special for them.

A spot on analysis (and reflets very well my position as well). To me it looks like the Hyde Park fiasco is a kind of sad testimony of the new 'event' thinking clashing with the older way to do these things. The thing is, Hyde Park is a park, and no seats, but still they want to somehow take care of the customers who want to have "Hospitality Packages", with bars nearby and things like that. But at the same time they want to make it a "normal" concert gathering where one can go anywhere wants to, or is quick enough, and feet/ass in condition to stand/sit some six hours or so - like the rock concerts used to be. I can understand very well why Jagger & co wanted to have people with "normal", non-extraordinary tickets to get FOS. They wanted this to be like a concert in the past - it looks better, and proably has a better atmsophere. The Hyde Park show is not a normal Stones show, and the principles applied in those do not work one-to-one here, unlike in arenas and stadiums which all seated.

The loyal fans whose only idea was to see the Stones as close as possible - and no other demands - were the ones who were losers in this fiasco. They were fooled. But I stll think that for many who have bought the tickets - and who will get/buy them still - might not be so disappointed, and I think there is a rather large portion of them in those Tiers 1 and 2, who are just happy to be close enough and still enjoy the extra luxuries, the biggest being that you don't need to "waste" your whole day in fighting for your spot. (or like marianne put it funnily in one thread: "gandpa and grandma are not any longer in their Hyde Park/Altamaont fighting form")

In the end of the day I see the biggest problem here that people thought that you can buy that - a freeride for being in the front of stage - like you can do in "normal" surroundings - seated arenas/stadiums. They were fooled to think so, and it is totally immoral and criminal. But a the same time I wonder how much people are pissed off not only that they were fooled but that the whole scenario is not possible - there is no way you can do that: buy your place in the sun. If you want to be in that spot the only option is the old traditional one: come early and run for your life. That's the impression I have gotten of some posts in the thread dedicated to that fiasco. It is only that reason why the cheated ones are not willing to take the option of having a refund and a 3 tier ticket. They want to have it all, as they were lead to expect. But it is not simply possible this time.

So I think there is a clash of "concert cultures": the expectations based on a "normal" Stones gig are applied to the extarordinary gig.

- Doxa

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sjs12
nothing will placate the latter other than a reorganisation of the entire event and layout to suit their own expectations. Not even a refund and option to have t3 tickets.

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StonesAustria
(Its a total shame for NYC and particularly for The Rolling Stones that they simply dropped MSG (the venue of their greatest success) on their final round.)


I believe this "mini" tour is not their ending if everything passes well.

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nobodyimportant

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sjs12
nothing will placate the latter other than a reorganisation of the entire event and layout to suit their own expectations. Not even a refund and option to have t3 tickets.

You have it the wrong way round. Our expectations were based on what was sold to us. The "reorganisation" has been done subsequently.

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Gibson668
Something else that has happened over the recent years, in my opinion, is that concerts, in general, have become 'events' so as to attract customers that wouldn't normally have gone. I'm sure, in days of old, there weren't 'Hospitality Packages'..'Golden Circles'.. 'Glamping' at Glastonbury etc...but the promoters have identified a market and now exploit it.
It leaves someone who's a genuine fan stuck in the middle..The concerts these days are generally so large, that for me, being stuck at the back of a stadium or field means nothing...there's no connection with the band, their large video screen and wind blown sound system..I really cant justify the prices charged for the better areas..so don't go..
I've rediscovered my enjoyment of 'live music' by seeing bands play in smaller venues, pubs and clubs.
It is a shame it's changed like this..and I feel for those who spent their hard earned money on what should have been something special for them.

Quote
drbryant
I'm going to get a refund on Tier 2 tickets and instead go for tier 1 tix on the 13th. If it were just a stadium show, I have no problem lining up and running for the front. But a festival style show where you hold your place for 10-12 hours? I did that for Live 8, and it was tough, even though it was one great act after another - 20 minute sets, with lots of entertainment in between. I did it for PinkFloyd, but I swore never again.