Live gigs and inflation

[margaretcarnes]

Following on from other topics - in particular the 'Music, what are people listening to now' and the 'first record bought' one. As well as various threads on economy and exchange rates, I just thought this might help to put the soaring cost of living into a perspective which most of us on HHAD can relate to.
It's pretty scary as well. In 2007 I paid about £35 to see the Who at the KC Stadium in Hull. Not a huge venue. Not too comfortable. And by no means sold out. But a reasonable price and good value for money. The same year tickets for the Quo in Lincoln were about the same.
Just checked out prices for Quo in Hull next week. OK, a much smaller venue, and already sold out, but other venues in England have (only a few) top price tickets left at almost £130, with most remaining low price tickets in the region of 80 quid.
OK - fuel prices have risen as we all know. Apart from that the only other justification for such huge increases in the space of 2 years can only be sheer greed on the part of either the groups themselves, or the owners of the venues.
Sorry for the rant - a few pence on a bottle of milk I can live with, but this is just ridiculous inflation.
One very pissed off bunny

[sandman67]

Mags

I agree entirely

back in the day bands made very little from actual venue ticket sales. The main money was made from sales of programmes and t shirts....and they made a stack off that. Tours were seen as loss leaders to stimulate album sales.

Mega-tours, where bands were on the road for 12 to 18 months almost continually, were a different approach tried by some like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard etc.

I remember paying a fiver to see Thin Lizzy in Manchester, a tenner to see Motorhead at Hammersmith, and 30 quid to see Queen play their final tour.

The last gig I went to was ZZ Top in London, cost 40 quid, and was crap.....that cured me of going to big gigs for good.

Someones got really greedy...and Im thinking its the promoters and ticket agents.

Now I only go to the odd small gig - Carabao up in Luk Nam (at about a tenner for 4 people and free whisky),

and the last one I saw in the UK was Killing Joke in Camden for 15 quid....blistering gig and took me three days to fully recover hearing. Now Thats What I Call Music!

seriously tho.....over 100 quid to see Quo? I know Francis and the lads are a national institution, but methinks hes suffering delusions of grandeur in his old rocking age.....

[margaretcarnes]

Yes - what surprised me was that most of this current Quo tour is sold out as well. Maybe they are just worried about their pension plans!
Merchandising has gone through the roof as well. Despite the reasonable Who ticket prices in 2007 the T shirts were £20.