£1400 for 2 tickets 😳
I was a professional musician for 18 years. It was rare that I earned £1400 in a month 🙈
Not a fan personally but can still applaud the talent. Not particularly keen on the way she milks her fans, and I’m excluding ticket prices. Kids are fans, seems that when an album is released there are then multiple ways to “possibly win” tickets to see Taylor but but this version of the same album you already bought.
As an aside, family are going to Liverpool next Thursday to see her. We watch a lot of live music so not overly annoyed about the ticket prices.
Now aside from the fact I can’t see the appeal of her awful music in the slightest, I’m reliably informed that Taylor treats her fans amazingly well, but I’d argue those prices are taking the pee pee a bit. I remember seeing U2 back in the day for about 25 quid.
Please let us know who your favourite artist are, so we can all point at you and sneer at you for your execrable taste in music.
You could, on the other hand, accept the fact that there are hundreds of artists out there, most of whom you won’t have heard of, and a very large percentage of those you have you won’t like.
It’s certainly true in my case, but the only stuff I actually consider to be crap is the cookie-cutter producer led garbage on much of commercial radio these days.
I actually quite like much of Taylor’s music, along with Lana Del Ray, they’re both good song writers and singers, and Taylor is very involved with her fanbase.
If you all want to blame anyone for ticket prices, blame Ticketmaster and Live Nation - they hold a near monopoly on venues and ticket prices, also demanding a significant share of the merchandise price as well.
It doesn’t help that some venues sell tickets as pairs, making it very difficult to find a single ticket. I had that problem when I tried to get a ticket for TOOL at The O2, finally found a single return in the block at the back, which cost me £125. Cheap compared to Peter Gabriel at The O2, which had a similar situation with tickets in pairs - I found a single ticket close to the front on the end of a row, which cost £350!
When I saw Kate Bush at Hammersmith, I bought three tickets, with no idea at all where they were situated, turned out I got front row centre, at £149 each, which considering the quality of the performance, and it being the only time she’s ever going to play, was worth every penny.
Tickets for Led Zeppelin at Earls Court on the Physical Graffiti Tour cost me £2.50 each…
TOOL, on Monday - a good view, but having my monocular with me helped me see what they were up to…
It's interesting how much her songwriting has matured since the 'Shake It Off' days and certainly since the country and western stuff. There's some really good tracks on the new album...especially on the 31 track Anthology version. She'll never be everyone's cup of tea but she can play piano and guitar, write her own songs, and puts the effort in to make sure a lot of people enjoy her shows so I can't knock that.
" Kids are fans, seems that when an album is released there are then multiple ways to “possibly win” tickets to see Taylor but but this version of the same album you already bought."
We bought a vinyl version of "Midnights" and that provided a priority code which got us tickets, I don't think that is too bad a way to get tickets to real fans. Yes, there are multiple different vinyl colours and the real obsessive will have to have every one, but that's life.
"My first gig – Iron Maiden, Beast on the Road tour – £2.75."
There was rampant inflation in the early 1980s too. It was £3.50 when I saw them a year later on World Piece. That's a 27% increase in 1 year. Eddie was right to do in Thatcher.
If you all want to blame anyone for ticket prices, blame Ticketmaster and Live Nation
isnt it more a case that streaming has cut revenue from music sales so touring is the money spinner?
Back in the 70s/80s record sales & radio plays generated income, tours were lucky to break even and seem as promotion of the latest album to generate ££.
Wife & daughter got tickets for c£170 at Wembley- don’t feel so bad knowing people forked out £700! They looked at hotels to stay (after the crush/ panic of missing last train after Harry Styles last year) the premier inn at Wembley were £1700 for the Taylor nights
Re tax- read an article this week re the difference for uk artists playing in USA vs US artists playing here. If a foreign artist comes to UK, plays their gigs in a certain amount of time or arriving & buggers offf there’s no cost. Whereas. Uk artists have to pay for visas every time they visit the US (previously visas lasted a year).
Rather aptly I came in from Scouts tonight & they’re watching (again) Eras!
I had the offer of a Foo Fighters ticket at Manc in Aug.. Legit, cost price as paid by someone I know who now can't make it. It's just too much.
I squirmed at the £105 for Joe Bonamassa at the Albert Hall earlier this year (pleb tickets at that) though to be fair he was excellent and I'll do the same again.
Iron Maiden last year at at Brum were about £73 each after booking gouge etc. That almost seems cheap compared to many.
Want value ? Florence Black + 2x support bands at KK's Steel Mill a couple of months back. ****en brilliant gig, good sound quality, proper upcoming talented lads from The Valleys. Hope they become HUGE. all for £14. Fourteen quid ! And about £3.in a local municipal car park, not the typical venue gouging like the NEC
FOURTEEN QUID. + beer was sensibly priced, cup of tea £2, burger or hot dong maybe £3 or something like that.
If we’re gonna play boring old men shouting at clouds here’s my contribution. Evening was warm, beer was cold, cheap and brought to you where you were sat/stood.
I’d genuinely love to go and see Taylor Swift.
If you were a real Taylor Swift fan, you'd look at the price and shake it off. 😉
I hated Cruel Summer, one of the worst earworms! It literally woke me up one night with the chorus running round in my head on repeat. Anti Hero is okay for a pop song, was listening to the lyrics on the radio at work and thought it sounded a bit deep for sodding Heart FM.
I squirmed at the £105 for Joe Bonamassa at the Albert Hall earlier this year (pleb tickets at that) though to be fair he was excellent and I’ll do the same again.
Get a day ticket for Black Deer next Friday and you can see him again for £95. They'll even throw in The Shires, Jade Bird and Courtney Barnett, along with a few others.
This whole thread is basically old men shouting at clouds, you do realise that?Meanwhile there are a lot of young people who are going to have the time of their lives (at least up till now anyway!), have been talking and thinking about it for months and will be talking and thinking about it for months afterwards, no matter how many grumpy old people tell them they won’t!
This exactly. Exactly
I’ve seen a few decent concerts in my time but nothing recently, particularly with the higher prices. I choose (or actually it’s my bank account) not to go, fair enough, but I bet they are great gigs to be there and see it live. There are a few on YouTube with mostly acceptable quality and it looks great. You just can’t get to that level without having talent and the ability to put on such a show.
And I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned it yet, but she is fit.
This whole thread is basically old men shouting at clouds, you do realise that?
Meanwhile there are a lot of young people who are going to have the time of their lives (at least up till now anyway!), have been talking and thinking about it for months and will be talking and thinking about it for months afterwards, no matter how many grumpy old people tell them they won’t!
‘the price of everything and the value of nothing’. I suspect they’ll have a brilliant time so good luck to them.
hot dong maybe £3 or something like that.
Should have had two at that price.
This is not some sort of I'm too cool to listen to Ms Swift post....honest.
But I genuinely don't know how I would have, and it (slightly) troubles me. I listen to 95%+ of my musical input through Spotify. It's a bit of an echo chamber isn't it - I listen to what I know and it suggests stuff I might like based on that. She is never going to appear on any of those playlists. The remaining few percent of my listening is R6 - would she ever appear on R6? I don't work in an environment where there is a radio on in the background. I spend <10mins a month in a shop with Musak on in the background. I genuinely don't know how I'd have heard her work. I guess it could have been used in the soundtrack of a film/TV series I've watched maybe.....
I'm not too fussed about her music. Maybe I'd care more if I knew what it sounded like. But it does concern me that my consumption of music is coming from a smaller and smaller pool. Maybe that's a 50 yr old + thing. It's just slightly odd that I have access to such a vast vast resource like Spotify yet it does not seem to open me up to new material in the way that it could/should.
I’m not too fussed about her music. Maybe I’d care more if I knew what it sounded like. But it does concern me that my consumption of music is coming from a smaller and smaller pool. Maybe that’s a 50 yr old + thing. It’s just slightly odd that I have access to such a vast vast resource like Spotify yet it does not seem to open me up to new material in the way that it could/should.
im not a Spotify officianado - but would it not be easy to type Taylor Swift into its search bar, removing the curiosity on what you are missing and potentially broadening the basis the algorithm uses for recommending new stuff? Or is that your fear - that contaminating your Spotify profile will mean you actually leave your echo chamber?
im not a Spotify officianado – but would it not be easy to type Taylor Swift into its search bar, removing the curiosity on what you are missing and potentially broadening the basis the algorithm uses for recommending new stuff? Or is that your fear – that contaminating your Spotify profile will mean you actually leave your echo chamber
I could. If I cared. But as I say, I don't care that much.
But you missed the point - there is a whole strat of popular but less well known artists than a mega stars like Swift whose name you somehow know through osmosis who I might like but don't even know the name of to type into a search bar.
Maybe I need to make it my weekend mission to actually listen to some of her work. It would be pretty amazing of her if she is did hit the spot with this old man who listens to lots of bagpipes and Celtic fusion AND is popular for the female teenage market. But she might just be that good and I don't know!
I’m not too fussed about her music. Maybe I’d care more if I knew what it sounded like. But it does concern me that my consumption of music is coming from a smaller and smaller pool.
Or listen to commercial radio, or Radio 1 for a bit. You might hate it (OK, we all hate the adverts on commercial radio) but at least you'll know.
Or have some teenagers, or increasingly tweenagers. They broaden your taste (although I'm slowly winning with my daughter or at least meeting her in the middle somewhere....she's a big fan of The Bug Club, not so much TWP yet although she did take her Dad to see them in Brum last year)
With amusing timing I was in the car with someone yesterday listening to some synthy pop, I thought hmmm this is ok wondering what it was, it sounded like a mellow take on some of the post Empire of the Sun or Naked and Famous 80s style stuff. Guess who's new album it was. Without knowing who it was I was quite happy listening to it, thought it was pretty good tbh. Along those lines I thought Lady Gaga was great at what she did too. Quality music of any genre is ok with me - big difference between this and some of the mindless mainstream dirge I hear.
Managed to get 2 last minute tickets for wife and 13-year-old daughter to go to the Edinburgh show last night. £160 a head, but totally decent seats considering what some people forked out. My father's day present had better be Earth-shattering.
I find her music largely shrug-inducing, but that's totally irrelevant, because it's not for me. Also, she does at least have genuine talent as a performer and song-writer. She also puts in a Hell of a shift at her live shows: 3+ hours last night.
I've a friend who played guitar for an act that was supporting the 1975 last year. Taylor came to the London shows and Jamie met her and got a selfie. He seemed chuffed, his girlfriend was miffed because she chose the wrong night to go and missed her. Not the best story but I've nothing more to add about TS.
hot dong maybe £3 or something like that.
Should have had two at that price."
Maybe I did 🙄.
Did I mention I keep breaking spokes and the rims have cracked on the road bike. Can't think why 😖
Or listen to commercial radio, or Radio 1 for a bit
We’ve had “Capitol Taylor “ as the default station for the last few days. Non stop Swift. Daughter’s tickets aren’t until Aug!
I've found the DJ function on Spotify has been great in throwing up new artists for me to enjoy as well as the bands I already play a lot of.
My two teenage daughters went last night, they both had tickets they bought themselves with money they saved from their weekend jobs.
They both are quite clear, yesterday was the best day of their lives. They are buzzing. Worth every penny as far as they are concerned. My eldest is going back tonight as well for second show.
At 3.5 hrs and 46 songs, you can't complain she doesn't put effort in to entertain as long as she can.
At 3.5 hrs and 46 songs, you can’t complain she doesn’t put effort in to entertain as long as she can.
Sounds like a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gig, we had to leave while they were still on their nth encore
Feel like a bad husband not getting my wife tickets, and like other big gigs in Edinburgh recently (Harry Styles perhaps?) it's hard to argue with the general positive vibe surrounding it.
At 3.5 hrs and 46 songs, you can’t complain she doesn’t put effort in to entertain as long as she can.
Amateur effort. The Ramones could knock out 46 songs in an hour at a gig.
£400 per hour, or £39 a song is that?
Thing is, now people have been paying these ridiculous amounts, for the time of their lives!! woo!! it’ll continue. And there’s no way it’s anything like value for money for a few hours entertainment in anyone’s language. But its part of the culture now, so punters will continue to be ripped off.
Maybe I need to make it my weekend mission to actually listen to some of her work. It would be pretty amazing of her if she is did hit the spot with this old man who listens to lots of bagpipes and Celtic fusion AND is popular for the female teenage market. But she might just be that good and I don’t know!
You should. I’m not generally a pop fan but I think she’s great. Totally different artist to the Love Story days and really developed as a song writer. Avoid the big hits and go for a deep cuts playlist. If you hate it at least you’ve tried.
Ticket prices no different to big sporting events. Euro’s tickets to watch Scotland lose their matches are £200+ each.
The bands I go and see can normally be found near the bar. It’s more, ‘Excuse me, can I get to the bar please’ than meet and greet. 😀
Claim-to-fame Alert!
That’s how I met Skin from Skunk Anansie. My girlfriend at the time and I were at a pub, sitting at the bar. We got chatting to her, and had no idea who she was. After a while she said “Sorry, I have to go, my band is on” and off she went and they put in a great set.
Only twigged who she and they were when I bought a copy of Paranoid & Sunburnt a year later.
Please let us know who your favourite artist are, so we can all point at you and sneer at you for your execrable taste in music
ooh bit touchy aren’t you! Just because I think her music is pretty awful doesn’t mean I’m sneering at it. It’s not my cup of tea but I can appreciate that many hundreds of thousands of people love it. My post was comment on the fact my partner had spent 1400 quid on two tickets to see her, which imo is frankly ridiculous. But it’s her cash so she can do what she wants!
as you ask, my music tastes include oasis, stone roses, black crowes, basically nothing that’s been released recently. And no, I wouldn’t consider paying anywhere close to 700 quid to see them either!
And in defense of ms swift, 46 songs and a 3.5 hr set certainly seems like an amazing show (if you like her music)
My daughter paid £120 and this view
The irony of a phone taking a photo of a phone taking a photo of the reason everyone was there! 🙂
Coldplay (so I'm told - wasn't there) did a song on their last tour where they pleaded for everyone to put their phones away and just be in the moment.
The irony of a phone taking a photo of a phone taking a photo of the reason everyone was there!
Jeesus, this place is depressing sometimes.
Surely the people / kids who were actually there are better judges of value for money and user experience than a bunch of grumpy Internet commentators who should really be out on their bikes instead
Anti - Hero is one of my favourite songs eva.
Taylor is a talented lady who appeals to many generations. She comes across as a properly nice person. It's a shame I can't afford a ticket.
As for Beyonce - I just don't get it/her/the music/the adulation. But we all have different tastes.
Best band I ever saw live was 'Stereophonics.
Best live singer - Tom Jones.
Best live performer - Elton John (in the 70's and early 80's)
Both my daughters have informed me they would happily forgo a 5k family holiday for the opportunity to take that photo!
Jeesus, this place is depressing sometimes.
Surely the people / kids who were actually there are better judges of value for money and user experience than a bunch of grumpy Internet commentators who should really be out on their bikes instead
Sadly I shouldn't be on a bike....I should be working!
But my comment was not a reflection simply about young'uns or even swifties. I'm sure you've seen the photos of middle aged cycling fans that have dragged their sorry arses to nearly the top of a grand tour stage and stayed out overnight to see their heroes go past, only to watch it via a 5 inch phone screen.
No, I feel pretty entitled to have my say thanks. As a species we have lost our way - slave to the phone and our rather sad need to be able to generate evidence that we were there for social media gratification and a dollop of dopamine. We've collectively turned ourselves into shallow fried turds.
Both my daughters have informed me they would happily forgo a 5k family holiday for the opportunity to take that photo!
Parents want to relax by going on holiday to sun bake themselves like pink salmon.
Children, full of energy, want to have something exciting and to experience the world in order to upload visual senses to their memory bank.
Nothing is cheap nowadays.
As a kid to early teen, my parents always took me back to their hometown for holiday or to visit grandparents, while my main concern was only about exploring exciting things or to play with friends. Put it this way, it was so so so boring at my grandparents home where holiday means a house surrounded by forest. The only excitement was insects (giant dragon fly of about 6 inches), wild animals, wind blowing the trees, rain and fish. Not even a sight of other children around to play with. It was so so boring. Now I wish I was there again to get out of the rat race. LOL!
