Coincidentally, a few weeks ago, I was talking with one of my 20-something
assistants,
and I asked him if he had ever seen Neil Young. When he told me he hadn't, I
told him that
he was very much worth seeing if the chance presents itself. Lo and behold, a
scant few
days later, it was announced that Neil was playing the Nokia! KOOL! Well, that
was until I
saw the ticket prices starting (on the high end) at $257. How can a
20-something music
industry hopeful have a chance to see a legend at these prices? Sure, you can
get
nosebleeds for $45.00/ticket, but who wants to spend $150.00 (and that's BEFORE
dinner
costs) to take a date and sit up in the rear rows of the third level
rafters...at that point,
wouldn't you be better off spending $15.00 for the eventual DVD? As a point of
reference,
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Streeters will be here at the same time, with a top
end ticket
price of only $95.00, a THIRD of Neil's high price. And, Roger Waters at the
Bowl this
summer had a similar top price to Neil's, but that was with a full touring band
and the
light show and sound system of DOOM. Sorry Neil, please adjust downward.
Thanks. Oh,
and see you next time around, hopefully.



John Van Nest



__________________________________________



neil has always been one of my very favorite artists, as much for his vision and
spirit as for
his music. this story is very disappointing to read. over the years i have
rarely missed a
neil young tour, whether solo acoustic, with crazy horse or with booker t. this
tour i will
be missing...



gregg bell



__________________________________________



Bob,



Even sacred cows need to be sacrificed to make a point! And you did just that!
Well done!



F.J. Pratt



__________________________________________



Oh Bobby Bobby Bobby....

Save your money in about 6 months you'll be able to get Neil's latest CD "Chrome
Dreams
2" with the bonus concert DVD for about 15 bucks... :) RS45



__________________________________________



Do not print my name:



Bob,



I can't agree with you more. Neil young is a greedy whore who completely
disrespects his
fans for charging these prices and releasing the new music only in this fashion.
The prick
gauges on the prices when his overhead is lowered by not taking the full band.
If
anything, lower the price for god sake. But he could care less about anyone
but himself.



However, I am afraid he is not alone. All of these fuckheads from bon jovi,
springsteen,
genesis, roger waters, U2, bocelli, the police to 90% of these rich assholes are
all guilty of
charging serious money for their wares. Bruce, a man of the people. Last time I
checked
$95 doesn't exactly sound like an affordable price to the blue collar worker.
And if he
really cared about looking out for everyone, his deals wouldn't be 95/5's with
promoters.
This guy should take the enormous profit he is making and dole out massive
amounts of it
to his crew so they can retire before the age of 65. Then I might respect this
guy.



At the end of the day, there is only one way to end this madness. The public
must take a
stand and just say no. They should not pay the prices being charged. Can you
imagine if a
campaign was started to boycott all sales for an artist's tour? Unfortunately,
it would be
the promoter who would get decimated but maybe that is what it will take. Let's
just hope
it is a live nation tour. They are just as evil as the acts.



Going to live shows are a choice that people make. Gas, food and lodging are
necessities.
In the not too distant future, this cash grab in the concert business will blow
up. People
will eventually give concerts the middle finger. It just isn't worth it.



__________________________________________



Well... someone's gotta pay for his 1959 'Linc-Volt', and corresponding
documentary....
(guess it's not google)



http://blog.google.org/2007/09/neil-youngs-silver-seed-comes-to-visit_19.html



-a



__________________________________________



Jim Filiault:



I just bought a ticket for Alejandro Escovedo here in Portland. $18.50 (before
the f#$ing
Ticketmaster rape which amounted to more than $8 a ticket).



Alejandro for $18.50 in a 500 seat theater or Neal Young for $132 in a 5,000
seat
auditorium? Yeah, that's a hard choice (cough, cough).



__________________________________________



bob,



i saw neil young on the greendale tour and really enjoyed it. however, i can't
afford to see
him this time around. it's time that a tough economy starts hitting him like
it's hit a lot of
americans.

love to go but too much $$$.



jeff laufer



__________________________________________



So if the market values Neil Young at $257 in LA, what would be the market price
for Led
Zepp? I have listed my "extra" kidney on eBay in prep for the Zepp tickets. Bob
what organ
shall ye be selling?



Cheers, Daryle Gessner



__________________________________________



very cool & rite on the money ...what's left of it ....but his shit has been
horrible 4 years
......i am not ... let me rephrase that i am sure ..these guys r just not hungry
anymore
....they don't have what it takes 2 make a gr8 record...just do the hits
...cool/Pete
Anderson



__________________________________________



Bought the Seattle tickets, not the expensive ones, the $72 ones, yeah not the
expensive
ones alright. Way out in the home run zone, probably with a post in front of my
face.
After all is said and done ticketmaster grabbed $32 off the deal and gave me a
CD full of
crap, who wants to listen to...



Poison

Bret Dennen

Paula Cole

Ceu

G. Love

Halfway to Hazard

Kate Voegele

A Fine Frenzy

Andrew Bird

Brazinian Girls



... when you're on your way to a NEIL YOUNG concert. It is more of a marketing
ploy then
anything to expose us to music we MIGHT want, not that we do want. Especially
since most
Neil Young fans are in their 50's. Why would they even bother to download this
crap? I'm
21 and I don't give a shit about any one of these acts, the only one I have ever
heard of is
Poison and now I have one random song of theirs floating around in my itunes
library
along with that other god awful crap (to me) maybe someone else might like some
of
these acts, but what is the likely hood that someone would like ALL of them and
I am the
one who bought the tickets! Not a representation of the public, and I deserve to
like ALL of
them when I pay $177 for a short night of music.



Thanks



Jake Wolf-Saxon



__________________________________________



I saw around Neil ten years ago in Concord, CA. It was the first and only time
in my life I
paid a scalper for tickets, $75.00 for six row left of center seats. It was a
Crazy Horse
show. The show was amazing, Bob. I'm not exaggerating, it was simply amazing. I
went in
a passive fan familiar with Neil and came out a convert. The end of of the show,
giant
candles which had been burning all during the show were picked up and the melted
wax
slung all over the stage while Neil went nuts during an astounding jam out by
him and his
band of Hey Hey, My My. No makeup, no explosions, no fancy clothes and sets.....
just
pure, unadulterated rock and roll music with an animal unleashed at the ending
that to
this day still finds itself at the top ten list of concerts I've seen in my
lifetime. I left there
completely happy that I paid that scalper and sat by myself in the middle of
those people,
because the show was astounding.



I was close enough to see Neil's guitar rig, consisting of several amps and its
own little PA
system and mixer for them, plus his knob-turning contraption custom-made for him
that
got pre-set tone choices from the amps using mechanical knob-turners placed over
the
amp knobs instead of using sampled guitar tones, etc. I saw that night why I can
never
seem to get my Les Pauls to sound the way Neil's Les Pauls sound.



A few weeks later, friends of mine are getting married. Neil is a friend of
theirs too and
come to the small wedding and reception at a rented private hall somewhere in
the
Oakland Hills. Neil, in his Hawaiian shirt and white pants, sandals and hat, is
there. We sit
next to each other on a bench and eat food from the buffet on our paper plates.
I get up
the courage to tell him I bought a scalped ticket, and that I'd never seen him
before, and
how absolutely knocked out I was by that magical show. Neil grinned. He was so
nice. I
turned the conversation to shop talk about that guitar rig setup. He lit up like
a little kid
talking about his favorite fire truck and for a good half our or so, described
in detail how
the idea came about, talked about the guy who made the system for him, the
various
amps, and humbly, gently thanked me for noticing the rig and liking it. People
all around
enjoying the reception, and me and Neil sitting there talking guitars, amps and
tone like
we were a couple of kids in a music store. Try having that conversation with Bob
Dylan
some time......



About five or so years ago, Neil was preparing for his short run with Crazy
Horse to South
America. He had two suprise performances at the Warfield in San Francisco. The
shows
were announced the same day the first was to happen. Knowing they would sell out
immediately, my employees and I, tipped off to the tickets going on sale, rushed
to the
local Ticketbastard location at a Long's Drugstore near our publishing offices
in Vallejo,
CA. Expecting lines, we sweated and rushed and ran..... got into the store,
nobody in line.
Went to the ticket sales counter, bought four tickets for each show, $35 each
plus fees.
The Warfield, Bob! Tiny venue by comparison. Both nights, beautiful magic. He
could have
easily got $200 a head for that tiny show, and scalpers outside on Market Street
had no
problem doing it. I saw them sell them while I waited in line.



I won't go into the wonderful things Neil does as a human for Bridge School
every year
with his benefit show in the SF bay area. I won't humor you with details of Neil
telling a
room full of audio engineers, producers and manufacturers at the TEC Awards
during AES
to not interpolate his music into surround, and how much CD's suck (while the
high-
ranking SONY people sat there in front of him).



I don't know who sets these crazy ticket prices. I don't pretend to know the
mindset
behind it, or Ticketbastard, or even the real costs of a tour in the 21st
Century, but I do
know this much, Bob. Neil Young is a good guy, with a good heart, a truckload of
talent
and Neil Young has nothing, I mean NOTHING to be ashamed of, Bob.



Mike Lawson



__________________________________________



Right on, Bob. Neil WAS up there with the best. I've followed him
forever...revered the
man, his music, his insight, his raw and unabashed emotions that pour through
his best
songs. I lived Neil Young. Somehow, he knew what was going on in my simple
fucking
life. When I heard he was ill...I cared. I was worried and scared for Neil and
his family.
Hell, I cried during Heart of Gold when he choked up in speaking about his Dad.
So now it
comes down to greed and reckless disregard for the fans. No more tears for
Neil.



David E. Svikhart



__________________________________________



"you've got to park, you've got to eat, buy some merch..."



I can't remember the last time I bought merch at a show (a major show, not
little clubs -
I'll always buy the indie CD if they're good, since you may never find it
anywhere else).
$60 for a T-Shirt is just too damn much, especially when you can probably go
home and
order the same shirt on the band's website for $30. If I can't, I don't need it
that bad.



I take that back. I spent $75 on merch this spring at a Wilco show. And I got
a shirt for
myself, one for my son, Glenn Kotche's solo CD, a poster, and a couple stickers
for that
$75.



Why do artists think they need to gouge people on the merch these days? Do they
assume
that, because we blew a few hundred bucks on tickets, what's another $60 for a
shirt?
Forget that.



travis ballstadt

thrillcat editorial



__________________________________________



Michael Fremer:



Maybe so, but at least with Neil you never get a bad show. Can't say that about
Bob. I
walked out on him in the PNC Center in NJ. I never thought that would happen but
he was
out of it. Average that ticket with a good show and compare it to two great Neil
concerts
(you never get less...at least I haven't) and I'll take the Neil deal every
time....



__________________________________________



Damn, tickets for Neil & The Shocking Pinks tour at Irvine Bowl deal were only $
16.50 .
Big jump even for 20 years Neil.



Guess that's why you'll only find me at club & all ages shows.



Paul Moshay

Delicious Vinyl



__________________________________________



I've lived a mile from Shoreline Ampetheater my entire life, and gone to Bridge
School
every year (the city still lets city residents buy tix a day early...a small
benefit for letting
the google boys park their plane in our back yard) Two years ago James Taylor
headlined.
Neil came on after. If Neil didn't leave embarrassed, his shitty two-song
performance
having to follow James fucking Taylor's life changing, move-you-to-tears set
even for
those of us on the lawn, two football fields away, I'd be shocked. Neil Young
should stick
to being a philanthropist.



Charles Dahan



__________________________________________



RE: the Neil Young ticket thang



Bob! LOL! FUCK THAT SHIT!!! I'm going to go out and get my OWN fucking guitar
and learn
to play! (I've secretly wanted to for years anyway..) jesus! I would SO much
rather give my
money to some hungry person or a person I personally KNOW, or better yet, KEEP
it
myself!



these dudes ARE nuts. i mean, no offense intended, but aren't the PLAYERS the
ones really
having the fun, anyway? Itsure seems that way to ME.....



your adoring crotchety semi-healed post adolescent fan in Santa Rosa



Hans Kindt



__________________________________________



Anyway, if you get free tickets give me a call (ha ha) Kate



__________________________________________



John Lomax III:



Overrated, overpriced and underperforming.

How many years since you played a Neil Young track?

That wasn't 20+ years old?



__________________________________________



Hey Neil is f-in worth it. And his boy is sick besides, and he and his wife have
a special
school and curriculum for kids with this particular disorder. So, I say
consider these
things.



By the way, I like your newsletter. Neil Young, very badass, the Stones are the
ones
charging $300.00 (at least) per ticket.

Now that's highway robbery.

Or concert venue robbery.

Anyway, take care,

Jaybee



__________________________________________



Joe Pinder:



Oh, man, dude you is toast for this one. There are third rails in politics. You
just found
yosef one in music. Have a crispy day.



__________________________________________



Bingo! When did concerts become exclusive events for the connected and the
rich?
Artists, managers, agents and promoters love fucking the consumer. They aren't
dealing
with reality. It stopped being about the music a long time ago.



Neil should be trying to spread his new music. He should be trying to build new
generations of fans. He is an incredible talent. As you said, the dude doesn't
even
guarantee theatre sell-outs. How about charging $30 (+$15 Ticketmaster fees)
for
tickets? Promote the shit out of the show based on the fact that the consumer
can see the
legendary Neil Young for $30? Maybe he could fill out a few theatres night
after night
without any papering? The profit margins would shrink, but who cares?
Shouldn't the
music come first? Shouldn't Neil's love for performing come first? The dude is
a very
wealthy guy. Elliot Roberts isn't hurting for cash. Vlasic has cashed in from
his tours.
Why does it have to solely be about the money?



The powers-that-be in the concert industry have given a big middle finger to the
consumer. They are milking every last drop instead of trying reinvent the
direction things
are heading. Tons of music fans have been priced out of shows. Some will go
into debt to
see an artist they are in love with, others will reluctantly pay to sit in the
nose-bleeds just
for a taste, while many others turn away and shake their heads. The concert
industry
should focus on bringing the fans back into shows. They should focus on
building trust
and faith in the consumer; make the concert experience special. But they don't
care. And
watch their industry take the nosedive the record labels have. You can only
screw people
for so long. That is why Neil Young has empty seats in a theatre. Not because
he has lost
it, but because he has priced out consumers. That is why you can still get
killer seats for
Van Halen shows. It is a wide-spread epidemic. The concert industry executives
need to
come back down to earth. Charge a reasonable price for shows (under $100) and
see
some sell-out business and hear a vibe. Greed has clouded everyone's judgment.
Concerts were once a great pastime; now they are one big pain in the ass.



Andy Rock

andyrockmusicblog.blogspot.com



__________________________________________



Bob,



So funny you wrote this. I was on Ticketmaster for Neil Young in Chicago a few
days after
tickets went on sale. Plenty of good seats available but when I saw the price
and those TM
charges I closed my browser. I have been buying Mr. Young's works since the
70's and
consider myself a fan but like you said, this is no Led Zeppelin show. I'll be
at Springsteen,
his ticket price is and always has been fair.



Neal Berz



__________________________________________



GREAT rant here, ya think Neil will comment on it?

Nah, he'll ignore it. I work at the Rock Hall part-time security, in a little
over a week the
Doors exhibit on the sixth floor and the Clash exhibit on the fifth floor will
both come
down to make room for...guess what? The Neil Young exhibit...



Take care,



______



__________________________________________



might be a bit off the mark, but....

ticket bang for the buck?

garth. kansas city, nov. 14th, twenty-five bucks.

tix for garth have always been between 17 and 25 bucks.

AND he gives the silver platters away for free - relative to other cd pricetags.

he makes up the rest in merch, publishing and creative distribution deals.

but, if you talk about pleasing your fan base? garth has done it since day one.

maybe when he's 60 something, he'll jack prices up, too. -but i doubt it.

eagles, neil, and all the other over the hill gang jack up the prices cause they
know people
will fork over the dough.

once, just once, i'd like to see a veteran artist hit the road for the reason
they played their
first bar gig. MUSIC.

garth may never go in to the history books as one of music's greatest artists.
but if he
keeps up his trend in making his music and performances available to everybody,
he just
might create a place in history as being the most fan-friendly superstar in
history.



storme



__________________________________________



Jeff Gorlechen:



Bob:



To an extent, I agree with you. However, I am not a Kool Aid drinker, but Neil's
not
coasting on his reputation. I've seen every tour of his for the past decade. He
brings it
every night, even at his age.



There are very few LIVE performers that are x-factor personified. You've got
Neil, Bruce,
Keith and Pete from the Old Generation who've still got it. Jerry's dead.



I guess Eddie Vedder has got it as does Trey Anastasio. Granted, you can't hear
and see
everything, so maybe I am missing a few performers.



Neil's overcharging for sure. But he's got the boomer audience. They can afford
it.
Otherwise, the aftermarket gets it. He is playing small venues. Acoustic and
electric with a
band, despite your earlier comment.



I am not sure what the answer is here. In Denver, a typically soft concert
market, he is
"only" charging 100 per ticket and he added a show after the first one sold out.



obviously, I think Neil is worth it. I don't think CSNY is. If I see Neil once
every three years
and divide it by 150 its fifty bucks a year. If I sit at a lower tier price of
80 its less. In a
3,000 seat theatre, every seat is good. If the sound is in order, all is good.



If Neil is charging what he is charging because he feels the aftermarket will
get it anyway,
he is right. What he and other boomer-centric artists should do when they are
playing
small venues and they want to charge less is sell tickets online and over the
phone only.
Make it a one ticket limit and you can only get your tix by picking up @ the box
office. So
you don't get to make it a date or go with a friend. Once the shows starts,
what's the
difference. This would mostly eliminate the aftermarket.



Otherwise, you got no choice but to charge what the market will bear. Major
sporting
events charge much more for stuff that is on television in real time. This
doesn't apply to
concerts. The only way to experience it is to attend. A good concert is good
value even if it
is slightly expensive. Its not on TV. You can only experience it in person. You
can't
download it.



I know Neil has his idiosyncrasies and he speaks up for what he believes in but
then you
get these ticket prices and think, what the fuck?



__________________________________________



John Brodey:



I missed the part about what charity he is donating the proceeds to.



__________________________________________



Bob,



I'm afraid you're ranting...



What do you think the The Who would cost in a theater?? Clapton? hell...Bon
Jovi? The
Stones don't count..they did em for fun and offset it with stadiums. LA doesn't
count..it's
LA. Dylan doesn't count..he's over-toured so badly WITHOUT the content (until
recently),
he has to keep it modest.



I'm all about moderate tickets (and agree completely about TM issues) and if you
told me it
was 150.00 to see Maroon Five in a theater...I'd be outraged....no legacy...no
reason.....no
RIGHT to demand those numbers..



.but Neil..yes sir...any day..



This many years....creative,relative, trying. Yes he drifts on occasion..some
times way off
into the ditch. (in his own words), .but I love that. Solo, the Horse,
CSNY...Greendale as
you said, the grunge partnership with Pearl Jam..poking hard at the right wing
and at the
same time trying to get people to knock it down a couple notches..take a
breath..be
peaceful.. He keeps exploring,...has things to say Bob. How many of the other
vets are
doing that?....Zero. Furthermore if he makes a racket about George Bush...I'm
with him. HE
gets the money for EFFORT!



Plus its simple tour economics to begin with. Small room+ heritage artist +
short tour =
higher ticket prices. Or do you espouse giving away the content AND the concert?
Start
screaming about Aerosmith or Kiss taking this kind of money in arena's year in
and year
out please.



No endorsements, sponsorships or TV adds. Still on a major
somehow/someway.....that
sort of/kind of gets it (or Elliott makes them get it). He releases what he
wants, when he
wants, packaged how he wants, as often as he wants. AND beats up LN for big
guarantees
that they apparently go for (hence the prices).



THAT is controlling your career..something you've been preaching since....1932?



I've often said I wouldn't pay this kind of money to see the second coming of
Christ....but
I'd pay it to see Neil in a small room. Have a listen to his Massey Hall live
release and tell
me you don't wish you were there..



Best,



Craig Finley



__________________________________________



Two words describe Mr. Young's opportunistic character: LET'S ROLL



RJ Guha



__________________________________________



anonymous please.



I'll admit it, I missed the pre-sale. But when I went to ticketmaster in a
procrastinator's
frenzy, I chose best available, 2 tickets, entered the word that might/might not
exist to
prove I'm not a robot, then waited while it searched. I was AMAZED to be AWARDED
two
tickets in the first section, albeit near the back. I saw the section, the row,
the seating
chart -all before I saw the price. (i immediately checked stubhub, but that
wasn't much
better.)



I commend you for having the balls to write what I didn't want to admit to
myself. I have
seen Neil three times. Dylan a few more. I've read "Shakey" a few times and
still enjoy it. In
fact, I know there is a quote in there where he says "I'm a capitalist business
man!" I wish I
knew the page. I guess he warned us, but this really hurt. ...I just want to see
the man play!



The worst part? If the tickets had even been the new "going rate" of $60, I
could have
convinced another half-dozen people to see the show. Friends (a.k.a. "filters"
by some)
that are curious listeners who just want to know and decide for themselves.
Hell, even for
Neil that would have been 6 more discs.



this sucks.



__________________________________________



Peter Ruppert:



Not sure what the problem is here. Madonna charged £150($300) for her last
Wembley
gigs. Prince offered tickets for £250 for his 21 nights at the O2. (standard
was £31.21).

These are artists with adult fanbases, $100 or so shouldn't be too much should
it?



best

Peter



__________________________________________



Jesse Ervin:



Bob, you're right ticket prices are insane. I'm a huge neil fan, but those
prices are not fair
to fans. I just got back from seeing leon russell at the malibu inn. I have to
say the show
was incredible. Small venue, legendary artist, and a $20 ticket. Leon played
like it was
1973 - two dylan covers, a stones cover. and his classics. We need to
remember it's
about the music, that's why we are here.



__________________________________________



i've been a n.young fan for years (but only his first 4 albums - neil young,
everybody
knows..., goldrush, harvest). and i hear wot you say and yes it sucks but i just
think with
mr young he's made some bad decisions in his career but i just cant believe he's
doing this
out of greed and trying to rip people off for his own benefit and more
importantly that he
really doesn't care anymore. he may be losing the plot but thats just from being
outta
touch. i can totally beleive he's not totally up on kids, internet, downloads,
i-pods etc..
you have to have young kids, people around you, or be actively going out to
learn about it
to know wots going on (to be honest bob for a 'mature' bloke you are incredibly
informed)
but with iraq all you've got to do is turn on the tv or pick up a paper, dont
you?



he maybe needs to read your blog. i believe he would sit up and listen. but i
could be
totally wrong. i'd like to beleive he's just being very badly advised. maybe you
should
manage him!

x