jonsmith Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 While I've mixed feelings about their recent studio output (say the last 25 years!), Rush always deliver live (even on an off night). With a trip to the US to see them already planned, a trip to the O2 is relatively short! I wouldn't call Wembley that central either (I used to live quite near Wembley and it was still a pain to get to, especially by public transport). I prefer the O2 as a venue and with the exception of Rush last year, every concert I've seen there has had great sound. Sure the tickets are expensive, but there's a whole business built around a touring band of this size. It's simple supply & demand really & if I could earn the same money as I do now for half the work then I'd do it (not to mention NP's aversion to touring means that they probably want to keep the tour as short as possible). Rush are charging quite a bit less than a few other acts I've seen there too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I missed the Time Machine tour, so if they were playing in the Toon I might just stretch to this... especially as it's just after my birthday However, as the nearest and easiest gig to me is Glasgow and that would involve two tickets, a tank of petrol, overnight accommodation, food, drink and possibly merchandise purchases - I just can't justify the £400+ it would entail. Sorry Rush, you'll just have to struggle on without me this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1337028013' post='1654397'] Not very "rock n roll" is it organising gig dates over a year in advance? How do we know they'll still be alive? [/quote] Ouch !!!! How do i know i will still be here. I'm not that much younger you cheery sod. Now I'm not just at work but I'm depressed too. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='KevB' timestamp='1337078326' post='1654912'] Even if they did all of Signals (which was rumoured at one point) I couldn't justify those prices. [/quote] As cool as this would be, I'm not sure it would be wildly popular with the paying audience. Rush shows are attended by a lot of long haired leather jacket wearers who think Rush disbanded in 1980. I'd love to see all of Signals live though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1337100100' post='1655483'] As cool as this would be, I'm not sure it would be wildly popular with the paying audience. Rush shows are attended by a lot of long haired leather jacket wearers who think Rush disbanded in 1980. I'd love to see all of Signals live though. [/quote] Hi Chris I beg to differ on who goes to Rush concerts. I'm 52, married and manager of a large chemical / gas manufacturing company and don't have long hair and although i own a bike I'm not generally seen in leather jacket. Yes i wear jeans and tee shirts but so do a lot of other people. I've also followed Rush since they became popular in 1976 with 2112 and although I'm not a huge fan of everything they do i still enjoy most of it. I think you have a distorted view of who attends Rush gigs including a growing number of women. I've always assumed i was pretty average and many of my friends who are into Rush are in similar vane. There will be a lot of people there with long hair and jeans but Rush are in no way a biker group. Not really sure where you get this notion from. Are you talking from experience or just here-say ? I can only assume this is a wind up considering your tag is actually "Chris2112". Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I think you misunderstand me. I am certainly not saying Rush shows are only attended by long haired rockers. Certainly, those aforementioned long haired rockers are more 'prog spod' than 'Hell's Angel'. I go to Rush shows and to look at me, you'd be hard pressed to guess what kind of music I enjoy yet I would consider Rush my favourite band. No, the point I was making is that whenever you go to a Rush show there are always typical 'rocker' types who go mental for [i]Limelight, Tom Sawyer [/i]and [i]Passage to Bangkok[/i], yet don't really seem that interested in anything else Rush do and that they might find a rendition of the entire [i]Signals[/i] record to be a bit dull. More to the point, I find them a little out of touch with Rush as a whole because they are mad about the 35 year old prog rock tunes but considered [i]Permanent Waves[/i] to be the swansong of the band. In relation to that, a friend of mine went to highschool in the late 70's/early 80's and remembers a time when all the rock kids, who wore denim jackets and had long hair, were mad about Rush. Then [i]Signals [/i]came out and they all lost interest. It heralded a new era for the band and attracted a new type of listener. I suppose the pertinent point in my musings here is that the old-skool prog rocker fans never really grew with the band, which is ironic given that many of them attach such worth to the 'progressive' leanings of early Rush efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Yep, I love early Rush, left them at Signals (came back after the 80s tho), and certainly wouldn't pay the sort of money we're talking about here to see it all done live. Maybe Rush should do some gigs specifically for the people who aren't 'out of touch' with Rush and have 'grown with the band'. Although it'd be a smaller tour, obviously. Perhaps they could put something out to that effect on the posters? Wouldn't want the wrong sort there, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Well, I was sent a link to a special priority early ticket sale thing for Rush tickets that opened at 2pm this afternoon. The link went live at 13.58, I went onto it & already the only seats available were sh*tty ones right at the back. How does this happen? I bet if I go onto Ebay now it will be full of great tickets at ludicrous prices. It really pisses me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 There was a fan club sale at 9am, ditto O2 Priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 (edited) There are already touts on Ebay asking £339.00 for two £75.00 face value tickets that aren't even in the front couple of rows! Oh well, this'll be the first time since the Signals tour in 1982 that I haven't seen them. Edited May 16, 2012 by RhysP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1337149736' post='1656103'] I think you misunderstand me. I am certainly not saying Rush shows are only attended by long haired rockers. Certainly, those aforementioned long haired rockers are more 'prog spod' than 'Hell's Angel'. I go to Rush shows and to look at me, you'd be hard pressed to guess what kind of music I enjoy yet I would consider Rush my favourite band. No, the point I was making is that whenever you go to a Rush show there are always typical 'rocker' types who go mental for [i]Limelight, Tom Sawyer [/i]and [i]Passage to Bangkok[/i], yet don't really seem that interested in anything else Rush do and that they might find a rendition of the entire [i]Signals[/i] record to be a bit dull. More to the point, I find them a little out of touch with Rush as a whole because they are mad about the 35 year old prog rock tunes but considered [i]Permanent Waves[/i] to be the swansong of the band. In relation to that, a friend of mine went to highschool in the late 70's/early 80's and remembers a time when all the rock kids, who wore denim jackets and had long hair, were mad about Rush. Then [i]Signals [/i]came out and they all lost interest. It heralded a new era for the band and attracted a new type of listener. I suppose the pertinent point in my musings here is that the old-skool prog rocker fans never really grew with the band, which is ironic given that many of them attach such worth to the 'progressive' leanings of early Rush efforts. [/quote] See your point now. My mistake. Picked you up wrong. I guess I'm one of those guys who accepted them for what they did at the time. Although i lost touch with them in 80's at one stage it wasn't specifically Rush but rock music in general and moved to other more relaxing styles for a bit as i grew older. Then found them again few yrs later and really like the idea of a band changing with the times. I also liked the idea that when i first bought their albums they were virtually unknown over here. Selfish i guess I'm also a huge Prog fan though. Your point about one era being portrayed at the concert could be kinda boring for a lot of Rush fans who preferred a specific Rush "Time". You just can't get away from the fact they are all incredable musicians and that's the bit i like about them. Each individually talented yet when they come together it is perfect harmony. Love it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc2009 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1337085527' post='1655101'] While I've mixed feelings about their recent studio output (say the last 25 years!), Rush always deliver live (even on an off night). With a trip to the US to see them already planned, a trip to the O2 is relatively short! I wouldn't call Wembley that central either (I used to live quite near Wembley and it was still a pain to get to, especially by public transport). I prefer the O2 as a venue and with the exception of Rush last year, every concert I've seen there has had great sound. Sure the tickets are expensive, but there's a whole business built around a touring band of this size. It's simple supply & demand really & if I could earn the same money as I do now for half the work then I'd do it (not to mention NP's aversion to touring means that they probably want to keep the tour as short as possible). Rush are charging quite a bit less than a few other acts I've seen there too... [/quote] There's supply and demand and then there's being out of touch with the wallet pressures of ordinary people at the moment. Do they really not care if a bunch of their fans are priced out of going to see them, because that's what that ticket price says? And to me, that's my issue with it, if they don't care that much about the fans, then I don't care that much about them, I hope they enjoy the 3p they get off me from assorted Spotify plays instead. Will gladly pirate their remaining albums if that's their attitude when it comes to ticket prices too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 It's exactly the same cost as it was last time at the same venue, with two years in between ticket sales, and it seems to be on a similar par to a similar size acts. In a perfect world it'd be a standing gig where you can get more people on the arena floor, keep costs down, and get as far to the front as you're prepared to get there early and queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I'm there with bells on Yeah, it's insane to book for something like a gig a year in advance, but that's the way the industry seems to work. The mind boggles at the amount of interest an LG Arena full of £75s must be earning somebody.... That said, I've seen them many times, including the 'Time Machine' tour and they never disappoint. I wouldn’t pay that much for many bands, Rush are definitely one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1337174450' post='1656622'] I bet if I go onto Ebay now it will be full of great tickets at ludicrous prices. It really pisses me off. [/quote] Totally. The same thing happened when I tried to buy Billy Connolly tickets last year. They all get bought up by people/organisations with the intention of selling the gig out and then selling the tickets on at vastly inflated prices. And this is legal? Do the artists or promoters care or are they only bothered about the venue being full - not the punters who are being ripped off in their name! Grrrrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjam Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 The problem is that I don't think that bands have much input into ticket prices, although they - or their management company - will sign up to the tour. The concert promoters and venues are all tied together these days, and Rush have admitted that they now make their money touring - a complete turnaround from their early days. Let's also place these prices in context and look at football tickets. The Championship playoff tickets for the West Ham/Blackpool game in Wembley Stadium on 19th May range from £166.23 to £380.00 - just to watch a bunch of bad-tempered, appallingly-behaved, frock coat-wearing dandies kick a ball about for 90 minutes, (you may have gathered that I'm not a football fan!). I am old enough to remember seeing the Rolling Stones supported by the Meters for £7.50 in the Glasgow Apollo, but I think the live music environment is better today. There is a huge resurgence in bands playing at all levels - from Enormodomes to pubs. I took my daughter to see the Time Machine tour and I'll be taking her and my son this time, as he is now a convert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1337174450' post='1656622'] Well, I was sent a link to a special priority early ticket sale thing for Rush tickets that opened at 2pm this afternoon. The link went live at 13.58, I went onto it & already the only seats available were sh*tty ones right at the back. How does this happen? I bet if I go onto Ebay now it will be full of great tickets at ludicrous prices. It really pisses me off. [/quote] Indeed. Though the first time I went to see Rush I rang the venue at 9AM when the fanclub tickets went on sale. I wasn't in the club but they had a code required to buy a ticket early. As I recall, it was all over the internet so I rang the venue expecting to be asked to produce the code. I wasn't, and got a ticket near the front with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1337178451' post='1656731'] Totally. The same thing happened when I tried to buy Billy Connolly tickets last year. They all get bought up by people/organisations with the intention of selling the gig out and then selling the tickets on at vastly inflated prices. And this is legal? Do the artists or promoters care or are they only bothered about the venue being full - not the punters who are being ripped off in their name! Grrrrr. [/quote] This is so true. The annoying thing is that no-one seems to be doing anything about it! There are dozens of these 'ticket agencies' cropping up all over the place advertising tickets for sold out shows at insane prices. I'm all for a free market, but bloody hell, that can't be ethical...can it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 All this makes me glad that by the time most bands have reached the level where they can play venues larger than Rock City here in Nottingham, the musical direction they have taken to get there means that I no longer have any interest in seeing them. Too much money for the tickets. Too few venues being played. All the venues are horrible enormodromes. And you have to sit in a seat. No thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 [quote name='peterjam' timestamp='1337179416' post='1656753'] I am old enough to remember seeing the Rolling Stones supported by the Meters for £7.50 in the Glasgow Apollo, but I think the live music environment is better today. [/quote] I would rather save up and pay £100 to see a show in a proper theatre than pay £50 to see some dots in the distance in a stadium on a TV side stage which as an auditorium totally sucks. sorry , but I REALLY don't get these type of 'gigs' .I am sure the bands accountants do , but I don't . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyratm Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I've decided that they can get knotted. With Ticketsoup (for the Glasgow gig) - for crap seats it cost £136. I'd rather watch the crappy phone videos. Nothing much closer to the stage. Sorry Rush, I'd love to see you but at that price...no...just no... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) I missed them last tour so have booked mine for Glasgow. Dave Edited May 17, 2012 by dmccombe7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_lindsay Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I've just booked for the Glasgow gig! The way I look at it? It's just the cost of a couple of sets of decent bass strings, and I'm gonna get a great night of music which will inspire me - sounds like a decent deal to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmith Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 [quote name='dc2009' timestamp='1337175880' post='1656664'] There's supply and demand and then there's being out of touch with the wallet pressures of ordinary people at the moment. Do they really not care if a bunch of their fans are priced out of going to see them, because that's what that ticket price says? And to me, that's my issue with it, if they don't care that much about the fans, then I don't care that much about them, I hope they enjoy the 3p they get off me from assorted Spotify plays instead. Will gladly pirate their remaining albums if that's their attitude when it comes to ticket prices too. [/quote] I genuinely don't think Rush (or indeed most major artists) have that much say over ticket prices. I can't even control prices at most of my gigs and there are a lot less middlemen involved in mine. As I mentioned, there is a whole business built around tours these days, with everyone from the promoter to the record company taking a cut. The alternative would be to not play at all - which would surely be more disappointing to 'the fans'. Ironically - given your comment about piracy - it is largely a lack of album sales that have caused many of these acts to switch to touring/merchandise as their major source of income, because for some reason people refuse to pay £7 for an album they can keep for ever, but will pay £77 for a 2-3 hour experience. [quote name='woodyratm' timestamp='1337242893' post='1657502'] I've decided that they can get knotted. With Ticketsoup (for the Glasgow gig) - for crap seats it cost £136. I'd rather watch the crappy phone videos. Nothing much closer to the stage. Sorry Rush, I'd love to see you but at that price...no...just no... [/quote] £136 for one seat? None of the London seats come close to that price except the VIP ones at £199! Front section at 02 worked out less than £85 per ticket including the usual fees/add-ons/charges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyratm Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 [quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1337251700' post='1657757'] £136 for one seat? None of the London seats come close to that price except the VIP ones at £199! Front section at 02 worked out less than £85 per ticket including the usual fees/add-ons/charges [/quote] that was 2 seats (me and my other half/someone else) + the booking fee. I'd love to see them, I just can't justify that expense.. Christ it cost me like 20 quid to see maiden last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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