From watching the News these last few weeks you get the impression almost EVERYBODY that isn't totally poor or super rich is on the verge of losing their homes and their jobs (in America at least). Of course we all know that fuel prices just go up and up like crazy with no end in sight, the major airlines are all in the biggest mess in history (dropping small and medium size cities off their schedules daily not to mention charging for EVERYTHING now). Housing Market went from great investment to nightmare, jobs are slowly disappearing, High fuel cost are forcing families to cancel summer vacations and change their eating habits (less restaurants, more budget at home meals - less meat, more pasta/tofu). I don't know, it's sounding like the end of the world, 1929, and the perfect storm all wrapped into one. Have you or your friends/extended family been hit that hard or is this just the news milking it? If the Stones had toured the States this August/September/October (Stadium - same prices as last time) would you be going to one or more shows this time? How Bad Is It, how bad will it get???

I know people in real trouble. Quite a few have lost their jobs, others their homes. Its a real shame how the cost of fuel and food have gone up. I'm smelling greed and some rats getting filthy rich off peoples suffering. I'm not driving unless I really need to and keep the A/C off during the day. We have hung dry our clothes for YEARS. A clothes drier seems like a completely useless appliance to me.

CBII



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-01 15:48 by CBII.

All new property building in my area has now been stopped bringing devastating results to the suppliers and tradesmen.

New properties either stand empty or half built.

Massive drop in existing house prices.

Who or what is exactly responsible for the downturn/credit crunch?

I won't have a job in a couple of months. Then it will hit me.
Not a good time to be on the employment market !

Well if you're in the house sales game like me it's all doom and gloom. Let's put it this way I won't be taking another foreign holiday this year. I think this current crisis is going to last a long time and I won't be going to multiple Stones shows again as I can't afford to.

NickB

You can't always get what you want.....

www.myspace.com/thesonkings

NickB,

sonsofancients? Pretty good.

CBII

Quote
CBII
I know people in real trouble. Quite a few have lost their jobs, others their homes. Its a real shame how the cost of fuel and food have gone up. I'm smelling greed and some rats getting filthy rich off peoples suffering. I'm not driving unless I really need to

Who is exactly responsible? I think it started with greedy over optimistic gambler attitude types - those in a position to make a financial killing and then get out before the house of cards collapsed. The Government is in no position to get tough since it's an election year and they have no back bone anyway. "I'm Smelling Greed and Some Rats getting Filty Rich" - yeah, me too (but how do we get them, that's the question....)

God, just read the above comments - THIS SOUNDS SCARY !!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-01 16:01 by HelterSkelter.

It would help if you felt confident in the present UK/USA administrations....

HelterSkelter,

I can think of some illigal methods but I don't want to sit in jail for the rest of my life. Governments all over the world have become pawns for these horrible gamblers of peoples lives, so they are pretty much useless. I don't know how to fix this mess.

The ones causing the problem have to figure out in the long term, people are going to come after them. Watching your child starve must be one hell of a thing to see.

CBII

Thanks CB11. I hope someday to make a living from playing and writing but it's a struggle.....and it only tightens up.

NickB

You can't always get what you want.....

www.myspace.com/thesonkings

Haven't been effected at all really.

There are 45 blocks and a river between me and my workplace. I commute via a 15 minute bus ride most days. My wife works eight blocks from our house and my daughter’s school is five blocks away.

Housing prices in my area are flat but not collapsing.

As a volunteer, I coordinate a team of volunteers delivering food boxes to the needy of my area for Saint Vincent de Paul. We have seen steady growth in demand for our services year over year but no big spikes this year. None of my delivery volunteers have complained about gas costs yet. Our food donations and monetary gifts have not declined or dried up.

Just took a trip to the Midwest (US) to see the in-laws and the plane tickets were high when we bought them, then we noticed they dropped considerably, then went back up. Who the hell can tell how airlines price things in good times or bad?

There are a lot of people in the US who decided it would be a good idea to buy a house they couldn’t' afford in suburbs of places like Phoenix, then max their credit cards on furniture, toys, etc. and commute 60 miles to work in a Ford F-250 or a Lexus SUV. These are not smart things to do in the best of times and will inevitably catch up with you.

I live in the NW US and over the years have flown or driven to see the Stones as far north as Vancouver BC and south to the Bay Area and probably would again. I have never criss-crossed the continent to see the band or gone overseas. It would be cool to do so but it's also cool to maintain a zero balance on the Visa.

Between 1999 and 2002, I worked for two dotcoms that collapsed and being out of work is no fun. My current job seems stable (knock on wood) but you never know.

The US has been in for a shock with high fuel prices and it is a foregone conclusion there are several more shocks to come in the near to mid term. Our European friends have known all about high gas prices, urban planning focused on density, the pleasures of train travel and the wisdom of investment in a first-class public transportation infrastructure for many years. These are concepts that will have to be embraced outside of Liberal-Democrat circles in the US. This will be a bitter pill for a generation of free-market / government is bad Republicans for whom Ronald Reagan is their political touchstone.

I guess the point of this rambling rant is that from my vantage point, the indicators point to a gloomy future in the US but it is not 1933 just yet. Lots and lots of folks are still doing the 60 mile commute in their SUV's and like we say, it’s a free country. The coming months and years will be tough for everyone but they will be a whole lot tougher on the people who built their lifestyles on poorly planned foundations.

*******

What the hell? I thought this was a Rolling Stones board!

To answer the OP's question - i think that certainly if the Stones were playing THIS summer in Slane Castle in Ireland, they'd have been hard pushed to sell out the venue. I was at Bruce Springsteen in the RDS and he sold out 3x 40,000 shows, but the tickets went on sale before Christmas.

Most of the other enormo-gigs haven't sold out; people are beginning to realise, around here anyway, that whilst there's as many gigs as ever going on, there isn't as much money as ever to spend on them and thus they're picking and choosing. Eric Clapton and Neil Young both played outdoor gigs recently and tickets could be picked up on the day. Prince (before his gig was pulled) had 'only' sold 55000 out of the 70,000 or so capacity of Croke Park in Dublin

We're facing very very very interesting times. If i was a millionaire rock star plotting my next move, i'd be wondering about the wisdom of trying to charge a small fortune for tickets to stadium gigs...

---------



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-01 23:41 by ryanpow.

Prince more than likely saturated the market with his 15+ shows at the O2 last year. By the way, just how big is the O2? 20,000?

CBII

Your right Helter, I'm on the other site of the ocean but I have the same feeling.
PERSONALLY I'm not yet effected....36 years the "same" job (although my company change name (sold) four times).

__________________________

Quote
CBII
Prince more than likely saturated the market with his 15+ shows at the O2 last year. By the way, just how big is the O2? 20,000?

different country, mate. O2 was in London. I'm talking about Dublin. The gig was pulled under suspicious circumstances anyway which had nothing to do with ticket sales (go figure...if you're really interested in the why's and wherefores go to www.housequake.com) but i just mentioned the fact that, had the gig gone ahead, it wouldn't have sold out.

if you know what i mean.

i do not drive and i don't have a job.. so i'm not affected much

but i have noticed the price of beer going up at the bars around town.. it seems that nowadays you have to pay 6 bucks plus tip for a decent beer AND they are using smaller glasses (falsies) so its getting more and more expensive to drink like a rock star..

i also notice price of food at supermarket going up....

I get my kicks in Stepney, not in Knightsbridge anymore.

Quote
CBII
We have hung dry our clothes for YEARS. A clothes drier seems like a completely useless appliance to me.

What do you do if it is raining? Or if the temps drop below 32 degrees (in some areas that can be for an entire season. IMO the clothes dryer is a necessity for a family with children.

In a nutshell, my winter gas bill (October thru May was about $3000) Gasoline for my 2 vehicles about $400 a month. These additional expenditures have hacked into my discretionary spending. We have curtailed dinners at restaurants, cut back on attending movies. (10.00 ticket, 5.00 pop, 5.00 popcorn) per person can add up really quick. My grocery spending approaches $200 weekly. Money is tight.

I am not affected, so far,except a number of people have asked me for loans. I am not a bank..

I switched my morning coffee from Starbucks to Happy Dogs to help pay for gas.

Not affecting me yet.....but I've always lived within my means.
Self-employed...so I don't have to fear being FIRED...but I might have
to work a little harder to generate new business.

Re: Foreclosures etc.... combination of lenders and people getting
over-extended....."buying" homes that they have no business buying...
...especially if they have no money down. Once one domino falls..LOOK OUT!

Re: Gasoline costs & Ethanol gas etc....CORN PRICES...NEVER TURN YOUR
FOOD INTO FUEL!

Re: Lost jobs.....that's sad but I hope people have "nest eggs".
I know too many people that make good money but blow it. They frivilously
spend every cent they make....and get into credit card debt.


IORR............but I like it!

You obviously aren't familiar with the concept of barely making enough money to live on. "Nest eggs" require disposable income...and a lot of folks just don't have any !

Just think of it as a correction. Too many people have lived too exuberant over the last couple of years, financing their massive consumption with loans, that were secured by houses that were overrated. Money was spent that was not yet earned. Now the markets are adjusting itself to the real value of things. After this shocking experience it all will settle down and let's hope a more moderate development will follow. It's just a price we have to pay for living the good life for so many years.

Quite agree. But it's important to be aware that the blame lies with the banks and corporate institutions who allowed it to get out of hand. It's not the fault of the poor sod who needs a home and can't afford it. ;^)

If it's perceived as politics, then so be it...but I don't see how it's right that somebody who plays his part in society by way of full time employment is not paid enough money to live a happy life whilst other folks make enough money to build a hill from.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-02 15:55 by Spud.

Quote
Spud
You obviously aren't familiar with the concept of barely making enough money to live on. "Nest eggs" require disposable income...and a lot of folks just don't have any !

a "nest egg" is something that grows over a long period of time.
if you are truly living from paycheck to paycheck i sympathize.

but if you are low-income but still find a way to subscribe to
satellite television, wear nike shoes, drive a car, go to over-priced
sporting events...or indulge in Starbucks coffee........there
is some potential to save money.

so many people think that instead of living within their means, they
have the right to have everything that their neighbor has...

I've seen it MANY times.
Drive through the depressed areas of your city...and look at the satellite dishes.


IORR............but I like it!

Quote
Spud
It's not the fault of the poor sod who needs a home and can't afford it. ;^)

??

Ultimately we all make our own decisions.
Just because someone tempts you with a loan to buy a big house...does not
mean it is practical for you to buy the house.

Personal responsibility & common sense.

And if you can't afford what you want...that is motivation to improve oneself
and do what it takes to realize the dream.


IORR............but I like it!

.... But SNC, I NEED an Island in the middle of my kitchen...... hear that?? NEED IT !!!! (you have a lot of good points dude)

Since Bush, Blair and Aznar, started the Iraq war, everything from there to now, and in the future at least till 2010, everything is going to be a mess, because oil prices.
I live in Canary Islands, totally isolated, we have to take planes wherever we go, because oil prices, food, supplies are much more expensive, etc.
Bush started all the mess, and honestly hoping with Obama and Clinton , this is gonna changed for sure, with the euro so high and dollar so low, it´s a disaster,that´s policy of American Republican, reduce the value of dollar to export stuff.
Spain, Europe are in problem, I realized from 2004 over here, less people can spend money, go out for party, dinning, etc.
With the pittance salaries we have mostly here in Canary Islands and rest of Spain, what can you do with 1000 euros?
Average mortgage over here between 500 and 1100, cost of electric and water per month 150, telephone and internet 70 euros, Satellite or cable 45 euros, food....
Unemployment today percentage today in Canary Islands 11%,
Hoping the stones or other bands dont play at same time as now, I have to travel in less than 2 weeks , three times for concerts, beside in those 2 weeks more money for concerts over here, but you know what?
Hey hey, my my rock and roll never die!!!
It´s only rock and roll and I like it!!

Carlitos
Tenerife