Concerts Run Into A Summer Slump

Post-Gazette ^ | 7-14-04 | Scott Mervis

[My Favorite Headache]

Hot Country Jam 14,092

Tim McGraw 17,265

Kenny Chesney Sold out

Jimmy Buffett Sold out

Dave Matthews Band (two shows) 41,019

Slackers

Blink-182/No Doubt 8,069

X-Fest-Godsmack/Cypress Hill/Newfound Glory others.. 13,844

Rush/An Evening With Rush 8,828

Aerosmith/Cheap Trick 12,894

Van Halen/Silvertide 13,593

Jessica Simpson 8,384

Kiss/Poison 11,703

Sting/Annie Lennox 9,947

Attendance at Post-Gazette Pavilion shows (capacity: 22,683)

When it was hyped in the spring, the summer concert season sure looked rosy.

The live music industry was coming off a record year for revenue in 2003 and a strong first quarter in 2004, and there was no reason to think that wouldn't continue through the summer.

But between canceled tours and low turnouts, it's gotten to the point where Clear Channel might be longing for those good old days of Steve Miller sellouts.

A midyear business analysis just released by the trade publication Pollstar concludes that "For reasons that are still unclear, the bottom seemed to fall out of the concert market in mid-April. All three major concert promotion companies and several prominent independents reported a sudden drop in sales of anywhere from 15 percent to 50 percent."

[My Favorite Headache]

The last part of this story says everything. I HATE OUTDOOR SHEDS. Who wants the option of 7,000 seats under a roof or 13,000 on grass with a chance of being bitten by bugs,rain,heat,sun etc...

Screw the outdoor sheds. I wish Rush would play arena's only. Stick with the A/C and a seat of your own. Lower the ticket price by 10-12.00 and you will see a big difference. Also, take the vice grip off that Clear Channel has and make auditorium testing a thing of the past.

I know some in here are going to come to the defense of the band's decision to play outdoors but I for one do not like the idea of treating people like cattle. Besides...you can fit 3,000 alone in an arena on the floor and another 10,000 in the lower and mid-level bowls. If they want to do ticket specials if they are not selling well...then start upper level seats at 18.50 each when tickets go on sale...instead of 35.75 plus 10.00 service charge.

[RockinRight]

I saw Kiss/Poison...great show!

[dandi]

Seriously. Aerosmith tix are running like $100-$225 depending on the seating. When I was a kid I paid $12 to see Deep Purple, Golden Earring and ELO in one show. Of course, that was during the last Ice Age...

[mom4kittys]

Josh Groban has sold out his whole tour. I am going to see him next month--can't wait!!!

[peteram]

"Some of those concerts are outrageously expensive," Rinaldo says. "That goes back to the artist and the artist management and the booking fees.....The demand I'm getting from these agents, I'm still shaking my head. How can you expect me to pay this high guarantee when everything's crumbling?"

I read something similar in the Gainesville (FL) Sun last weekend. I live in Orlando and I remember that the 80's and 90's were full of top name artists performing in Gainesville. Now, barely anyone is booked into the University venues because of the same reason - The agents want too high of an up-front guarantee. Normally cash-strapped students would be hard-pressed to shell out premium dollars for a concert (i.e.: $50 to $85.00 per ticket).

Eventually the law of supply and demand will kick in and the artists/agents/promoters will HAVE to lower their rates or just not tour at all. There comes a point where people start saying "Gee, There's a lot of other things I could use that $60.00 ($120.00/couple) for."

[inkling]

I'd rather see a band play in a club. Recently I've seen Pedro the Lion, Sigur Ros, Pinback and Broadcast in small settings and they were all exceptional performances. DCC & Ben Kweller too, but they would have been mediocre anywhere. I saw White Stripes at a mid-size amphitheatre and the entire time I was thinking, man, these guys would be incredible in a club!

[Choose Ye This Day]

The biggest factor in the slump could be the price of concert tickets.

One big, huge, sloppy "DUH!"

Loser, has-been, retread 80's acts are charging $40 or $50 at some of the Casino's and other venues around Minneapolis. I'm sorry, I'm cheap. With three kids and a painful mortgage, I pretty much only go to free concerts anymore. I saw Cheap Trick last summer up in Stillwater (still sound great), and that was the last show I've been to.

I'm going to catch the BoDeans this Friday. Free, of course.

[My Favorite Headache]

I live in Orlando as well and have seen some decent shows at house of blues. I am seeing Rush at the new Ford Amphitheater in Tampa in 2 weeks and in West Palm the next night. I am seeing them 15 shows this summer on a road trip that took me almost 7 months to plan.

Then they added 2 nights at Radio City Music Hall in mid-August and the tickets start at 127.50 not including service charge.

Outrageous.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Well, there was a good turnout at the Mann Center in Philly a few weeks ago for Linda Ronstadt - wife, daughter and some friends went and said it was a great concert until Ronstadt started her first, and as it turned out, last encore - she announced she was dedicating it to a great movie she had just seen - Fahrenheit 911 - after some applause, she got a good round of boo's - she sang her song, left the stage, and never returned - "I went to a concert, not a political rally" said one of wife's friends - maybe some of the problem this summer is that folks are just a bit tired of the shenanigans of the show business types......

[peteram]

That price is steep. The other thing that has been keeping me from concerts is the whole process of just getting a ticket. I absolutely HATE lotteries. In my younger days, I've waited patiently on many a concert ticket line prior to sales opening and was rewarded in the past with fairly good seats.

Not anymore. I tried getting Jimmy Buffett tickets once and was fourth on line at a store that did not do lotteries. I was on line half the night. Everyone there was there for Buffett tickets. Except this one lady - right ahead of me. She was there for "Stars on Ice" tickets (both sets went on sale simultaneously). Well, she just took her sweet time picking her seats. Meanwhile all the good seats were flying out the window all over Florida and by the time I got mine, they were lower bowl in the back.

Now - the ONLY way to see a Buffett show is on the floor.

To say I was ticked would be an understatement. So that was actually the last time I bought tickets for a large venue show. (TD Waterhouse)

[Ron in Acreage]

http://www.soundadviceamp.com/index.php
Check this out. All shows $10. This friday only. Kiss,Rush,Ozzfest, Linkin Park, Korn, Cure, Sting, Chicago

[My Favorite Headache]

Yeah I got that e-mail...all lawn seats..amazing..I feel bad for the suckers who paid 35.00 for lawn tickets 2 months ago for these shows.

[randog]

With three kids and a painful mortgage, I pretty much only go to free concerts anymore.

With no kids and plenty of disposable cash I still refuse to pay the prices they're asking. All that money and I get the privilege of being treated like a pig in a slaughter house. No thanks.

Like you, the last show I went to was free, and that was G3. Yngwie was drunk off his @ss. It became a comedy show after the initial disbelief wore off. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for that travesty (although Vai was spectacular).

[avenir]

"I HATE OUTDOOR SHEDS."

Me also, which is one reason why I skipped Rush when they came to Dallas Smirnoff Center recently (I've seen them twice before, Signals and Presto, both at Reunion arena).

And with the Rush in Rio DVD out, why bother? Concert DVD's are so good now that $20-$30 will get you the best seat in the house. Plus, some concerts only happen in Europe, like Kylie Minogue's FEVER tour. That is hands down the best live DVD concert I have ever seen. Everything was well done. (Don't laugh.)

[My Favorite Headache]

c'mon...you expect me not to laugh at kylie? she is still very hot though :)

[Choose Ye This Day]

To show you how out of it I am, I had no idea who G3 was until you supplied two of the names. So, it's Malmsteen, Steve Vai and who? Satriani? Lots of crowd-pleasing sing-alongs in that show, I bet.

All right, better direction for discussion:

What's the absolute BEST concert you've EVER been to?

For me, it was definitely U2, Joshua Tree tour, 1987 at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. It's all been downhill since.

[csvset]

I doubt if I'll ever do another outdoor venue concert again. The last one I did was the Down From The Mountain Tour, two years ago. I had a excellent seat, the ticket was steep, 40+ once charges were added in. I read on another thread that you saw Rush in Virginia Beach @ the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. How was that venue? I live a mile or so down the road from there, lol, I've never seen a show there.

I've seen Rush several times, way back in the days of Fly By Night, 2112, Farewell to Kings, etc.

We're fortunate to have a small venue club ,(1,500 max capacity), in the Norfolk area
The Norva.

Tickets are usually in the 12.50-25.00 range. There isn't a bad "seat" in the house.

Nowadays, I see mainly bluegrass style groups. I saw Del McCoury there a few months back. 2+ hours of music and you can actually get close enough to speak to the band on stage. IMHO, The "warehouse/stadium" rock show venue blows for the folks that want a decent show.

[Bobby Chang]

I would rather attend my voice teacher singing at a concert hall with an orchestra or a single piano than to see much of the no-talent pop stars who are so pathetic they deserve a trip to the Oval Office.

[asgardshill]

A midyear business analysis just released by the trade publication Pollstar concludes that "For reasons that are still unclear, the bottom seemed to fall out of the concert market in mid-April.

The reason seems pretty clear to me - 99 percent of the current touring acts are complete crap. Add to that venues that treat paying customers like cattle, security people who act like little Hitlers every time they put on their "EVENT STAFF" T-shirt, and stratospheric ticket prices.

No thanks - I'll just pop in a DVD at home and be comfortable.

[Freebird Forever]

What's the absolute BEST concert you've EVER been to?

I'd have to call it a tie between two concerts I saw 15 years (?) apart.

The band was the same though......Pink Floyd.