I am a USA fan. Live here now so I would be getting the better deal right now. Seems we all agree that the Stones are choosing the big money over the smaller European market. What I wonder is this: are they really hurting their fanbase over there? The Euro fans sound really pissed off and I do not blame them for one second. And I think that in some way their European fans have been more loyal in a sense. Don't know exactly how to explain it, but European fans come off as more hardcore, as deeper. Are Amercian values more superficial? Is the importance of the Stones in Europe different? Deeper? More appreciated?
I realize I am generalizing. But it is in oreder to illustrate a point. Please don't turn this into a USA VS Europe thread. Not meant that way. Just something to ponder.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-07 23:25 by Beelyboy.

"shallow eventorama fatcats" - what a great line! Thats a fine post,beely

I wont get into the "who's better" debate, only to say one thing on the subject which is often overlooked

It takes a special level of fandom to follow any artist whose songs are in a different language (and from a different culture) to your own. I cant imagine too many of us in the UK, US, Canada, Australia etc paying a lot or money for tickets or being obsessive about any artist who didnt sing in English



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-30 05:05 by Gazza.

In general,probably so but,it doesn't hold true for each and every individual fan from the U.S. or Europe.

...better fooled, yes for sure !!

always the last to be served, rarely have pro-shot shows, rarely have soundboard shows...

yeah better fooled is the right word indeed !

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-07 23:25 by Beelyboy.

There are no better fans. Everybody is "Fan" on it's own way. But as Stonefan has mentioned.. We Europeans are always the last ones...... we wait wait wait. And this time many of us are not able to see the Stones. Not everybody has money to travel trough Europe. And if this is the last tour (which I believe) it's very very sad. I guess the fanbase in Europe will still post on fan boards (some will not anymore in the future), but they will have this drama on their mind till the end of time. It will be never be the same again. Even if many of us will see a few great concerts.

I won’t say anyone is better but maybe different.
I haven’t seen a single Stones-show in America but what I’ve been told and been reading is that going to a Stones-show over there for many is a way of socializing. Instead of going to the pub you and your friends go to a show. Despite the ticket-prices!
In Europe the crowd maybe is more fanbased and concentrated, in America you can take a break during some songs for taking a beer. Right or wrong, you can tell?

The American market is the most important (today we all know that) and that could be the reason for the warhorses-setlist. “@#$%& the hardcore fans, they’ll come anyway…”.

For the band and the organization I think it was more troubles to tour Europe ten, twenty years ago with border-crossing between nations. Today that’s not a big deal inside the European Union.

All in all I think there is just small differences between us all. I`m sure there are differences between the 50 states in USA and differences between the europeen countries. I`m also sure that some states in USA er similar to some europeen countries, like Washington and Norway, New Jersey and Holland etc... that was just examples.
It would be a pretty boring world if we all had the same thoughts, long live the differences and the understanding of empati.
I see your point ChelseaDrugstore and I think it`s nice that you have sympathies for those of us that miss this tour.

I think that when you close your eyes and let the music take you ........... the differences between us all are very slight indeed. That's the way it should be in my book.

Beelyboy, I like when you say "some of us have been in the trenches since 1963". Y'all have been fighting the good fight for us coming up behind.
I remember reading about those lotteries.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

I don't think that some fans are better than others. It's Argentinians vs. the rest of the fan group. They simply rock like hell.

JumpingKentFlash

Thommie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I won’t say anyone is better but maybe different.
>
> I haven’t seen a single Stones-show in America but
> what I’ve been told and been reading is that going
> to a Stones-show over there for many is a way of
> socializing. Instead of going to the pub you and
> your friends go to a show.

Well said. Certainly the cultural values are very different due to a totally different history. If over here in Europe I would attend a Stones concert I would never take a break and go for a beer. Leaving a concert would only be suitable as a means of protest if the band was a full catastrophy (it happened once in Kiel, Germany, at the Stones gig 1976 because of sound problems and a breakdown of the bass amp).

But it is no matter of better or worse fan. Every country/continent has its advantages and disadvantages. Over here in Europe we also appreciate American bands very much and we are very influenced by American culture, which of course is transformed a bit to match aour cultural standards.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> It takes a special level of fandom to follow any
> artist whose songs are in a different language
> (and from a different culture) to your own. I cant
> imagine too many of us in the UK, US, Canada,
> Australia etc paying a lot or money for tickets or
> being obsessive about any artist who didnt sing in
> English


1) Ta Det Lungt, dude
2) Wir fahren auf den Autobahn
3) J'adore le Stereolab

Of course, I AM special.... :-)

Agree that Europeans, and Brits especially, probably feel a little more ownership of their fellow countrymen (continentmen?). And..we Yanks are still a little miffed about that whole Taxation Without Representation thing. :-)

:-)

Obviously, geography does not dictate who is "better" fan.

But what IS a better fan ?

The fan who's put more money in Mick's pocket ?

The fan who's seen the most shows ?

The fan who's been a fan the longest ?

The fan who spends more time listening to their music ?

The fan for whom the Stones are a bigger part of his/her life ?

The fan who complains least when the band's actions inconvenience him/her ?

The fan who spends half his waking hours on message boards like this ?

any other criteria ?

We're all keen fans...or we wouldn't be here. But so are thousands and thousands of others who never turn up on web pages such as these.

Does anyone think the difficulty in dealing with the promoters and ticketing became too great a problem and the just said screw it?

Money counts. End of Stones. Period. :O(

No, absolutely not. Keith issues a public video, and he looks great. He's ready to go on the next leg of the tour.

In the meantime, the naysayers amongst you are gonna end up looking like fools.

In America, we have something called "manners". When you do something unacceptable, you say, "I'm sorry."

Many of the Euro community should swallow their inflated pride and admit, "yeah, I was wrong".

The question is, once the tour continues, will you have the curteousy to do so?

Not me as a Swede, as they have abandoned and betrayed our country once and for all. We have stopped being fans over here. Have talked to people followed thenm blindly for 30 years that says the same: No more Stones. Let them rotten away as a Vegas act. Good nite.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-07-01 02:44 by Baboon Bro.

Baboon Bro just got it right. The Stones do not care about fans. They just care about dollars. In Europe we mostly use euros and that do not count in the eyes of the Stones management, they are only after dollars, so they play much more in the States as they get only dollars then.
When did the Stones last time open a world tour in Europe? Hmm, may have been in the 60's only. What more do you need. The Stones are only interested in the US market as that gives more revenue in their pockets. Europe has always been something bad that they just have to do not to lose totally/finally loose credibility. hm..... Stones is today a ONLY US market based band that just has to play Europe every now and then. No more, no less. Been so for the past 30 years or so.

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

= @#$%& the STONES, they're done here.

But Baboon Bro, mind you that they still are the greatest rock band on earth. No band ever can top a Stones show. It's just not a gig, it's an experiance. You cannot go to rest without seeing a Stones gig. It is an experiance. I have only seen 17 gigs and I am desperate for more. had tickets for Horsens and Göteborg but ya all know what happened to those gigs.. Now working on tickets for other European gigs. Stones doing Europe and me spending the summer without any Stones gig, just not possibe. I neeeeeeed the shot of Rythm and Blues by the greatest band of all time.

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

Just finished a precious meal of salted fermented herring w/ all necesseties....................
I wont be needin'em anymore, they're just seeking the money.

Now what did happen to the 80,000 spectators Horsens gig???

Don't know Bro but we will see each other in Horsens anyhow
I will be there and so will all of the other Stonesvikings.

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

Not me I wont. I'm fooled one too many a times.

What about rökt abborre? That tops everything

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

Hreat....
For sure it doesnt beat calamari or surströmming, in particular that
strong extra salted ultra-rare brand I taste tonite...... Enjoyed along with
the legend of J O H N H O L M..... And his debut album of Sordin....

JumpingKentFlash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think that some fans are better than
> others. It's Argentinians vs. the rest of the fan
> group. They simply rock like hell.


You say that you don't think some fans are better than others but,then you insinuate that the fans from Argentina are the best.

It's hard to judge other fans and I don't like doing it but,I have to say that "fans" who don't know more than 5% of the Stones' work and leave or sit down during a non-warhorse either (a) have some strange unknown valid reason to be sitting down or leaving (b) are just now discovering the Stones and don't know many of their songs yet OR (c) are bad fans or perhaps not even fans at all.Scenario (c) always seems to be most likely. By the way,I'm american and some of the "fans" I have seen at U.S. shows,to put it another way,don't match the fans in South America enthusiasm-wise based on the footage I have seen.Check out one of the two music videos for I Go Wild.The live footage was shot in South America.

It is not even close. USA by a landslide.
All we hear from Europe is bellyaching about prices and everything else. And we never hear it from Japan. SO they are close to USA. Europe complains complains compains. Bunch of babies.

Like I said,I'm from the U.S.A. but,i have to say that while we all have been given some things to complain about,Europeans now seem to have the most reasons to complain.How can you let people mislead you,lie to you,and screw you over without at least complaining about it.This board seems to be a great place for people to vent their frustrations with the Stones concert song selection and business practices.