I've been to many Rolling Stones concerts. In fact, in 1978 I was at the Oakland Stadium for a "Day on the Green"--it was Mick Jagger's 35th birthday. Start me up, it was a great show particularly when "Honkey Tonk Woman" was accompanied by giant-sized woman dolls dropped down over the cavernous stadium by helicopters.
The Stones will play the Oracle Arena in Oakland Sunday but if you care to see them it will cost you a small fortune. The cheapest tickets, at $85 a pop, are sold out. Most of the tickets still available are almost $700, face value. Take a friend to the show and do the math. A plane ticket to Paris is cheaper.
SF Weekly, in a skewering open letter, take the Stones to task. It's pretty pointed, funny, and, if you're a normal human being, makes a lot of sense.
To wit:
We've always understood how you Rolling Stones were with your cash (we all know how you moved to France in the '70s because you didn't feel like paying high British taxes anymore) but you are all -- as you would say in your own country -- more than taking the piss at this point.
Your fortunes were made pre-downloading. You were making loads of money from music for decades before the shit hit the fan. You are all multi-millionaires, several times over because of it. So you can't use that as an excuse.
We also aren't particularly interested in hearing about how, because this is a shorter tour, you need to make money faster. How is your own unwillingness to do more dates the fault of the fans? Why should we have to pay more for you to do less?
Start me up...as I go to the ATM machine....because at the sound of tumbling dice...
*Follow me on Twitter and listen to me Monday-Friday from 1-4 PM PT on KSCO/KOMY.
What I notice is all these rock stars- after years of making tons of money and plenty of debauchery now decades later are conservatives..especially the British. I can't stand hypocritical Elton John who pissed on Mexican immigrants in Arizona,THEN played at Rush Limbaugh's wedding- Elton needed the money? the PR??
ReplyDeleteAnd those 80's Brit rockers? Same,all hate England's immigrants,are pro conservative.
The hell with them...let them move to a tax free oil rig in the south seas and rot on their money.
Wow you need some decaf
DeleteThe poster at 11:09am.
DeleteAnother angry, mean, nasty left-wing liberal.
What is with you left wing-nuts? You spend your entire day in a state of anger.
Why the hate?
I'm pretty liberal in my views but I don't agree with the above poster. The Stones can charge what they want and people
Deletecan go to the concert or not go.
There are worse things to converse about....
Yeah,I'm really hard on the rich and wealthy. And after the love they show for me....
DeleteI remember that 1978 Day on the Green as coinciding with the Some Girls album, when those inflatable dolls were dropped from the helicopters. Then went into "Some Girls".
ReplyDeleteThe Stones don't have the ability to generate hit songs anymore. Just money. The more money,the more they live in the past of being popular. Old wrinkly men know that money is all the young ladies are smiling about.
ReplyDeleteYou know the old saying, whatever the market will bear. This goes way, way beyond money as it's own reward.I like a lot of Stones music, but they, as with Grateful Dead have many songs with the identical sound or structure. I respect but not cherish them. The Stones love the power and influence they receive, same as with extremely old, decrepit or otherwise disabled polititians.
ReplyDeleteRemember Robert Byrd, the former KKK Grand Klegele who was wheeled into office for years. It's the power, Stupid, says Mark Sanford of South Carolina. You recall Sanford, he of the Appalacian Trail Disappearing Act.
The invigorating power of drawing or controlling a huge noisy crowd, also keeps other Hall of the Sacred Rock and Roll Gods on tour, Think of Paul McCartney, now worth between 500 million and one billion, still out there working. I do not say 'the power!' as though it twas a bad thing, we all need a Raison d'etre. Nobody asked me, but I'll tell you one of my personal favorites of the Active Moving Dinosaurs would be Todd Rundgren; perhaps the epitome of creativity. I love most of his work, and his manner of composing. I always wished I could have shook his hand and said 'thank you Todd, your music helped to walk me into adulthood. I would tell Canadian Genius Joni Mitchell the same, but I would not tell her I belong to the Tea Party. She has not yet given up her glorification of the anarchist.
Based on the way they look--with those haggard, leathery near-dead-looking face--they oughta rename themselves "The Grateful Dead."
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, people today expect all sorts of pyrotechnic effects and giant monitors. That shit's pricey.
ReplyDeleteI bought the maximum of 8 tickets for the Oakland show and 8 tickets to the San Jose show during the Citibank pre-sale and sold them on stub hub for more than 3 times the price within 2 days. Supply and demand. I made a few thousand dollars and that pays for my tickets in a fully catered luxury suite with money left over. I love capitalism. I also love baby boomers who have disposable incomes or savings so they can relive their youth one last time before taking a dirt nap.
ReplyDeleteOh,you're time will come. It wont be long. And you keep cheating people-via the system- out of their money,you're time could come sooner then you think..
DeleteI also love capitalism. However, the issue is people like you buy up the tickets at the "regular" prices, whatever they may be, before most people can purchase them. Once a concert is legitimately sold out, then if other tickets are out there to be purchased, due to people not being able to attend, schedules changes, etc., then turning to tickets sold outside the main venue is legitimate. I have plenty of money, earned legitimately. I am also respected, have my honor and dignity, unlike you. You may not think those latter qualities are important, but, ultimately, they are what really matters (and you know that in your heart and mind). Too bad.
ReplyDeleteSee an opportunity to make a profit? You bet your ass I'm going to take that opportunity. Also, I invested $12,000 in 16 tickets. I took the gamble and it paid off. Next time get yourself a Citibank Visa and maybe you can get in on the presale. By the way, the concert isn't sold old. It's not my fault somebody wants to pay 3X as much for a ticket when they are still available for face value. You sound like a socialist. Kiss my big fat rich ass.
DeleteHey 1140,I have a rope you can hang yourself with- wanna buy it? Its a bargain!
DeleteJust an FYI... I ordered grilled Mahi Mahi Fish tacos and carni asada nachos with 2 bottles of Cabo Wabo with 12 Coronas for the luxury suite at the Stones tomorrow night. Gotta celebrate Cinco Di Mayo in style. Also, I don't have to worry about a DUI because I ordered a towncar to drive me from Pacific Heights to Oracle Arena. Total cost? Absolutely nothing... The suckers who spent 3x the original price of 8 tickets paid for it all! Hahahahahaha! I love the Rolling Stones! I hope they come back real soon!
ReplyDelete4.36pm, Are you trying to impress us, a room full of invisible people and algo-rhythms, or are you trying to convince yourself that you really do deserve that big bag of ILL GOTTEN GAINS? I take it you don't believe in Karma or The Golden Rule. Oh well, you are creative, and you do seize the moment, I gotta give you that much.
ReplyDelete