Easy on our pockets Bono

[antmccarthy]

I have just arrived back from the U2 Cardiff gig. By far the finest U2 gig I have seen. Sound was quite poor but this was down to the venue (I think) and anyway the performance more than made up for this.

I have a gripe. And please read.

I bought the album HTDAAB when they released it. £15 which is fair enough.

To stand any chance of seeing U2 live I was expected to fork out £20 to subscribe to the farce that is U2.com. Previously a great free website.

When I eventually got tickets they were £109.58 for me and our lass.

We drove from Leeds to Cardiff to see the gig.
And we stayed overnight in Cardiff for the gig.
Both having taken 2 days off work.

When we got to the stadium after having a few enjoyable pints of Guinness I noticed that there was no que at the official programme stall. I always get a preogramme when I go to a concert.... Well not at this one! £15

I have U2 in my blood but this one small thing made me think about how much the band are trying to capitalise on us the fans lately. Why??

U2 have always been (up until now) a very fan friendly band.

When I saw U2 in 1997 (Popmart) at Roundhay Park in Leeds they failed to sell out the venue. So fans were able to buy tickets from the touts outside for less than the face value. I remember Bono thanking the fans that night for "sticking with them".

During last nights gig Bono preached that we should text donations for charity. Would have hapilly bought a preogramme if the profit from each one went to charity.

U2 are one of the richest bands in the world and they don`t need all this extra money.

Please ease off our pockets in the future and never forget Popmart.

 

[trainspotter]

welcome to the board., I am glad that you enjoyed the show. Can I be pedantic and suggest that you could have gone to Manchester, and been able to drive there and back?

I agree that the program was very expensive, compared to £20 for a t-shirt. U2 are quite fashionable at the moment, in a way that they were not in 1997,. and unfortunately thsi means that we now have these more expensive ticket prices.

These are of course just my humble opinions, I look forward to more input from you with yours

 

[RevDerek]

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.technorati.com/live/badge/l8a.js"> </script>

 

[MTEdge]

Two points: One, inflation has resulted in an increase in ticket prices. In other words, your 1997 dollars, pounds, euros (were they in existence then?) bought you more than your 2005 dollars, pounds, euros do. As a result, your 2005 dollars, pounds, euros are worth less than your 1997 dollars, pounds, euros. (I hope I didn't lose anyone with what I just said!)

Second, U2 has just donated, if I remember correctly, 6 million Euros to the Drop the Debt/Live8 cause. The simple point is that they put their money where their mouth (and heart) is.

 

[corianderstem]

I can't seem to get outraged over ticket prices, but can we talk about the $90 pieces of cotton?

$90 tee shirts. Seriously. A tee shirt. A thin piece of cotton with an old picture on it. NINETY DOLLARS. wtf?

 

[antmccarthy]

Without trying to put U2 down. 6 million euro is`nt putting money where mouth is. After all they save more than that each year in taxes due to the Irish tax laws governing artists.

Also tried to get tickets to go to Manchester but sadly they sold out before I could get on that section of the ticketmaster web site. But thats what happens when you support the fines band on the face of the planet.

Some good points raised in the answers above and I take them in but can anybody justify u2.com subscription?

 

[corianderstem]

I can definitely find it within me to get outraged (or at least strongly annoyed) with the U2.com paid subscriptions. I'm so glad I didn't waste that $40.

 

[gareth brown]

AAAHAHAHAHA! That's actually hilarious! People actually pay $90 for a SHIRT?!

I mean in Pounds it's cheaper, but still 90 to you lot...whoa!

 

[Liesje]

Well, tickets are expensive, yes, but what does U2 have to do with the fact that you drove to another city to stay over night, or purchased a programme? I wouldn't complain that the programme money didn't go to charity...just donate to charity and not buy one next time.

As for the expensive t-shirts, I believe those are the ones made by Edun. If you don't want expensive ones, buy a cheaper version or something from u2.com.

I don't understand why people continue to buy novelty items and then hold it against the band.....

 

[ouizy]

I think this was a well-thought out post and as I tried to do the math as to what you have spent this year I have to say I agree with you.

There is something to be said for an artist wanting to get paid for his craft, there is something else to be said for charging outrageous prices.

When a crappy seat at MSG costs more than $100 for the show - I think this is beyond inflation. It is us paying for the $50 million set that I so rave about.

To be honest - I would rather the band charge what bands like Pearl Jam charges (= less) and do without the bells and whistles (and a better setlist )

 

[U2Girl1978]

U2 Tickets are relatively tame compared to the old goats called The Rolling Stones. $3000-$5000 for tickets. Come the fuck on!

 

[antmccarthy]

Sorry Liv but I was trying to highlight my case which you can bet is repeated thousands of times by fans on every night of the tour.

I would travel to the end of the earth to see U2 but we must at some point start to question the amount of money our favourite band is trying to make out of us.

I don`t have a problem with the ticket price. Its an expensive production and worth every penny.

But these little extortions like the programmes, t-shirts, u2.com etc are a bit of a let down. Especially when Bono thanks us for giving him and the band such a great life.

 

[antmccarthy]

Answer to U2 girl.

Great comment. Are U2 going the same way as The Rolling Stones. I hope not but it is starting to creap into our minds.

 

[Hawkfire]

U2 are catching up to the Stones with each new undertaking...the long slow demise to utterly irrelevant corporate rock behemoth is near completion.

Charging PROPAGANDA members an ADDITIONAL amount for access to their crappy website for their mess of a presale was the final straw for me. I nipped that one in the bud before the whole ticket fiasco that ensued. I never got 4 issues of the magazine despite being a prop member since ~1997. When they attempted to gouge for website access, I called it out as a BAIT & SWITCH.

 

[Chizip]

U2 Tickets are relatively tame compared to the old goats called The Rolling Stones. $3000-$5000 for tickets. Come the fuck on!

which shows are these for, the highest price ive seen for them was 450

 

[KUEFC09U2]

U2 are catching up to the Stones with each new undertaking...the long slow demise to utterly irrelevant corporate rock behemoth is near completion.

Charging PROPAGANDA members an ADDITIONAL amount for access to their crappy website for their mess of a presale was the final straw for me. I nipped that one in the bud before the whole ticket fiasco that ensued. I never got 4 issues of the magazine despite being a prop member since ~1997. When they attempted to gouge for website access, I called it out as a BAIT & SWITCH.

sorry do they force you to pay it? no, if you dont want to, then dont, its all simple, i actually want to pay it because i find enjoyment out of it all, and i know that there tickets are alot less than some aka madonna, elton john, stones, and probabley pink floyd if they decide to tour again,

so people can think that there catchin upto the rolling stones all they want, but the simple thing is, there not, you wouldnt get 6-8 new rolling stones songs at one of there concerts now, 10 songs out of U2's setlist have been from the last 2 albums, so they are no where near the stones imo

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

AAAHAHAHAHA! That's actually hilarious! People actually pay $90 for a SHIRT?!

I mean in Pounds it's cheaper, but still 90 to you lot...whoa!

People $90 for tshirts all the time and not just U2 ones. See: Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, ect.

 

[MTEdge]

For those slamming U2.com, lemme ask you this: Is U2.com's premium membership worth $28 more per year than interference.com's premium membership? I hope I do not have to spell out the answer to you with a side by side comparison...

As to U2's 6 million Euro donation, are you willing to commit 5% of your income this year to similar charities? While I donate extensively to charity (with money donations, by simply "lending a hand," and even serving as an executive board member of a non-profit), I am no where close to the charitable efforts that U2 put forth.

Lastly, I do not defend everything U2 does like KUEF sometimes does, but I will always call out a post/thread that lacks a sufficient basis for criticism.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now!

 

[antmccarthy]

Thanks for your replies and keep them coming in.

We mus` nt be scared to question things when we think there is something not right. It is our job to keep U2 feet on the ground and to stop them turning into the WAL-Mart of Rock n Roll. Where pound signs come before pride.

Cheers. Check back later.

 

[VertigoGal]

yeah, the ticket prices are too high, but I know the arenas, producers, etc take a nice chunk out of each ticket. and it is a very expensive production. even Pearl Jam tix go for about 60 bucks now, so if U2's avg price is 97 (I think), and you factor in the costs of such a huge tour, there's not much difference.

the t-shirts: the "vintage" thing is stupid. is that U2's doing or is it through a different company? I honestly hope people aren't buying those. as far as the normal t-shirts...they're like 30 bucks. a little steep, but it's supposedly made by Edun, right? I read in one article that the proceeds are all distributed down the line, ie Bono doesnt make any money off of it. but I don't know how true that is. does anyone know if they get a piece of the profit from the Edun line?

U2.com and the tour program are just a rip-off plain and simple. it's sad.

so I guess the ticket and normal t-shirt prices are sort of justified, but it's the little things like the program, fanclub, etc that make you doubt their intentions...

 

[Miroslava]

I fail to see how paying for a hotel room and taking time off for going to the gigs related to Bono going easy on our pockets...

 

[zwervers2]

the long slow demise to utterly irrelevant corporate rock behemoth is near completion.

what a beautiful sentence. I laughed for 5 minutes...

 

[trainspotter]

how about this as an interesting question for us all:

would you prefer cheap tickets & expensive merchandise, or expensive tickets and cheap merchandise?

 

[ramblin rose]

I fail to see how paying for a hotel room and taking time off for going to the gigs related to Bono going easy on our pockets...

Oh come on. How can you not see that.

 

[U2DMfan]

complaining about having to pay a tax to the state that hurts the pocketbook is one thing, and completely understandable and I can empathize.

while your complaints are understandable, I don't have much empathy for people willing to pay for something uneccessary to their livelihood and then complaining that it cost too much.

that said, I don't understand the nature of U2 asking for charitable donations in the concert. If they are asking for even more money from fans to donate, then I say let them have it.
If they are just asking for support in terms of writing congressmen and such, that is fine by me.

Could somebody explain what exactly they are asking of people during the shows? I mean, do they ask to make a donation?

 

[ramblin rose]

that said, I don't understand the nature of U2 asking for charitable donations in the concert. If they are asking for even more money from fans to donate, then I say let them have it.
If they are just asking for support in terms of writing congressmen and such, that is fine by me.

Could somebody explain what exactly they are asking of people during the shows? I mean, do they ask to make a donation?

Bono does not ask for money. In fact at the shows I was at Bono made a point of saying he is not asking for your money he is asking for your voice.

Anyone that says that Bono asked for money was not listening to him.

 

[MTEdge]

Bono does not ask for money. In fact at the shows I was at Bono made a point of saying he is not asking for your money he is asking for your voice.

Anyone that says that Bono asked for money was not listening to him.

Well said.

 

[corianderstem]

Oh, were the vintage U2 tees at the shows made by Edun? If so, I didn't know that, and it explains why they're $90. If not, I'm talking about the vintage tees that were $90. There were cheaper shirts, and I bought one of those, but I just can't see spending $90 on ANY tee shirt, no matter whose name is on the label.

As for the U2.com premium service vs. Interference premium service, I've certainly been getting my money's worth here. I wouldn't have gotten $40 of value from U2.com, had I spent the money. I was able to find face-value tickets elsewhere without the pre-sale, and the other stuff they're offering doesn't equate to $40 in my eyes.

 

[Liesje]

Sorry Liv but I was trying to highlight my case which you can bet is repeated thousands of times by fans on every night of the tour.

I would travel to the end of the earth to see U2 but we must at some point start to question the amount of money our favourite band is trying to make out of us.

I don`t have a problem with the ticket price. Its an expensive production and worth every penny.

But these little extortions like the programmes, t-shirts, u2.com etc are a bit of a let down. Especially when Bono thanks us for giving him and the band such a great life.

Then.....don't buy those things?

So far, I've only paid for tickets. I never subscribed to u2.com, didn't get a shirt or any other novelty items, will be sleeping in tents for the upcoming shows and so far I've LOVED every second of my tour experience.

If, like you say, thousands of fans like to buy all that extra stuff everynight, than I'd say U2 were stupid not to make some profit. It's all supply and demand.

 

[cmb737]

I didn't buy any merchandise this tour in the five shows I have seen. I have in the past. That is how I am expressing my dissatisfaction with their pricing. It is not a worthwhile investment in my opinion. Two semi-cool (which is debateable) t-shirts is a concert ticket. I'll take the ticket.

To each their own..