Expecting Rain

Makes sense. I wouldn't have paid that.

Yes, it is very expensive. Live music is for a rich elite - they can afford to go to show but they just complain about Dylan´s voice or setlist after a concert, while the fans are "scrounging for the next meal". Why can´t they sell last minute tickets cheap? Or do they?

There are ways, yes.

You don't need to be rich to complain about the setlists or the voice. If Dylan cared about regular fans being there, he'd make sure that ticket prices are more reasonable. Obviously, he doesn't.

25€ in Barolo
45€ in Bilbao
anywhere in France and Germany below 70€

just sayin'....

Bob has no control over how much his tickets are being priced at. Very few artists do.

Not true. It depends on who you are working with and ho you handle things. Obviously, if you want to have a say in these things, you have to accept that this will cut into your own profit as well. Just ask Pearl Jam. Or The Cure.

And JP, the prices you mentioned are low because the promoters use them as a strategy to shift tickets, not because it's in Bob's contract. How do I know without having seen the contracts? If it was in the contact, the ticket prices were more evn across Europe.

Where did I say it had anything to do with anything? The truth is people are complaining about expensive tickets, forgetting that you couldn't see most other legends at the prices that are usually charged in the bigger venues, which more often than not are two-figure ($ or €) sums. I remember we had the discussion about guarantees sums not too long ago.... and no, Bob doesn't have a word in the individual ticket pricing, he'll get paid anyway.

like bob in 2008 and like many others did before, Paul McCartney had a free show last night to 200,000 in Mexico City - those are great absolutions to this problem - innovative, radical like going electric

hope bob was lost in the crowd looking like a wrecking ball

no. you obviously have no idea what your are talking about.

springsteen, mccartney, cohen, waters, clapton etc are all much more expensive

A few years ago, Bob did that "box office only" show, thus cutting out the ticketbastard procentages, if for one night only.

yea Johanna - glad the European festival circuit is so healthy and glad you all are getting bob shows so much because of it -

i miss the small crowds of summer though, bob is great in a small town

There might still be a late summer US tour.

yes johanna - a tiny one with Willie you think it really is happening? (so sad the loss of Willie's bassist)

Bob and the band and the crew need this fun before the fall PUSH for stranger-game

It sounded like a proper rumor.

proper rumor - great name for bob's new album - perfect Johanna!!

yes bobschool ^^
my preferred album title is 'coffee filter'

why coffee filter i don't get it, funny though,

you mention coffee a lot or am i mistaken?

€25 in Barolo --> sold out in less than a week --> everybody's happy
€ 162 - €270 in Cap Roig --> far from selling out --> few people happy

And all of them (except for Clapton) play for two or three hours every gig.
Anyway, that's not entirely true. Tickets to see Bruce in Spain this summer cost around €65. McCartney played Milan last year and tickets were €69, while Bob and Knopfler's concert in the same venue costed around €50 (not such a big difference).

Just me partly happy... As I can't go that day at least I feel better for not having spent so much money.

How does this contradict what I said? Of course there are artists charging more, but I'm sure they have fans who complain about ticket prices as well. I was trying to find examples of huge bands playing for less, thus demonstrating that high ticket prices are not a god-given thing. They are a product of a business deal between artist and promoter, which has to be profitable for both sides. This is negotiable.

What I said is that bands like Pearl Jam and especially the Cure, both much bigger draws than Bob, manage to play shows at much lower ticket prices because they know the promoters and venues won't work for free so they will have to accept less of a profit for themselves to keep ticket prices low. Bob's very obviously not doing that. I'm not saying he should, he can do whatever he wants, but it's Bob's high asking price that makes ticket prices rise in the first place. Greedy promoters only come 2nd.

If Bob asks for say, 300,000 I think we all agree that it's not greedy if the promoter wants to make 300,000 as well, because out of that he'll have to pay venue rent, staff, promotion etc and he'll try to make a profit as well. Tickets are priced accordingly. 300 Euro tickets for a 2,000 capacity venue is just what it takes, unless sponsor money is involved. Now if Bob only asked for 100,000 and the "greedy" promoter prices the tickets in a way that he would make 2,000,000, don't you think Bob would feel ripped off and do you really think that Bob would work with him ever again? Since Bob has been working with the same people for years, I can only assume that it's not a rip off, it's a profitable business for *both* sides, artist and promoter, and it's the fan who's got to pay for it.

And seeing that the close to 300 Euro tickets for Montreux were sold in no time, it seems that the number of people willing to pay these prices still is bigger than the one of those who complain.

Remember: if tickets sell out in advance, they were too cheap (from a business point of view). If the last remaining ticket is sold like, five minutes prior to showtime, you have the perfect balance.

Montreux is a rich folks' playground, I don't think this compares well to regular shows and audiences.

Wealthy in "earthly possessions", as Bob once called it.