Neil Young Concerts Designed to Give Coast A Lift

Photo by Ron "Love And Only Love" | Facebook

As you may recall, there was the usual ruckus over ticket prices when Neil Young's Twisted Road concert tour was announced earlier this Spring.

What has gone mostly unremarked upon since then is the dramatic reduction in ticket prices for the tour's 3rd leg in the Gulf of Mexico coast.

From Alabam Press-Register | Neil Young shows designed to give coast a lift by Lawrence F. Specker:

"Brad Rhines, IP’s vice president of marketing and casino operations, said that from the beginning, Young’s agents made clear that the Gulf Coast shows were not business as usual.

“Neil Young is obviously a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and plays in arenas,” Rhines said. “And it was very specific that when he wanted to do this Gulf Coast tour that he wanted to play very intimate venues.”

“He wanted to come out and make sure that people could come out and see him at a very affordable cost. Based on that, he definitely made it clear to us that he would definitely lower his normal fee,” Rhines said.

“Neil Young typically does not play casinos, and I think that’s something of interest,” Rhines added. “Typically he’s just an arena guy and stays away from casinos regardless how much people are willing to pay. So to have him in our venue, which is a very intimate 1,400-seat venue in a casino along the Gulf Coast, I think that speaks volumes to really what his motivation is, and it’s not about money, it’s about giving back and making sure people can see him economically.”

Chris Penton, booking agent for the Mobile Saenger offered a rough back-of-the-envelope calculation. Based on Young’s stature, his normal asking price and the capacity of the Saenger, he said, those prices were quite a bargain.

“Based on normal circumstances,” he said, the average ticket price for a Neil Young show at the Saenger would be at least $150.

“Everyone knows his body of work,” Penton said of Young’s drawing power. “Everyone wants to say, ‘I saw Neil Young in concert.’”

“I think it’s what the area needed,” Rhines said. “There’s a lot of buzz in this community about it. A lot of interest, lot of phone calls, lot of dignitaries, things like that.

So it definitely has got its point across.”

More on Neil Young's 2010 Concert Tour Dates and Reviews.

---