Fans failing to turn up...

[Marvin]

This makes an interesting read. It was the people who've bought tickets but aren't as 'committed' to attend that stuck out. It seems there's a long haul back for acts playing ticket venues 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/dec/12/bands-and-djs-count-the-costs-as-uk-fans-fail-to-show-up-for-gigs 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

In August I bought a pair of tickets for the Residents at the Union Chapel in February next year, assuming that things would be near back to normal by then. I received the tickets in the post on Friday, and before having much chance to worry about what restrictions would or wouldn't be in place in February 2022, an email appeared in my inbox announcing that the tour has been postponed and the gig will now take place on January 31st 2023.

[Nail Soup]

I had ticket to one gig… rescheduled due to covid but the new date was while I was on holiday.

Annoying for me and the band, but not surprising.

[gjones]

A couple of months ago, I bought a ticket, plus hotel room and train ticket, to see my favourite band down in London.

 

I suspected we would be back to square one, with some new variant of covid this winter, but bought the ticket all the same.

 

The gig is at the end of January. Will we be surfing the, predicted, tsunami of covid by then?

 

Will it be pulled again, like it was last year?

 

........probably.

Edited December 12, 2021 by gjones

[Bassfinger]

You nearly had me there.  I was that close to clicking on a link to Pravda.

[BillyBass]

8 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

You nearly had me there.  I was that close to clicking on a link to Pravda.

Your reactionary message has been noted.  Come the day of the revolution comrade, you and your Daily Mail reading counter revolutionaries will be the first up against the wall.

[Cat Burrito]

For Xmas 2019 and my birthday in early March 2020 (pre-first lockdown), my wife bought me tickets for concerts. Neither of those shows have taken place yet. 

 

We toured in November 2021 and we had a definite hit on ticket sales but I would say at least 90% of those who bought tickets came. 

[Bassfinger]

36 minutes ago, BillyBass said:

Your reactionary message has been noted.  Come the day of the revolution comrade, you and your Daily Mail reading counter revolutionaries will be the first up against the wall.

I only aspire to the Mail, comrade. With my place at the lower end of the capitalist scale I'm well and truly a Daily Star man.

[Supernaut]

Who can blame ticket buyers? Covid is far from over and anyone who thinks it is is clearly misinformed. 

[cheddatom]

The article says

 

"Notice how no one’s posting pictures of the crowd? If they did it would be empty."

 

I follow quite a few acts on Facebook that are gigging, and they are posting pictures of packed out venues. I guess these sold out gigs with 40% no-shows have fair weather fans?

[casapete]

My band has suffered from no-shows for the last few months. I completely understand people changing their minds when deciding to venture out, especially our audiences who tend to be shall we say in the upper age group. 

What does get me though is that when a theatre has sold tickets for us, and the customer then decides not to attend, as well as the option to move their tickets to a rescheduled date for my band, the theatre offer them the chance to attend any alternative show by another act at one of their venues - hence the theatre retain the money which is then redirected to another show. My band has generated that revenue only to see someone else gain from it. Far from ideal, and difficult times for our business.

[Rich]

It's not just music gigs. I bought tickets to see Ed Byrne in March 2020, it subsequently sold out. The gig was postponed to March this year and then again to last week. The hall was half empty.

[Doddy]

Interesting article, because that's not been my experience. Sure, there have been a few shows where numbers have been slightly lower than expected, but for the most part the shows have been very well attended and the crowds have been up for a good time.  Everyone I know seems to feel that people are happy and excited to be going out again.

[BillyBass]

2 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

I only aspire to the Mail, comrade. With my place at the lower end of the capitalist scale I'm well and truly a Daily Star man.

Well in that case, maybe just 20 years in the gulag.  

[TimR]

52 minutes ago, Rich said:

It's not just music gigs. I bought tickets to see Ed Byrne in March 2020, it subsequently sold out. The gig was postponed to March this year and then again to last week. The hall was half empty.

 

I organised a race in July. I had 3 of my organisational staff isolate 2 days before. And my inbox was getting 2 or 3 daily requests to defer to next year because they'd tested positive. 

[BigRedX]

Not my experience at all. 

 

The two gigs I have attended as a punter recently were rammed, and the five I played in my bands have had audiences of a similar size as before the pandemic.

 

As a performer, if someone buys a ticket and chooses not attend I don't mind. I've still got their money. Both of my bands were seeing this before 2020. For the gigs were we organised the ticket sales ourselves there was always a number of people who bought tickets but didn't turn up on the night.

[jimmyb625]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

My band has suffered from no-shows for the last few months. I completely understand people changing their minds when deciding to venture out, especially our audiences who tend to be shall we say in the upper age group. 

What does get me though is that when a theatre has sold tickets for us, and the customer then decides not to attend, as well as the option to move their tickets to a rescheduled date for my band, the theatre offer them the chance to attend any alternative show by another act at one of their venues - hence the theatre retain the money which is then redirected to another show. My band has generated that revenue only to see someone else gain from it. Far from ideal, and difficult times for our business.

I completely see you point, but there is a flip side to that.

I run a small (104 capacity) amateur theatre. We've had 22 months without a single punter coming through the door, whilst still needing to pay out in the region of £2k per month.

We've recently hosted 3 events (2 x band, 1 comedy) where we've tried to do our best for the acts by not charging venue hire. We're fortunate enough to be able to do that, as we own the building, but a lot of places are really feeling the pinch at the moment.

[uk_lefty]

It's a tough one. We had tickets for a gig that got scuppered by the pandemic, then for the rescheduled gig family circumstances had changed (eldest started school) so we couldn't get away for the weekend. Then moving the tickets on was really difficult to stop people scamming and counterfeiting, but also stops ordinary people being able to easily get their money back.... So there were two empty, but paid for, spaces at that gig minimum.

 

I played a music venue on Fri night, first gig with the new band. Capacity around 150. I really didn't know of people would be out for their "last night of freedom" or if they'd stay away from a sweaty, cramped music venue in fear of the new virus strain. It turned out to be packed, luckily, but it was free entry!

[Len_derby]

I’ve played pub gigs six out of the last eight weekends and they’ve all been full, with people behaving pretty much as if nothing ever happened. Or is happening.

Last Friday I went to a restaurant for a Christmas social and the place was absolutely rammed.

I’ve got two gigs coming up this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see if attendance is down. My guess is not, I think the wary have already opted-out a while ago.

[MacDaddy]

how do i get on one of these "massive guest lists"?

[SteveXFR]

I went to see The Skints a month or two ago expecting the venue to be near full but it was half empty. 

Last week I missed a Pigs x7 gig because I completely forgot about the tickets I bought nearly two years ago. I heard it get a mention on the radio a couple days later which reminded me.

[tauzero]

On 13/12/2021 at 08:16, Bassfinger said:

I only aspire to the Mail, comrade. With my place at the lower end of the capitalist scale I'm well and truly a Daily Star man.

 

Waiting in the sky?

[Barking Spiders]

There is still a planet load of idiots of sub-normal intelligence carrying as is everything is hunky dory. Last saturday evening, drunken 'singing' football fans rammed into the carriages from New Street to  Leamington, none with a mask on , happily shouting and chanting their viral particles all over the carriage. Clearly football's not really suffering so I do wonder why live music still is?

[Yango]

I had tickets for ZZ Top pre COVID. Tour was cancelled/postponed… two years on, the tour resumes. Not too much later we lose Dusty. 😞  I would have gone to the show if they’d made it here. 
I’m glad I saw them on the Afterburner tour. 
 

I can fully understand people not wanting to go out to shows, and on the flip-side I can fully understand people being desperate to get out and be normal again. 
 

Strange times, to be sure. 

[Crawford13]

The Trucks Tedeski band are touring the UK next year. I would absolutely love to see them, but it seems crazy to be buying tickets right now, given it seems gigs are likely to be cancelled.