Expecting To See Neil Young: For The Turnstiles, Cough Up The Buck$, Watch Out For The Greedy Hand

4 SHOW PRE-SALE NOW - Neil Young Archives (NYA) Times-Contrarian

Late Thursday, 4 Neil Young concerts were announced for ticket pre-sales on Neil Young Archives (NYA) Times-Contrarian:

• Sep 26 & 27 @ The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY (w/ Promise Of The Real)
• Sep 30 & Oct 1 @ Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA (Solo)

And -- predictably -- the praises and indignation began. Prices too high. Annoying measures taken to thwart scalping. Neil's support of Democrats. etc.

We do find it sort of perplexing that after all these years -- and hundreds of comments later -- folks are still bitching and moaning about concert tickets. Even after Neil delivers exactly what his fans have been requesting.

Here's a comment on "4 SHOW PRE-SALE NOW - Neil Young Concert Tickets" by dd:

I don't begrudge a musician charging whatever he wants.

It's his business, both literally and figuratively. I was simply stating that it was funny/ironic that was praising him for keeping the prices relatively static so many years later and was then faced with an increase hours later. I know Port Chester is a small venue, half the size of the Wang Theater. Perhaps that's why he's charging more. And he's certainly not the only one doing so.

And of course I get that record sales aren't paying the bills (although I don't know that Neil's records have paid the bills since...Harvest Moon? He hasn't been a big seller since Harvest, I suspect, which is purposeful, to some extent. He didn't want to be middle-of-the-road, so he veered into the ditch, to paraphrase the man himself. It does, however, make it difficult for younger fans, at the very least, to come up with the funds. Of course, they can grab a grass seat at an amphitheater, which is affordable. No one sells those for over $100. I was just feeling sticker shock, since it's the most expensive ticket I've ever purchased (and the seats were even more). I remember being a teen, bummed that the balcony seats were all gone and that I would be spending all of my money on the orchestra ticket. I don't regret it now, I didn't regret it then.

BUT I do believe there is more to it than what the market will allow.

Just because you CAN charge a price doesn't mean you have to. I'm a firm believer that an artist gets to choose his/her audience. Neil, so individualistic and idiosyncratic, has nurtured a loyal fanbase that has followed him for decades. At the same time, by charging prices that only the most fervent and/or well-to-do can afford, you may not have the best audience mix. It's an art, not a science, but I've been to almost 1000 concerts in my young life (36) and I've seen what those gold circle front rows give back to the artist. Sometimes they're amazing, often times they aren't.

That's why bands like Pearl Jam make ticket prices the same for the whole venue and allow the fan club to have prime access to those seats. They could raise the prices and I'm sure a lot of the fans would go along with it. I'm hopeful that instituting the mobile ticket system will discourage if not completely eliminate scalpers, thereby getting the tickets into the right people's hands. I was just at a Radiohead show where a bunch of banker types showed up late and talked throughout the show. These people can't get priced out, but the fans that contribute to a show's 'magical' quality can. I think that's at the heart of some people's gripes. Personally, it's Neil's call. The truth is, if he were a younger artist, I wouldn't have bought the tickets (Ween, Jason Isbell, etc).

I just don't know how many more opportunities I'll have to see the man, so if it means driving 7 hours roundtrip to Saratoga Springs..or taking a bus on a work night to Philly...or a train to Port Chester, I'm going to do it. But I feel for people with kids and mortgages and other necessities whose 'fun money' jars isn't big enough to make it happen.

@ dd - thanks for all of the context and background in your comment.

Wow, not bad to see 1,000 concerts in 20 years or so. That's pretty cool. And we weren't busting on you specifically and agree with a lot of what you're saying. These links below echo much of what you and others are saying.

The point is that no matter what Neil does, folks always seem to think they know best what should have been done differently. We'll also add that a couple of these shows will be live streamed which is extremely cool. The west coast streams recently were quite awesome.

Like with everything, there is no one magical solution to the problem.

We would argue that the cheaper GA upfront, more expensive reserved in the back is an innovation that we here @ TW championed for years. See:

• An Open Letter To Neil Young On Ticket Prices For The Turnstiles (130+ Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: An Open Letter To Neil Young On Ticket Prices For The Turnstiles (50+ Comments)
• For The Turnstiles Again (30+ Comments)
• For The Turnstiles Yet Again(50+ Comments)
• Free Neil Young Warmup Concerts Cancelled(30+ Comments)
• The Price of Neil: When Art and Commerce Collide (60+ Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: The High Price of Neil (20+ Comments)
• It's Only Money (20+ Comments)
• New Neil Young Video: Cough Up The Buck$ (40+ Comments)

Cough Up The Buck$ Crew
HarryO, Volume Drinkers: Brand New Guy, Paul D.
Madison Square Garden, NYC, NY - 12/15/2008

just might have to re-visit that "Cough Up The Buck$" video ...

For the Turnstiles

"All the sailors with their seasick mamas
Hear the sirens on the shore,
Singin' songs for pimps with tailors
Who charge ten dollars at the door.

You can really learn a lot that way
It will change you in the middle of the day.
Though your confidence may be shattered,
It doesn't matter.

All the great explorers
Are now in Granite Lake
Under white sheets for the great unveiling
At the big parade.

You can really learn a lot that way
It will change you in the middle of the day.
Though your confidence may be shattered,
It doesn't matter.

All the bushleague batters
Are left to die on the diamond.
In the stands the home crowd scatters
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles."

deja vu over and over again, our friends

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