Yep, Gazza, probably you're right!

[There'll be no wedding today...]

Perhaps it isn't just the cost of the tickets that sticks in the craw. As far as I can tell, it is very difficult to get tickets without joining the fan club (that was my experience, anyway). As high as the ticket prices are, a lot of us end up having to add another 100.00 to that, regardless of what kind of seats we end up with. Also, I think that calling shows sell-outs, then having fan club post-sales, and then making more tickets available to the general public is really disgraceful. I was shut out of MSG public sale, so I made the choice to use my membership in the post-sale. Now, if there actually is a Beacon Theater show, I'll be out another 100.00 if I even want a prayer of a chance of scoring tickets. Meanwhile, I could have held my original membership because additional MSG tickets were released to the general public. Sleezy (and not in a good way).

BJ, the answer is both! I think I'm addicted AND JUST PLAIN STUPID, in this regard! I can't figure out why I'm compelled to see multiple shows, I just am! And Johanna, it is DAMN expensive ! I alternate between being philosophical and telling myself this may indeed be the last tme I ever see them, and pure outrage and anger at the soaking! Do Brits use the word to be SOAKED? It is a polite way of saying RIPPED OFF!! I have prepared for this tour, put $$ away long ago when rumors of another tour were just whispered hopes! The fever hit me and I started NOT spending my commissions and putting them in the bank, otherwise I'd NOT be able to go because I do not believe in going way into debt. And Bruno, I think we ALL could and perhaps SHOULD do something else with our hard earned money, but we won't! We'll continue to complain, as BJ has said, but we WILL GO to the shows!

Debra and we will go to. Since I have been attending this board theere have been endless discussions about ticket prices on each tour. In 82 Everybody was shouting as the Stones charged 42 German Marks for Stadium shows. At that time it was nearly double the price what I paid for Led Zeppelin in 1980. So frankly speaking if they would charge double the price of U2 today it would be like that. I do not know if it will be the last time. I always thought Licks would be the last major tour and then they would make like small tours with a couple of concerts. But I assume the whole organization for a Tour is expensive no matter if it's only some events or a whole year.

Debra, in England we dont use SOAKED. Here are some we do use..
ROGERED, SHAFTED, RIPPED OFF, TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS, TAKEN FOR A RIDE but they all mean the same thing.
THe Licks tour cost about 700 dollars for 3 shows with Merchandise etc..this tour looks like its going to be even more expensive..am I happy about that - NO
Will it stop me going and doing it all over again - NO! I share and agree with your thoughts 100%

Yeahbutnobutyeahbut we've just taken step 1 in our programme to beat this addiction, Bjornulf, we RECOGNIZE it...

And, out of curiosity, how much higher in % is your actual touring budget for 2005/2006 to let's say the 1982 tour???(please no exact figures in $$, your lovely wife may be reading this...)
400% ?? 800% ??

Debra: I'd never heard the term "soaked", I'd use "they took me to the cleaners", and in any case, ladies don't say "rogered", scenearts....

Debra, take jostorms advice on the English . 'Rogered' is not Ladylike, and avoid 'Shafted' too..'taken to the cleaners' is safest, I could think of many other words or phrases, but I prefer to keep it clean (ish)

I agree it's too expensive-but you can only compare today's prices to 1970 if you consider inflation. So a ticket that costs 80-90 dollars today is equivivalent to about 10-15 dollars in 1970!


Belgrade-Bucharest-Budapest-Brno

ok, so i was wrong about the u2 price comparison...

was half of msg really $450..? that's rough. at the hollywood bowl, i presume the first two levels (the actual boxes) would be $450. i got in the sectiion behind that, where the benches start, in the front row of the section, for $160. i didnt think that was that bad. other acts are a third of that, but it's the stones, at the bowl, and it was an unique chance. now if they add a second one there, instead of a club gig, well, it wont be as rare, but it will still be sweet, and worth the $$$. there are also alot of seats, well over half of the venue, that is behind the section i am in, so i figure there would alot of fairly priced tickets. apparently that is not the case at msg...

got on the floor/field at anaheim, first section, for $150, and again, i thought it was a lot, but it isnt that bad, and i am way up front...

same for the two other gigs i am looking at - in each, i got in early, on the second level price, and got pretty much what i expected, or a little better...

so i am not disgruntled about the prices, really - i mean, i got what i paid for, and then some. all concerts are outrageous - that pantages run of dylan's cost me big bucks. it is outrageous, but so are the movies. so is gas. have you looked at the prices of homes in southern california..? that is why we are doing less concerts and movies, it just so happened some once-in-a-lifetime gigs have come up this year. relatively speaking, these stones tix arent that bad - they sure arent a bargain, but they are what i expected...

the thing is, at a certain point in these venues, you are watching the screen, and not the stage, and those tickets arent worth $50 to me, ok, maybe $50, but not $90 ($180 for mrs macdaddy to come, too)...

cohl made a point of saying club gigs would be $50. why would he say that if it was still up in the air..? i dont get it.

the rollout of the dates has been bizarre...

the post-sale concept is the most ill-conceived thing i have ever seen. i mean, it is a total dis-incentive to buy tickets at the onsale date, and then those that thought the whole thing over get hosed with last-choice tickets, and end up passing altogether...

Lorenz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree it's too expensive-but you can only
> compare today's prices to 1970 if you consider
> inflation. So a ticket that costs 80-90 dollars
> today is equivivalent to about 10-15 dollars in
> 1970!
>
>

To compare previous ticket prices in inflation-adjusted US dollars:

Multiply your actual ticket price times

1966 5.97
1969 5.27
1972 4.62
1975 3.59
1978 2.96
1981 2.13
1989 1.56

I think its funny that David Crosby, among others, blasted the Stones in 1969 for charging $9 a ticket. That would be (5.27 * 9)=$47.43 in today's money. Anybody remember the prices for the last CSNY tour?

Karl

I have exact listing of all my Stones costs and some times I ask my wife if she wants to hear my budgets and spendings but then she says she don't want to hear it. So I just try to spend as little as possible to get as many shows as possible without the bank coming to take our house.

My worst spending have actually been of my best experiences. Three nights at MSG at 300 dollars each in January 1998. Total of 900 dollars for three shows. For me it was a fortune. But I was on the floor next to the B-stage all three nights so it was pure heaven. Just fantastic and worth every dollar. The tickets cost more than the travel for those shows. Then I paid 400 dollars on the next tour for one ticket to the MGM in Las Vegas. An amount that is eating up the budget for 3 other shows but again it was a fantastic show with a great seat, and MGM is after MSG one of my favorites so no regrets.

Yes I agree we are all of the above Gazza. And it seems there is no cure for it, except more shows. Shows works like pain killers.

Bjornulf

I hope to do three shows next year two in the uk and one hopefully either in amesterdam <iorr meet up if it goes ahead> or in spain.

On the last tour i paid £55 plus ticketmaster extras for manchester and was right at the back in which it doesant really bother me as long as i can hear the music and see some of the group <easily pleased i know> and i went on e-bay for the reschedualed concert at twickenham and paid around £160 for two tickets once again at the back.

As stated i had no complaints really and the only thing that bothers me is people insisting on sitting down during the concert as manchester was bad and in the end just had to get up & made my apolgies to the people behind me and got on with it but it felt strange, twickenham was going to be the same but due to the mix up over tickets got a good place by the stewarts seats and it worked out excellent.

I saw the stones close up in 73 and at knebworth and as most people on this forum know its a sight and sound to behold and i am hoping to do it at least once on the next tour as i would like my wife to experience that feeling as well.

Also at this moment of time im still hesiating on joining the fan club and would anybody know if you are allowed two tickets on one membership?.

odean 73: I think that the rules are still the following: one membership will buy you four tickets in an arena or a stadium (but for the same concert only, so NOT one ticket each for four different concerts, as you get to use your code once only!) OR two tickets at one clubshow. So, from the financial point of view, you'd be better off buying four tickets on one membership, and then trading the other three for a ticket to different concerts, otherwise you add 100$ on top of the cost of a single ticket, which makes no sense...look it up on their website, I try not to go on it at all if I can help it, just in case my hands grab the creditcard and make the payment before my brain has a chance to stop them....

I would rather pay $450 to see the stones rehearsals in toronto
because you know your going to hear what you want in there

OK, Guess I'll stick to decent terminology, TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS is an American expression also and I'd quite forgotten it! Yes, Johanna, my fingers got ahead of my brain quite a few times! I found my ticket to my first Stones concert, July 19, Boston Garden, Boston, Ma and a great seat cost....$6.75!!! YICKS, how far we've fallen.I actually keep all my ticket stubs in photo albums full of Stones concert shots so I can look them up and weap! The devil on my shoulder screams " DAMN FOOL" but the ANGEL has won!

after boston opener well say either great show worth the $,,or I WUS ROBBED

Thanks for the information jostorm, i have to grab the wifes visa!!!!!!!! for that amount of money.

chippy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> after boston opener well say either great show
> worth the $,,or I WUS ROBBED


I would expect most people to come out of a Rolling Stones concert saying it was a great show. Thats fair enough.

Lets be realistic, though, very few people are going to come out of a concert that theyve paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see and ADMIT openly they were nuts paying that amount and that it wasnt worth the money - because it makes them look stupid.

I read reviews of concerts by people who've paid a couple of grand to get premium seats and they're not seriously going to admit that they were fleeced and that they were silly paying that money for a night out. Similarly, the reviews by some people of that Vegas theatre show on the last tour where they paid $1,100 for a ticket (whereas the other theatre shows cost $50) were laughable. If I paid that amount of money to see a greatest hits setlist I'd want to kill someone.

I can not believe you guys pay that much money for a ticket in the US and then end up somewhere in the middle/end of the field.
Luckely in Europe the prices are a lot cheaper (funny word for a stones ticket). In Holland duing the Licks tour a ticket for the field was 90 euro i think and because of the general admission i'm right in front of the stage. Ok you have to que up in front of the stadium all day long with all the other stones fans but that is great fun.

Upcoming tour the prices will be a little over a hundred euro i think but you know your right there in front of the stage.




Cheers,
Wuudy

Gazza i must be the odd one as if it was crap and i paid xxx amounts of money i would say either it was sh*** or it was great stuff.

For the stones as i say to everybody listen they was brilliant but i am biased thou.

your second sentence emphasises what I'm getting at, though.

Telling yourself you feel silly paying a couple of thousand for a ticket is one thing. Admitting it to other people is another.