Excellent letter, Erin & Pieter.
I think Brian is partially right. It's not the decision of Brian, Roger, Paul or Queen Productions to come up with those ticket prices.
I blame the promoters, and all those douchebags at Clear Channel who can't get enough of ripping off the fans.
Mr.Jingles wrote: I think Brian is partially right. It's not the decision of Brian, Roger, Paul or Queen Productions to come up with those ticket prices.
Well...I don't have a beef personally with the price of the tickets. It's the VIP thing that I have an issue with, after having experienced it first hand. I'm sure if Brian really wanted to, he could have a say in what the VIP folks received...for example..meeting the band. I do think it's, at the very least, good that he knows there are some people who have a problem with it.
You know...I know artists would say...well there are all these costs we need to cover bla bla bla, we dont get much money from it. I have heard it from other bands in the past....I am not directing this at queen, just bands in general. I think that;s crap, because we pay for their fancy hotels and jet planes.....etc while they are on tour. How come back in the day you could see led zep for 8 bucks and they had all that crap and now t just keeps on becoming more and more. I still dont get why tickets are sooo high.
PieterMC wrote: This is the best part of the e-mail from Mark Weiss:
"Allot of thought and effort goes into making sure the packages are very special."
PLATINUM PACKAGES: Count all items as what they will possibly be the most expensive.
- ($200) A Premium Ticket (Seat Location will be given at time of Purchase)
- ($30) An Exclusive, Double Live Import CD of Queen + Paul Rodgers in Europe
- ($200) An Exclusive Tour Jacket
- ($20) A Limited Edition Tour Poster
- ($30) -A Live Return of the Champions DVD and Double Live Return of the Champions CD (Queen + Paul Rodgers in the UK)
- ($20) An Official Tour Program
- (20) A Platinum Commemorative Laminate
-A 25% discount coupon for online store.
TOTAL: $520
------------------------------------------------
Gold Packages are $395 each and include the following:
- ($200)A Premium Ticket (Seat Location will be given at time of Purchase)
- ($15) An Exclusive, Single Live Import CD of Queen + Paul Rodgers in Europe
- ($20)A Limited Edition Tour Poster
- ($20) A Gold Commemerative Laminate
-A 10% discount coupon for online store.
TOTAL: $255
Brian seemed a little touchy in his response to Erin's letter. I totally agree with you that the packages are bullshit. I can't remember what the the cost of the Billy Idol one's were, but they were A LOT LESS and you actually got to meet him, and get autographs and pics taken. Now that would make the price worth while. I'll be there in Vancouver, but it won't be in the richy seats that's for sure.
Well i thought this merited a longer answer, forgive me for dragging on a bit here.
First off, I'm in Northern Ireland, and really my maximum travel distance is Dublin, about 160miles from where I live.
Have a look at this. Bear in mind that my music tastes are quite eclectic. Now, these are just the bands that you would recognise.....there's no point in me including Five Below Zero, The Damned, God Speed You Black Emperor, etc etc.
My first gig was Suzanne Vega, in the Ulster Hall in 1987, at the age of 15. Ticket price £9.50.
Here's a chronological list of the rest that I can find tickets for.....
U2 - King's Hall - 1987 - £11
Brian May - 1993 - Birmingham NEC - £16.75
Brian May - 1993 - Ulster Hall - £15
Bob Dylan - 1995 - King's Hall - £17
Tanita Tikaram - 1995 - Church House - £11
The Who - 1996 - Point Theatre, Dublin - £27.50
Suzanne Vega - 1997 - Waterfront Hall - £14
Manic St Preachers - 1997 - King's Hall - £14
U2 - 1997 - Botanic Park (classic...) - £26.50
Fun Lovin' Criminals - 1999 - Waterfront - £14
U2 - 2001 - Slane Castle, Dublin - €39.50
Divine Comedy - 2001 - Mandela Hall - £17.50
Oasis - 2002 - Odyssey Arena - £27.50
Bruce Springsteen - 2003 - RDS, Dublin - €65
David Bowie - 2003 - Point Theatre, Dublin - €40
The Darkness - 2004 - Botanic Park - €33
Manic St Preachers - 2004 - Waterfront - £22.50
Queen+ - 2005 - Odyssey - £49
U2 - 2005 - Croke Park, Dublin - €80
Now, there are a lot of variables in here. Anything listed in Dublin here is listed in Euros (hope the wee symbol shows up when I post!!) So U2's last gig cost around £50 in British money, and Queen cost £49. U2's would have been cheaper if the GAA in Dublin had been so greedy in hiring out Croke Park.
I have to say, I think Queen's gig was outrageously expensive. But it wasn't the worst I'd seen - Fleetwood Mac were charging £65 to play in the same venue in Belfast. That's $112.
Only 18months before I got to see Oasis, which it cannot be denied would be a much bigger draw, for nearly half the price in the same venue.
Why? No idea. Costs haven't increased THAT much.
For our American friends, I'm going to make the following outrageous statement. Feel free to refute it, but remember, this is the internet and I am free to hold my own opinions, just as you are free to POLITELY answer back....
I don't know if there's anywhere else on the planet outside of Amerika where:
(1) people would be stupid enough to pay $600 to essentially see a show - because, dear friends, that's the point of going....not to get a nice jacket and a DVD
(2) a band would know that people would be daft enough to pay this money
Now if I'm wrong, and the same thing happens here in the UK/Ireland (and I don't mean hiring a corporate box as a one-off treat for twenty mates), then I apologise. But I really think people in the US can't complain about VIP tickets - they seem to have pretty much invented the concept.
Anyway. That's my fifty quid's worth.
Enjoy your gigs, folks.