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Rokyfan
The question is what does "priced to sell"mean? If tickets are generally under $100, that would be "priced to sell," to me, in those markets given the number of tickets to be sold. I can't see there being much of a demand for higher-priced tickets than that. And as glimmergirl pointed out, the Stones are protected from these issues once the contract is signed. They get their guarantee, the promoters take all the risk.
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Cocaine Eyes
If this is already here somewhere, sorry but I don't have the time to look for all the posts here.
SOURCE = SOLID
NOTE: Barring any unforseen illness/bad things happening.
I'd say 3 out of 4 of those cities are safe. If you stay alert, not too curious and within the better areas you will be fine everywhere. Be informed about the news and what's happening on the streets. I was caught in the middle of a protest march in Manhattan a few months ago and the energy is volatile.Quote
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JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
You will be fine.
All four cities you mentioned are very nice places.
Like anywhere, each city has good and bad parts buy don't feel afraid.
You will be safe! Don't worry.
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IGTBAQuote
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IGTBA
Robin Leach was dead on in that February article. But I wonder about AEG's judgment. In 2013, they had to invent the "$85s discounting" to fill the overpriced US/Canada arenas. Same thing, or worse (like closed off sections), will happen this summer if they overprice stadiums. Hard to believe they will make more at a stadium show than they could at the MGM arena.
The $85 tickets weren't discounted. They sold a lot of upper deck and back of the arena seats for $85, that they would have had problems unloading for over $50. A small percentage of us ended up in high rent areas, but most got a seat that would have been priced less than $85. We paid a premium for a low rent district.
Arenas have to sell at least two shows at Stones' pricing to get into the black. They have pesky little deals with their season ticket holders to offer them tickets to any event for $X. X is less than a Stones ticket in the areas they have to offer seating. To make up for that loss, they need two nights. Which is why on the last two tours the Stones have skipped arenas in a lot of secondary markets - the arenas wouldn't sign onto their pricing. Markets like NYC, LA, Chicago, the Bay Area can sell two or more nights. However, they did have problems with Boston two years ago and the third Philadelphia show became a DC date.
I agree with lots of your comment, but the $85s were not offered at the beginning of the 2013 tour. Initially AEG had a very tight limit on the number of lowest priced seats, which I think were generally offered in the $70-high90s range, but few could get those because of the very limited quantity. AEG was trying to sell almost the entire lower level for the $350-450 price and most of the upper level for prices around $200+. But then they saw that was not going to happen, so they came out with the $85s - and to fill the arenas, thousands of those had to be sold, plus at several arenas they moved to discounting most, or all, of the seats that did not sell initially, except for Vegas - and lots of $85s were sold even for Vegas - so that was "discounting". I had $85s for twelve of the concerts and got in the pit twice and got good seats four other times. As for the other six times, most but not every time, I was able self upgrade to good seats from the nosebleed ones.
The arena issue with season ticket holder rights, is a problem for the Stones, even though I think that only applies to suites in most cases - so its not quite as big an issue as you imply - but its significant. I know, for the new Las Vegas arena being built by AEG/MGM, the season ticket holders for the proposed new NHL team will not have any special rights for tickets other than the NHL games (but ? not sure about any suites there).
It will be interesting to see how sales go for the big stadiums this tour. In 2013, those fans who were patient got better values than those who purchased in the initial sale.
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JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
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bv
The secondary markets shows have been amazing. Wichita, Regina, Missoula.
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thisheartisconstantQuote
JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
You will be fine.
All four cities you mentioned are very nice places.
Like anywhere, each city has good and bad parts buy don't feel afraid.
You will be safe! Don't worry.
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stones2000
But what's with the Wednesday hashtag from the new twitter video? What happens on Wednesday?
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DoomandGloomWith all respect to you BV I really doubt the cities listed are the cities European fans like yourself want to visit in The US this summer.Quote
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rbk
God what a bunch of whiners. The Stones are in their seventies and are not going to be able to do this again. Everyone of the markets that have been rumored for this tour have a longstanding history with the band who obviously don't need the money but do enjoy playing live. This tour is a way of thanking all of those people like they did down under last year and in Asia before that and Europe before that and in the OTHER American markets before that. They might do one offs in LA, London or New York in the next few years but for the big spectacle Stones show this is it. This is all she wrote.
Of course the only way they're going to reach the number of fans that want to see them is to play stadiums. These markets are smaller and far more spread out and are lower population wise compared to NYC, Toronto, DC, Chicago and LA. The cost of living in these places is lower so the people's incomes are proportionately lower as well. Hence, more people at a lower ticket price, one last time. Simple economics. These markets are more like those in Europe where the Stones played virtually all stadiums and festivals as well. O2 notwithstanding nary a basketball or hockey venue in the bunch.
We'll know in a few days but I'm guessing the high-rollers who doled out $250 to $600 for middling tickets in the US in 2013 are going to be shocked. These shows will be priced to sell or else there would be no point in doing them.
Best post of the year! I could not agree more. And this is the reason why I will spend the summer in North America. You only live once.
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stones2000
But what's with the Wednesday hashtag from the new twitter video? What happens on Wednesday?
The Hashtag #SatisfactionWednesday and the attached Video with the 'Beast of Burden' track has been removed on RS' Twitter. It was probably indeed a mistake or typo, so apparently no special double-announcement. RS' Website has got a new color instead ....
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JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
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DeanGoodmanQuote
JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
No, it's not the 70s anymore. You find tourists in the strangest places everywhere, and Americans don't bite.
Nashville has a great new Johnny Cash Museum, and the eastern part has cool bars, and you could do a pilgrimage to the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Pittsburgh, as already mentioned, has the Warhol and a vibrant scene. (I have not done Atlanta in years, or Orlando at all.)
If anything, there is a general sameness to many American cities these days, so you have to do some digging if you want to see fabled Americana. Public transport may also not be up to European standards, as you see in Buffalo. If you have Uber + AirBnB, that might make life easier.
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JimmyTheSaint
I haven’t been following this thread, so someone please bring me up to speed. No Mick Taylor on a Sticky Fingers tour? Is that correct?
If so, pretty disappointing.
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bv
My needs are basic. I love the Stones, and I love real people. Normal people. I have been on tour for Rolling Stones shows in Wichita, Lousville, Missoula, Regina, Hartford, Sacramento, Glendale, the list is long, but I don't go to these places to drink or do sightseeing or any kinds of tourist stuff. In fact I panic if I am on 5th Avenue more than five minutes, or may God forbid Rodeo Drive, Disneyland (never been there) or any such places. I like the local joint where the same people sit next to me every day, where they see I am the stranger the first time I am there, but after that I am one of them, same service, no extras, no buzz.
The secondary markets shows have been amazing. Wichita, Regina, Missoula. They don't make a lot of noise saying "We want Mick Taylor for ten songs" or "The show should last for 3 hours" or "three hundred dollars is way too much. They did only serve Pepsi Cola in Wichita because it was a Sunday but it was a great, great show without any beer drinking.
I do know Chicago, Miami, Boston, NYC, LA, SF and a bunch of other larger cities are jealous and think it is a total waste to play in the cities the Stones are approving now, but that is the whole point. The Stones are geographically communists. They practice equal rights for all people, all states and all areas to see them. They could have performed 15 ARENA shows with the same income in LA, LV, CHI, NYC, but they choose to perform in front of 2-3 times as many people in larger venues. Just like in Europe summer 2014. Those shows were great, I don't travel as a tourist, but as a fan, and I love to meet other fans, any place, large or small.
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alhavu1
No it is not. Why keep saying that?
Ooops, that's Citi Card.
It's either INGOLD or INPLATINUM.
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DoomandGloomHe can take a little argument from time to time. This is a discussion but I will let up I've said all I can say about the schedule and my hesitation to visit these cities. BTW.... You completely misquoted me so there's that.Quote
MisterDDDD
How Doomy and Gloomy do you have to be to be telling the inventor of the boards, the man who has seen the Stones in these or similar venues many times before, and who is stating that he is looking forward to again, that "with all due respect... you're wrong"...
Ridiculously doomy and gloomy if you ask me.
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JumpinJeppeFlashQuote
DeanGoodmanQuote
JumpinJeppeFlash
Can anyone tell me if it would be dangerous for a european like me to travel alone to three or four shows in the US. I was thinking about Nashville, Orlando, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Are these dangerous cities?
No, it's not the 70s anymore. You find tourists in the strangest places everywhere, and Americans don't bite.
Nashville has a great new Johnny Cash Museum, and the eastern part has cool bars, and you could do a pilgrimage to the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Pittsburgh, as already mentioned, has the Warhol and a vibrant scene. (I have not done Atlanta in years, or Orlando at all.)
If anything, there is a general sameness to many American cities these days, so you have to do some digging if you want to see fabled Americana. Public transport may also not be up to European standards, as you see in Buffalo. If you have Uber + AirBnB, that might make life easier.
Many thanks Dean
Warhol museum sounds very interesting.
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DoomandGloomYou'll see how interested you are in life when you go out on the town in the summertime in Detroit. A city that is essentially a ghetto during what has become a race war in these places. The idea that ,any of these poorer places are low cost is also off the mark... The reverse is true, you'd want to stay in the very best hotel in a place like Buffalo on the outskirts you'll find a roadside motel will mix section 8 welfare tenants with travelers. Maybe a midnight after show snack in Pittsburgh is better spent in the fancy hotel bar than roaming the streets. Plus you have to get to these places by private car or taxi since most are on the outskirts. I hate to paint this picture of America's cities but almost all except NY, Boston and LA are loaded with guns, tourists are rare in most on the list.Quote
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DoomandGloom
With all respect to you BV I really doubt the cities listed are the cities European fans like yourself want to visit in The US this summer.
Depends how interested you are in life. Most of the cities are good for a day or 2 of sightseeing, or a road excursion, or just chilling. If you can survive Duesseldorf, you can survive Orlando. And I think budget-conscious European fans would be grateful to be in relatively low-cost areas, especially as the euro slides to USD parity.
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alhavu1
No it is not. Why keep saying that?
Ooops, that's Citi Card.
It's either INGOLD or INPLATINUM.
I'm getting closer(I think. Haha) Another question: will the password be provided with the presale instructions? Sorry, but I'm a Citicard holder and will be using a friends account to get tickets
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bv
Missoula 2006. From my history book (i.e. out of my memory):
Not to be confused with any of the 15 or so stops on this tour, but still such a great memory. I could write a book about it, but it does not belong here. Still, as some seem to question the reason for visiting a smaller city where the Stones are playing, I will do a short resume. The summary first: If you love the Stones, you will love them in these smaller cities, where EVERYBODY do know they are in town. Also, any city has it's own charm. Missoula had plenty of charm!
You know you are not arriving into a central city when you fly from Wichita with a stopover in Las Vegas and spend most of the day getting to Missoula. But it was all worth the travel. Usually you have 2-3 days in a city, but the stay in Missoula was four days. I stayed at the cheap hotel Red Lion Inn. No window behind my bed, and I soon found out next morning like 7am, there was a rarely used train track like 3 feed from my back wall.
Always walk over to the stadium to check out the life. Then you see plenty of these red trucks from a well known Chicago company. So you know you are in the right place. The Stones are in town.
I never got any beer in Missoula. Every time I asked some place they said they did not have any license at the moment. But like the server said at my local Chinese: "... but if you bring your own I do not see it".
The scenery and the river was beautiful. Mick said on stage how much he loved Missoula: "I shot an elk, but don't worry, I put it back".
My record low budget stay was indeed in Missoula. Next door was Safeway. I spent usually 10-20 dollars then per day, one day in Missoula I spent nothing, that is my zero record on Stones travel. Breakfast included and yesterday's bread from safeway.
The crowd was amazing, great, energic, loved the place, and I do still miss Missoula Montana in my heart.
To make a long story short: If you love the Stones, and if you love real normal people, real normal Stones fans, and just real normal daily life, then go on tour and enjoy any city they play in this summer. You will not regret it. See you on tour.