So, are we going to have mostly empty stadiums? How depressing. Anyone know what's really going on? I'm waiting to see the opening moght set list to see whether I will travel to a show or not.

Seems so strange to be playing these huge venues in cities they just visited a couple of times.

Good to see them playing on, but why not record again and then come back in Fall '07 with a new stage and a new album?

That's what I was thinking. Instead of coming back to the U.S. and doing Europe next year they should have gone back into the studio, come out with another album and started the next tour in Europe to play all the places they missed this time around. Then maybe another U.S. tour.

Maybe they are afraid once they stop this tour Charlie will call it quits.

Last night some friends called to tell me there was a small plane with a "Rolling Stones, October 11" banner followed by the Ticketmaster telephone number flying along the lakefront in Chicago. I have no reason to doubt them and it seems there are quite a few tickets available in the 200, 300, and 400 sections for the Soldier Field show.

My guess is there will be a serious radio blitz to sell tickets starting sometime in the next few weeks...

I would hate to see a stadium show with lotsof empty seats...this happened twice in my Stones concert-going; Indianapolis in 1994 and Madison in 1997. So to repeat myself froma few days ago, here's hoping the boys let the word out that they will be adding some forgotten gems.

The only places sales are soft are places they have played over and over again. And Wichita. And I love gigs with empty seats, I can find places away from people if I want and the beer and piss lines are shorter. Certainly don't have my enjoyment of the gig wrapped up in the validation of the masses.

Yeah, only 14 out of 50,000 tickets have been sold in Chicago.

Good one, Dan. I have to hand it to you on that one.

tim from montana (where they are "sold out" except for the ones TicketM chooses to dribble out up until the show)

Good one, Dan. I have to hand it to you on that one.

tim from montana (where they are "sold out" except for the ones TicketM chooses to dribble out up until the show)

BTW, Berlin had large chunks of empty seats, though the field/pitch seemed full.

I know Louisville is sold out. chicago is getting close.

I tried ticketmaster just now, and for Boston, which is about 2 weeks away, you can get 12 seats in row 14 for $352 each or 12 seats in row 41 near the B-Stage for $150 each. You can even get 4 of the coveted (LOL) on-stage tickets on Box 11. Looks like an unqualified disaster.

Maybe they should lower prices when they keep coming and coming and coming expecting people to fork out 4 or 5 hundred dollars for tickets. It's all about greed. And don't give me this it's all Mick's fault shit. they're all aware of the crazy prices.

As a Stones fan I can't say I'm embarrassed. If any act visits the same places time and time again AND keeps charging an arm and a leg for tix, they are destined to not sell out here and there.

Besides people will look in the history books years from now and see this tour as the most successful($ wise) in history. Unless ticket prices keep escalating and another band breaks the record.

That said J.J. Flash was right. They should lower prices if they keep visting the same places over and over.

I often wonder why the Stones never did the "free concert at Central Park" thing.

From what I read, wide open stadiums are few, i.e. the cities where they have toured heavily these past years : Boston, New-York and LA. Guess they will remedy promptly.

J.J.Flash Wrote:
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> I know Louisville is sold out.

Also Regina is sold out. Both nights.

inopeng Wrote:
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> Last night some friends called to tell me there
> was a small plane with a "Rolling Stones, October
> 11" banner followed by the Ticketmaster telephone
> number flying along the lakefront in Chicago.

i saw that too! it was pretty cool for me to see but it's not like the stones are the only one doing it. heinekin beer is also promoting its new light beer in the same way.

just make it geneneral admission too and forget about the seats

Life's just a cocktail party on the street

MononoM Wrote:
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> just make it geneneral admission too and forget about the seats


Hi Menno!
The shows in Halifax and Austin will have general admission.

hmm interesting... oh my g*d

Life's just a cocktail party on the street

My understanding in regards to the return to North America in the Fall is for pure 'tax reasons' and hence why they are coming back so soon.

The good news is....you can buy tickets from scalper scum for $10.

Set lists do not sell tickets...ticket prices do. There are more than enough people who would travel to a stadium show from another state to see a Hits show than you think but if a couple want to go and pay the asking price, some have to ask if a months rent is worth it. Ticket prices drives behavior.

i'm guessing the Giants stadium show will also be empty

Maybe Keith will sing "This Place Is Empty" at the places that are only half to a third full.

And all my "friends" that I have always bragged about how big the Stones are will be having the last and final laugh....

My head is hung in shame.

Rumour has it that 7/11 will be featuring a BIG GULP special......buy a 21oz Big Gulp for $4.99 and by a stones ticket to any stadium show for $49.95....plus ticketbastard charges!

i am going to the halifax show which is not sold out yet but will be by the time the show is a go with the large number of university students back to school. They sold 35000 tickets the first day which i might add is amazing given the fact that the date was announced late, the two other concert events in the maritimes this summer, a hokcey game the same night as the concert and given the fact that nearly 85000 saw them in Moncton last Fall. It is all about supply and demand and other factors previously mentioned that will depict how sales go. All the best hope the shows sell well folks.One thing to remember folks no other act could do what they have done on the road it'll all work out.

The good thing about these concerts is that you don't have to go. You can stay home and use the $ for something else.
But I wouldn't blame the Stones for cashing in, it's almost over for these guys.
Besides, name a huge rock band that doesn't charge a ton of money to sit front and center? (or course there are none that compair)
People paid a lot of money for Madonna tickets. Does that sound right?
Do you think The Who are draggin their arses out of bed to give the little guy a break?
Heck, people pay a couple hundred bucks just for a Retro Stones T-shirt from the 70's without a blink. Take a trip to Melrose Blvd and you'll see what I'm talking about.
What's $400 bucks to see the Stones up close? Nowadays, it's not much.

Hey guys let's not get carried away. I know every show isn't a sellout but look at the big picture. This will probably be the biggest money making tour in history. You can't accomplish that unless there are an awful lot of people willing to spend an awful lot of money to see you. Look at the big picture. Any artist will face the same challenges if they visit the same places over and over again and charge exorbitant ticket prices.

If you are worried about your friends laughing then ask them who their favorite band is and how big their last tour was.

keef_nerd Wrote:
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> i'm guessing the Giants stadium show will also be empty


Three weeks ago, it was reported on Shidoobee that about 70% of the tickets for Giants Stadium had been sold.

Well I cant speak for any of the other cities but Louisville was completely sold out the day it went onsale. IMHO, its "the" gig to see this tour purely because of the historic venue and how cool our city is. I must confess that ticket prices do indeed drive people to or away from the show. Although most everyone I know is going, there are several friends of mine who simply cant afford to shell out $100 for a ticket. I paid $160/each for my pair, but I'm a fan. $100 is alot of money for college students. $60 seats are crap, otherwise they would have purchased those. In 97 $60 seats were just fine.

Putting all that aside, I would never miss a tour, let alone a show in my hometown. Looking forward to it! And if there was an empty stadium gig, I would love it. I had a dream about it once when I was a kid. Basically the Stones came out and played Around and Around, and there was only like 100 people infront of the stage. So I easily pushed my way upfront and they talked to the crowd and took requests. The attitude in my dream was "@#$%& it, they paid to see us, lets jam"... =)

-Drake

Two more weeks to go !!!

This wouldn't be the first time, y'all. I saw several DooDoo Lounge shows that were FAR less than capacity. In the end, who cares? In fact I PREFER a less populated show. Less drunken @#$%& to battle for simple enjoyment of the show-and more open seats to mooch in case yours are less than ample. The stones have saturated a market for the "hardcore" and the rest are people who would go to see the stones once for the curiosity factor. Let's face it, the Stones have already established their prescence in the U.S, aliented some of "the faithful" (not me though),and arguably won a few converts here and there. And in the era of 9.00/gal gas coupled with the expenses of getting to/lodging at/parking fee$/6.00 Busch lite/$75 tour jerseys/ - that's a hard @#$%&' sell to the average non-obessed Joe.

Additionally I would like to know the exact meaning of Ticketmaster claiming to be "sold out". AT every show I went to not only could I buy (better) tickets in the parking lot at WELL BELOW face value, but Ticketmaster did day of show drops where you would have a window of say 4-6 p.m. to buy 3-500 extra seats. I also think the hawkers in the lot were not all poor souls getting stuck with poor seats, I think a lot of those were TM leftovers. If you wanna go to a show, it can be done for far less than you think (although I should add it was at least that way at all the shows I went to from 89 to present).