http://www.rollingstone.c...mmer_tours

Four-dollar-a-gallon gas prices are eating away at the summer-concert business,with top festivals and tours taking unexpected box-office hits over the past few months.Bonnaroo and Coachella fell short of sellouts for the first time in years,tours such as Stevie Wonder,Janet Jackson,Maroon 5 and George Michael are struggling,and even perrennial sure things like Bruce Springsteen and Nine Inch Nails are soft in some cities."It has an effect when people are filling up their cars for $80," says Alex Hodges,chief operating officer for Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles."How many concerts are they going to go to with all the other costs?"

Coldplay cancelled several early shows due to production problems,but sales for the remaining dates are strong."When this tour plays,I don't think there will be a single ticket available," says John Vlautin,spokesman for promoter Live Nation.For Springsteen,who sold out 10 shows at New Jersey's Giants Stadium in 2003,tickets are still available for the three shows there this year.And several top tours,including Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5/Counting Crows,are offering bargain-basement prices,such as four lawn tickets for about $100.

In a year with more festivals than ever,the biggest have endured sales dips for the first time in years.Coachella failed to sell out in April,and Bonnaroo missed selling out its 80,000 capacity for only the second time since it began in 2002."It was just shy," says co-founder Rick Farman."We're happy with how it turned out,considering the economy and gas prices."

Numerous shows are still doing strong business despite the economy.Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers shrewdly put tickets on sale the day after their Super Bowl appearance in February and have been selling out everywhere.Madonna-who is playing stadiums in Los Angeles and San Diego-has sold out 15 of her 25 shows and 88 percent of the total seats.And Radiohead,Bon Jovi,the Dave Matthews Band,Journey/Heart/Cheap Trick,Jimmy Buffett,the Warped Tour and country acts such as Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts have reported strong sales."Anything that went on sale prior to mid-June is probably in good shape," says Randy Phillips,president of concert promoter AEG Live."My concern is going forward.I hear oil is predicted to reach $200 a barrel on the open market-if that keeps ratcheting up,I'm not sure what the impact is going to be."

And smaller acts are especially feeling the economic pinch.Rose Hill Drive,a hard-rock band from Boulder,Colorado,have had to cut other costs since gas hit $4 per gallon,which amounts to about $100 per tank,roughly every day for their 15-passenger van with a trailer attached."We just have to watch it," says singer Jake Sproul."As far as hotels,if we're not getting a deal,we just can't stay there,and we have to stay at friends' houses whenever we can.If gas prices go up much more,that's when we have to start camping and eating peanut butter and jelly."

These high gas prices are affecting everything. Even the whores have raised their prices.

vainandy said:

gas prices, lack of good wages, housing foreclosures...people have bigger fish to fry than whether or not they have the hottest concert tickets.

true

With gas prices the way they are, it also costs more to bring a touring show. 18 wheelers haul those instruments and stage sets from city to city. I hear diesel gas prices are much more outrageous than the regular gas prices. When it costs more for the promoter to bring the show, then he is going to raise his ticket prices, and that is going to mean even less sales because the customers are already too broke from paying for their own personal gas.

I'll tell ya, this gas situation is affecting every aspect of life from luxuries to down right needs.

It's been like that for a while but it's at its worst now. I'm not surprised at all.

Whoever is the next president, he's gonna have to allow people to pump gas for free. Fuck that pay me shit.

Honestly, there arent many good tours, and the bigger names are charging insane prices, basically if you arent Elton John or Bon Jovi and Springsteen, you arent going to sell out, at least for high prices. So its partially to blame, because there is a fear in the ecnomy's collapse, but the tours collapsed a long time ago, i mean you cant expect Elton and Springsteen to have to BAIL OUT the freaking industry every year, but no one wants to go see these new jacks.

Timmy84 said: