This month, pop star Rihanna postponed six dates on her Last Girl on Earth tour (fortunately not her shows at Staples Center with opener Ke$ha). The Lilith Tour had to cancel 10 concerts, and even Christina Aguilera axed her 20-date mini-tour because of "prior commitments" in June. Not to be left out The Eagles, the Jonas Brothers canceled shows and "American Idol" producers canceled eight engagements and rescheduled other dates on the "Idols Live!" tour.
"It's brutal out there," Jordan Kurland, manager of duo She&Him told The Times' Chris Lee recently. "The economy is still not great, and there's a lot of distractions people can choose from. Going to big rock concerts is not one of them."
Paul Tollett, president of Los Angeles-based concert promotion firm Goldenvoice, agreed, telling The Times that the company chose to "not be aggressive in buying a lot of shows" for 2010. "You go back 25 years, the big shows were on the weekends," Tollett, the creator of the Coachella festival, said . "Now you could have three shows on a Monday that are good. That's hard for the consumer. There's just so much to choose from."
Readers of the article were not so sure that the problem is too many choices. See some of their reactions after the jump:
ruskinite said: Slow ticket sales due to a "glut" of artists on tour? Oh pleeze. I used to attend FAR more concerts years ago when not only were ticket prices reasonable and affordable, but the QUALITY and quantity were much better. The last concert I attended was a way-overpriced Eagles concert earlier this year and only because the tickets were a birthday gift. The problem is that the ticket agencies (TicketMaster, LiveNation, etc.) have a near monopoly and can charge whatever they please using Mafia-styled intimidation tactics on venues and artists.
Tom Weber said: I drove by the Greek Theater last week on a visit to L.A. and saw something like 16 tractor-trailers unloading for the Sugarland show. 16 tractor-trailers for a two-person group! Meanwhile, I went to shows in small venues like McCabe's Guitar Shop every night, paid less than $25 to get in, was deeply moved by stellar musical talent, and got to talk with the artists after the show. Forget big concerts with their bloated production values and extortionate ticket prices. Support live music by independent artists in small venues. They, too, are feeling the economic crunch. The corporate music industry is dying of its own obesity. Let it die.
leftcoaster1969 said: Taste it! 125 for crap seats...900 for good seats...gimme a break...who says rockstars HAVE to make 15-50million a year???welcome to the real world. Hope you lose your shirts.
kgoddess said: Only concert I've been to this year was the Troubadors On Tour (James Taylor & Carol King) at the Hollywood Bowl. there are certain artits that I will definitely see if they are around, But I do watch prices. I think the venues need to work with the artists so that prices remain within reach of the majority of music fans.
So what's your take? If the prices are too high then why does there seem to still be decent enough demand for big-name acts to do multiple shows in major cities? And if the market is squeamish for the $100-plus price-point, then why can we see those prices being resold for that range on EBay? Or do you think that those tickets are being bought by corporations, law firms and the very rich? And finally, are you seeing more or fewer concerts this summer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog
Top photo: Rihanna performs during the second day of Rock in Rio Madrid Music Festival in Madrid, Spain in June. Credit: Javier Lizon / EPA
Bottom photo: Bono and U2 at the Rose Bowl. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times