Jan 3, 2006 (Seaweeds Droppings)
BEND OVER, THE STONES ARE COMING
According to our friends at Pollstar, The Rolling Stones had the highest grossing tour in North America in 2005, but they didn't have the highest average ticket price.
That dubious distinction went to Barry Manilow who had the balls to charge $153.93 for the privelege of hearing him sing Mandy and reminisce about the good old days with Bette Midler.
And everybody's favorite Canadian canary, Celine Dion, didn't even go out on tour in '05, yet she ended up at #3 on the list. Cadaverous Celine just showed up at Caesars Palace in Vegas every night and the audience came to her....at an average ticket price of $136.04. The Stones averaged $133.98 while Paul McCartney (#4 on the list) held up his fans for $135.46 per seat.
Hey, nobody's holding a gun to your head. They charge that much because you'll pay that much.
Green Day tickets averaged almost a hundred dollars less that the Stones in 2005, but they worked more (68 concerts to the Stones' 42), ending up at 12th on the list, right behind Mötley Crüe.
Average ticket prices may be on the rise, but total tickets sold continued a downward trend. Didn't it seem like last year there were half the number of concerts at Shoreline and Concord than the year before? But then, the Rolling Stones, U2 (#2 on the list), and Green Day all played bigger arenas or at SBC Park. Still, the Top 100 touring acts of '05 sold 36.1 million tickets as compared to $37.6 million in 2004.
"Relatively" cheap tickets from the top 20 in 2005 included, besides Green Day ($38.07) and the Crüe (46.48), Tom Petty ($38.05), Coldplay ($40.80), and the Anger Management Tour ($64.03).
I'm through with standing in line
To clubs we'll never get in
-Nickelback, 2005
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