UK CONCERTS

[ginforbreakfast]

Why all the negativity on the forum today?

I can't see this selling out anytime soon. Prince played at the festival last year, and they were still selling tickets on the door. If Vince Power is organising, they'll be ramming in as many people as they can.

Leonard is NOT playing the Hop Farm Festival where you have lots of bands, several stages, standing only and around 50,000 attending. This will be a seated concert for around 7,500 people.

So why are they offering standing tickets for £65? Is there confirmation that tickets are limited to 7500? True, it's not quite the same as the festival itself, but some comparisons are valid speculation. Same promoter, same site and same basic audience.

Truth be told, I'm not too bothered. It's been apparent for a while now that this summer's show is just to tide us over until we get some proper concerts next year. I was just a little annoyed to see the combination of price + promoter.

[Mabeanie1]

So why are they offering standing tickets for £65?

They're not. The website referred to standing tickets initially but all the tickets for sale on Eventim are seated, including the £65 category.

Press coverage talked about a capacity of 10,000.

Wendy

[ginforbreakfast]

So why are they offering standing tickets for £65?

They're not. The website referred to standing tickets initially but all the tickets for sale on Eventim are seated, including the £65 category.

Press coverage talked about a capacity of 10,000.

Wendy

Really? Whoops! In that case I stand humbly corrected. Having a clearly defined limit of tickets assuages most of my moanings.

[catswhiskers]

Well,I think I have read all posts on forum today.The thread actually on the Hop farm concert I find abit worrying--this concert does not appear to be formally announced--and there are worried fans about whether they will get their tickets or not for an "unannounced" event.I remain uncertain.
So,decision time.Like many others,John included,I am going to give this a miss too.This is something I thought I would never hear myself say--having adored this guy for 42 years,and a bit!! For me,its too hard to get to--I don´t want to possibly freeze outdoors,and it all sounds too much a shambles.
I,like many others,will wait to see what next year brings.There are bound to be better venues--and if not,I shall just pop over to Lisbon again---he never misses that out.For me,thats easier to get to,than Hop Farm!!
However,saying that--I cannot take a break from the forum--like a few of you are saying.I´m too scared---they say this is the definite only one venue for the UK this year--but who knows?? I am not risking it--there may be something further up their sleeve--and I would hate to miss out on something far better---I live in hope
So,thats me,glued to this blasted computer for the rest of the year!!---Oh,get a life!!!!

[John Etherington]

Leonard Cohen concerts then and now...

1972- We had the discomfort of sleeping outside the box-office, pay £2.00 for tickets, then have the luxury of the Royal Albert Hall.

2012 - You have the luxury of ordering tickets in your own home, pay £2.00 to print them out, then have the discomfort of Hop Farm!

[meglos2000]

I think the change in ticket pricing for gigs generally is also due to the fact that the economies of the music industry have changed.

Before mp3 and illegal downloading artists made the majority on album sales and gigs were there to promote sales of such.

Now, artists make much less money on albums but sustain themselves with concerts.

Personally, even though I'm short of funds, I'm more than happy to pay £100 to see an artist of Leonard's calibre. He has brought me so much pleasure over the years, and the fact that he is still touring is a gift.

The production standards are so high at his concerts, with some of the best concert sound I have heard, and that must take some investment. The Bird On The Wire doc certainly shows what can happen when a tour is done cheaply!

Also, lots of mediocre west end shows can be priced at around £80 and here we are seeing a real legend.

But, I do worry it's harder for young fans to make it.

[bean]

^That is a good point about how music CDs are so cheap now and of course MP3 downlaods can be obtained free (always prefer to buy the CD myself!) and consequently for the artist the income is now in touring.

[John Etherington]

This is for everyone who was hoping for indoor concerts in the U.K. this year! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmwCgQw3gDM

[stargazer61]

Megalos, I think you are quite correct in your assessment of how musicians make their money now. For major artists, most ticket prices seem to be £70+, even for the cheap seats.

It is a stuggle to pay such large amounts but I think most of us are aware that he is not going to be touring for much longer, and three hour long shows are tough even for much younger artists. See him whist there is still the opportunity.

[John Etherington]

Stargazer - I was happy to pay £100 for best seats at the O2 and Royal Albert Hall, but I wouldn't risk paying that for an open air show in the U.K.

Personally, I wish they would clamp down on illegal downloading; stop Amazon's global domination by under-cutting (to save Independent record shops), ban studio versions of available songs on youtube, make touting completely illegal, and send Ticketmaster to Hell! Then ticket prices might be reduced.

[stargazer61]

Stargazer - I was happy to pay £100 for best seats at the O2 and Royal Albert Hall, but I wouldn't risk paying that for an open air show in the U.K.

Personally, I wish they would clamp down on illegal downloading; stop Amazon's global domination by under-cutting (to save Independent record shops), ban studio versions of available songs on youtube, make touting completely illegal, and send Ticketmaster to Hell! Then ticket prices might be reduced.

I do so agree, especially about independant record shops - one of the joys of my long gone teenage years! As for the other points, I just don't think it is possible now as the way music is obtained via downloads has become too entrenched. Perhaps we just have to accept that times have changed with 'for better or worse' being debatable.

Touting is dreadful but would be difficult and time consuming to deal with. The concert venues are only concerned that the tickets are not fake not how they are obtained and at what price. I note from some of the ticket agencies that tickets for the Hop Farm Block A seats are already on resale from £190 upwards....which is just criminal!

As for an open-air concert...think you just take your chance. I got soaked at Wetbridge but the atmosphere was fantastic once most people realised that it was pointless to try and keep dry, and just went with the flow, (so to speak)......including Leonard and the Band! Personally I was staggered that he performed the full set given the conditions, lesser men would have given up!

I have bought (the cheapest) seats at the Olympia despite the horrific prices because it has been a long held ambition to go to the Olympia, the home of many of the greats of French Chanson such as Brel, Brassens, Greco, etc., so that became the deciding factor, and I rationalised it as my 60th birthday present to myself!!! If there had not been an 'emotional' connection to the Olympia, I certainly would not have paid those prices! I note that some of the gold square Olympia tickets are now being resold from upwards of £500!! Someone is making a nice profit!

[John Etherington]

I too might have made an exception for Paris Olympia if it had been my birthday! To me, Seatwave, Viagogo (is that their name?) and elements of Ticketmaster all count as touting, and could easily be stopped. So could online re-selling above any reasonable handling fee. As I've said before, online touting makes old-style touts almost seem noble...at least they had to risk losing money on the tickets they bought and sometimes stand in the rain. You were also able to bargain with them. By the way, I wouldn't have paid to go to Weybridge, but a friend of mine who lived near there offered to buy me a ticket. As it turned out, I enjoyed it (but it is not something I would pay to repeat). Although I stuck it out, my friend had had enough after two hours, so she left before me.

[stargazer61]

John, yes you are right about the 'big three' and the rest. Unfortunately they seem to be acting quite legally and the venues don't care as long as the tickets are not fake, they have already received their money. The only way round it it to have a name printed on one ticket and restrict sales to 2 per person, per event. Did have to smile about the bargaining with the touts outside a venue- brought back memories of trying to upgrade a couple of Dylan tickets! The Hop Farm is only about 20 miles from my home and it is seated; no way would I ever go to a standing event, especially an outdoor one, ever again!
One of my best memories of Wetbridge is being searched for illegal substances etc, before going in. As the woman in front of me said '30 years ago they might have found something but now it's prescription only'!

[madgett]

I'd dearly love to hear the Old Ideas material played live, but at £85* to hear him play in a field, it's just not going to happen. Like many others I have my fingers crossed for some proper concerts in the UK next year.

*plus travel, plus accommodation.

[John Etherington]

...and to think people were screaming "capitalist pigs!" and tearing down fences because it cost £3.00 for a weekend ticket to the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970!