Ticket Demand?

[Ace Nova]

17 minutes ago, JustanUrchin said:

My friends are not “angry” about a musical act whose albums they once bought and whose shows they once attended.  And the posts of friends-of-friends that show in my feed don’t seem “angry.”  They’re no different in tone than any similar subject—tickets to other shows, other artists, or sporting events.  They only time that I see “angry” comments are in the Guns forums and if I scroll through Guns social media posts about the tour.  And many of those comments seem to be misdirected anger at other fans—rather than at the source of their anger.

You stated that the “facts” don’t support my “opinion” when you don’t know my friends or see the posts of friends-of-friends about the subject.  Their posts over the past six months are facts--they made the posts.  I summarized their reasons into a list.  The bottom part of the list shows that there is a group within my circle who will never buy another ticket to a Guns show.  The top of my list (which are the most frequent comments I’ve read) shows that there are others in my circle who likely would be buying tickets if one of two things happened:  it was an actual reunion or the band had contemporaneously released material that rocked.  The reasons that I summarized mirrored some of the reasons others posted in this thread, so it is not isolated to my circle.  Taken as a whole, how many tens or hundreds of thousands in America are not buying a ticket for this tour because they don’t consider it a reunion, the prices are too steep for them, or would buy a ticket had the band released something that they hadn’t already seen one or more times a quarter century ago?

I’ll be seeing the band this month, and am excited by what I see from the Periscope streams.  I’m also one to believe that they will release new material in the near future, so I look forward to it.  But all except one within my circle are not buying tickets, and some of them likely would have but won’t for the reasons listed.  And that, essentially, is the topic of this thread.  Of course current fans want to see packed football stadiums, but, to me, 40,000 in one stadium and 60,000 in another and so on is still impressive given 25 years of history.

I think we are on two different pages here, bud.  I stated whether it's your friends or not, they are a "minority".  The "angry minority" is a saying.  Not directed at your friends....just a general saying.  They are a minority of fans and the tickets sales show that.

And this is indeed at least a partial reunion of the classic lineup.  By definition.  And it's a full reunion of the classic members that were part of the majority of Illusions era.

 

And I totally agree with you on wanting new music.  After they tour Europe, SA, Australia, etc. I would think they would need to release new music.  They could still pack arenas but if they want to continue to do stadiums in the U.S., after that point, I agree..they would need new music, at least another hit or two.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Kasanova King

[JustanUrchin]

19 minutes ago, Kasanova King said:

I think we are on two different pages here, bud.  I stated whether it's your friends or not, they are a "minority".  The "angry minority" is a saying.  Not directed at your friends....just a general saying.  They are a minority of fans and the tickets sales show that.

And this is indeed at least a partial reunion of the classic lineup.  BY DEFINITION.  And it's a full reunion of the classic members that were part of the majority of Illusions era.

No, you’re moving the ball after declaring that what I wrote was not grounded in fact.

Then you make more declarations unsupported by fact.  How many tens of millions of albums did AFD, Lies, and UYI sell in America alone?  Over 25 million in the Billboard article that I’m looking at right now.  If even 10% of those fans purchased a ticket, all stadium dates this summer would have sold out and tens of thousands would be stranded in the parking lot during the show unable to get in.

That means over 90% of fans who purchased AFD, Lies, and UYI have not bought tickets even though tens of thousands of tickets remain for multiple shows.  This is not an “angry minority” or any kind of “minority.”  This is the overwhelming majority.

I’ve provided the reasons why those in my circle have not bought tickets.  Others in this thread have echoed the same statements.  Not liking facts doesn’t change facts.  Not liking their reasons doesn't change their reasons.  They don't know you or care what you think.

I’m off to see what the guys have in store for us tonight.  Appreciate the thread and others’ observations!  Live Nation (and the band) ought to have a look at the thread (if they already haven’t).

[Ace Nova]

1 hour ago, JustanUrchin said:

No, you’re moving the ball after declaring that what I wrote was not grounded in fact.

Then you make more declarations unsupported by fact.  How many tens of millions of albums did AFD, Lies, and UYI sell in America alone?  Over 25 million in the Billboard article that I’m looking at right now.  If even 10% of those fans purchased a ticket, all stadium dates this summer would have sold out and tens of thousands would be stranded in the parking lot during the show unable to get in.

That means over 90% of fans who purchased AFD, Lies, and UYI have not bought tickets even though tens of thousands of tickets remain for multiple shows.  This is not an “angry minority” or any kind of “minority.”  This is the overwhelming majority.

I’ve provided the reasons why those in my circle have not bought tickets.  Others in this thread have echoed the same statements.  Not liking facts doesn’t change facts.  Not liking their reasons doesn't change their reasons.  They don't know you or care what you think.

I’m off to see what the guys have in store for us tonight.  Appreciate the thread and others’ observations!  Live Nation (and the band) ought to have a look at the thread (if they already haven’t).

LOL.  It doesn't work that way and never has.  By your logic, G N' R should have sold out of thousands of stadiums during the AFD and Illusions years.  Every single venue they played back then should have had tens of thousands of people outside, in the parking lots and streets begging to get in.  Unless the majority of fans were not happy with them either back then, at the peak of their popularity.  Smh.

If you really want to get into this, we can but your logic is flawed and the "angry minority" of fans that aren't happy with this reunion are exactly that....a minority.   Ticket sales have always been used as a litmus test to judge a band's popularity among a fan base.  Ticket sales are very good, with the majority of dates either sold out or close to being sold out.  There are a handful of smaller markets and 2nd dates that are not sold out and even those will be close by the time they get there and play.

Sorry this doesn't fit your friends' "paradigm" of what G N' R and this tour should be about but the majority of fans paying to see them live on this tour don't care what your friends or their like think....AND they are putting their money where their mouth is....unlike the keyboard warriors that do nothing but sit back, behind a monitor and bitch and complain to no end because this isn't 1987 anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2016 by Kasanova King

[stella]

1 hour ago, JustanUrchin said:

My friends are not “angry” about a musical act whose albums they once bought and whose shows they once attended.  And the posts of friends-of-friends that show in my feed don’t seem “angry.”  They’re no different in tone than any similar subject—tickets to other shows, other artists, or sporting events.  They only time that I see “angry” comments are in the Guns forums and if I scroll through Guns social media posts about the tour.  And many of those comments seem to be misdirected anger at other fans—rather than at the source of their anger.

 

I have to agree with this. I'm not JustanUrchin's friend, but I am one of those hardcore long-term fans who has not bought a ticket for this tour. I'm not angry. I'm incredibly sad about being priced out after supporting this band for 28 years, through the NuGuns era.

[Ace Nova]

7 minutes ago, stella said:

I have to agree with this. I'm not JustanUrchin's friend, but I am one of those hardcore long-term fans who has not bought a ticket for this tour. I'm not angry. I'm incredibly sad about being priced out after supporting this band for 28 years, through the NuGuns era.

You have a right to feel that way.  And the "angry minority" is a saying.  That it's usually the "angry minority" that complain the most.  "Angry" can mean displeased, not happy,etc etc etc.

On a side note, are they coming to the city where you live on this tour?

 

 

 

 

[Toxic4]

I've noticed a few people on here complaining about the massive drop in ticket prices, after they just bought the seats at the original expensive price. Honestly, it is no different than shopping on Black Friday while purchasing a bunch of items that are 50% off, while other customers have been paying the original prices all year long. 

This literally happens to EVERY musical artist pretty much on a weekly basis. Even massive pop stars like Rihanna and Beyonce reduce some of their prices when particular sections of certain dates don't sell out quickly enough. 

GnR are headlining a stadium tour 25 years after their split. They have had no radio hits since like 1993, and there are plenty of people who still do not know that Slash and Duff are back in the band. And most significantly, there has literally been zero promo for this tour (excluding Coachella if you want to count that). Under all the circumstances, this tour is selling pretty good if you ask me. It could certainly be doing better for sure, but it is not as bad as some people here claiming it to be.

[view]

Regarding the ticket pricing and availability - my take is that IF all the shows were fully sold out quickly, a lot of people would be paying through their noses to get their hands on tickets. Biggest losers are scalpers, and that's a good thing. Yeah I was initially a little bummed I paid for Nightrain to get a shitty seat (as it were), but since I was able to upgrade on TM that's all good. I would want a good seat anyhow and not those nosebleeds that are being discounted in some markets.

[stella]

5 hours ago, Kasanova King said:

You have a right to feel that way.  And the "angry minority" is a saying.  That it's usually the "angry minority" that complain the most.  "Angry" can mean displeased, not happy,etc etc etc.

On a side note, are they coming to the city where you live on this tour?

Yes, they are - and it's one of the cities where there's a second date that is not selling well, but they have not dropped prices.

[tsinindy]

5 hours ago, stella said:

Yes, they are - and it's one of the cities where there's a second date that is not selling well, but they have not dropped prices.

Damn, you're right not only have they not dropped prices, but MetLife is one of the most expensive tickets on the tour in the firts place.  

[prez]

Metlife dropped prices, but not for all tickets. I know they reduced some of the lower bowl (100 section) tickets from $285 to $155 a while back.

[emybdc]

On 02/07/2016 at 3:58 AM, Gilla999 said:

Exactly - sometimes you just have to not worry about money and go for it. Be warned though - once you've seen them it won't stop there... next thing you know you'll be booking tickets to South America at the end of the year 

Please tell that's what you're doing! I would love to have you here 

[troja]

I find this topic quite interesting and i of course know that there are many opinions, but i must say i am a little bit surprised how many people compare the pricing problem to, for example, a situation when you get a discount on a doughnut at the end of the day, because it was sitting there for hours and it's kind of Gross. I cant really bring myself to think this is the same thing. 

[IncitingChaos]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/real-reason-why-beyonc-rihanna-184102466.html

They said Beyoncé and Rihanna are playing half empty stadiums bc of the resellers...but I feel like their promoters did the sell out thing so people would think they needed to go and would buy secondary market tickets. Yet they overestimated the market and now are left with unsold tickets. 

But the article could be true, I just don't see scalpers just not selling their tickets for anything at all 

[Gnrcane]

18 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

But the article could be true, I just don't see scalpers just not selling their tickets for anything at all 

My brother went to a scalper for a Miami Heat game a few years ago.  It was already after the game started and the guy let them walk instead of going lower on the price.  It was just a regular season game.  My guess is that they don't want to get people thinking they will start dumping tickets and would rather make it up on another event.

[Toxic4]

44 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/real-reason-why-beyonc-rihanna-184102466.html

They said Beyoncé and Rihanna are playing half empty stadiums bc of the resellers...but I feel like their promoters did the sell out thing so people would think they needed to go and would buy secondary market tickets. Yet they overestimated the market and now are left with unsold tickets. 

But the article could be true, I just don't see scalpers just not selling their tickets for anything at all 

I looked into this too. I checked ticket sales for Rihanna's Wembley Stadium concert the day before and it was 95% sold out. But pictures from her concert showed otherwise. The resellers thing is a big issue for a lot of big artists, but I think GnR won't have any similar situations. 

[gunsguy]

40 minutes ago, Gnrcane said:

My brother went to a scalper for a Miami Heat game a few years ago.  It was already after the game started and the guy let them walk instead of going lower on the price.  It was just a regular season game.  My guess is that they don't want to get people thinking they will start dumping tickets and would rather make it up on another event.

They don't loose if they are a typical scalper in bed with the venue or TM.  If a regular scalper he would take what he could get

[Gilla999]

On 05/07/2016 at 7:53 PM, emybdc said:

Please tell that's what you're doing! I would love to have you here 

I want to do it soooooo much. I'm trying to figure out a way I could possibly afford it! I'll keep you posted xx

[RichardNixon]

On 7/3/2016 at 7:29 PM, JustanUrchin said:

Another great/insightful thread.  I'm regretting the waste of time from my decision to participate in another board over this board when I rejoined the Guns online world.

Guns headlined American stadiums both prior to and following the release of UYI.  They headlined Hershey Stadium before UYI.  I should know.  I was there.  Capacity about 30,000.  Guns continued to headline American stadiums the following year after UYI.  Guns received top-billing on that '92 American leg and closed the show at each stop.

Guns is now headlining football stadiums 25 years later and counting since the band last released original material.  While Slash, Duff, and Izzy have released a mountain of material in that quarter century, Axl released 15 songs of original material under the Guns name.  Who has listened to Axl's music outside of crazies like us on these boards?  Not many, judging by the sales and charting numbers.  What artist or band attempts to headline American football stadiums 25 years after its last album of original music? 

This tour's promoter is marketing the tour via advertising in tour cities.  The band itself is marketing the tour via social media.  Axl indirectly marketed the tour simply by performing with AC/DC--every article or mention about that tour that I saw referenced the Guns tour.  So, everyone is aware of the Guns tour except persons who both do not live in a tour city and do not use social media.  Even those persons still could be aware of the tour if they read entertainment news.  Marketing is not the problem.

I literally know one person who is going to a 3/5 reunion show.  And she is, at best, a casual fan of the band.  I highly doubt she owns any Guns material.  But she does have significant disposable income and lives in one of the tour cities.  Why are none of the people who went with me to Guns shows and other Guns shows with others pre-'91 not buying tickets for this tour?  I haven't taken a survey and I'm not in contact with all of them, but I've seen their posts on social media.  It's simple, and mirrors some of the comments in this thread.  Here is how I would categorize the reasons I see most, and in descending order of frequency:

1.  It is not a reunion (even though Axl himself called it a reunion);

2.  They're not paying these prices;

3.  They're not paying these prices to hear the same songs they already saw one or more times 25 years ago;

4.  They're not paying these prices to see Slash, Duff, and Axl with two other guys;

5.  They know Axl became a diva 25 years, and nothing he does during this tour or in the future will change their minds;

6.  They know Axl single-handedly ruined one of their favorite bands, so they wouldn't pay a nickel to see him do anything;

7.  They consider Axl a washed-up mockery who can no longer sing;

8.  They're not stuck in the past, so Guns is irrelevant to them because they're a relic of the past who haven't done anything in 25 years; and

9.  They view the whole Chinese Democracy saga as a debacle--as bloated and ridiculous as they consider the man who made it even if they've never even heard a track from it.

So, take your pick.  But the point is once diehard fans are aware of the tour, and they're not paying these prices unless it were an actual reunion or the band acted like a band and released music.  The remainder have no interest and will never have any interest because they can't stand Axl since '91 and that will never change.  Guns rep's fleeced the promoter.  The promoter is fleecing the fans, many or most of whom have school-age children.  Guns is set as long as they perform each show.  While the band likely would like to see a virtually full stadium every night like Chicago night one, it's up to the promoter to set prices and develop a pricing strategy to turn an ever-larger profit for Live Nation.  If the band is receiving a fixed amount for each show, which appears to be the case, blame the promoter for the initial price-point and subsequent repricing strategy to turn an even greater profit for undersold stadiums.  Without new material, this entire thread becomes irrelevant if there is another go-round in America.  Without new material that rock fans like, Guns will be touring county fairs with Scott Stapp the next 'merican go-round.  The band's most grievous error, in terms of ticket sales, was not releasing kickass new material or a new tune prior to or in conjunction with the tour--something that said "we're back and we can still bring it!"  I'm certain, based on my circle, that some of my friends would've overlooked the "not a reunion" problem or "I'm not taking it up the ass" price problem if Guns had released something that rocked prior to or in conjunction with the tour.

 

 

Guns playing "county fairs" like Scott Stapp? Axl and Slash, by themselves, were never reduced to that. The tour is doing well, and an arena tour next time around would do very well too. 

The fact that you personally  know one person who is going to a show is anecdotal  and doesn't reflect  the interest  in this tour. I'm going to the sold out Boston show, so evidently  there are a lot of people who want to see GNR in 2016. 

[emybdc]

4 hours ago, Gilla999 said:

I want to do it soooooo much. I'm trying to figure out a way I could possibly afford it! I'll keep you posted xx

That'd be too awesome! I'm rooting things work out!

[Gorthar]

Here is the Wall Street Journals take on GnR ticket sales:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-guns-n-roses-summer-stadium-tour-too-ambitious-1467931049

 

Quote

challenges of mounting mega-tours

 

STADIUM STAKES The band’s ambitious summer tour has sold out stadiums and its promoters say they’ll make a profit, but at Chicago’s second show last Sunday, some seats were empty. PHOTO:JOHN JURGENSEN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

By 

NEIL SHAH

July 7, 2016 6:37 p.m. ET

0 COMMENTS

There are signs concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment may have overestimated the appetite for this summer’s blockbuster 25-date Guns N’ Roses reunion tour.

Two recent shows saw weak ticket sales, with reports of sections of stadiums being closed off. Last week, some 27,000 fans saw Guns N’ Roses at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Live Nation says—a sizable crowd but one far below Detroit’s sellout of 41,000.

 

[Tom-Ass]

tickets are so ridiculously cheap on stubhub right now for the Foxboro shows. I feel like such an asshole for paying full price. You can get on the Floor for $95 bucks now and prices are still dropping.

[DanielCT]

25 minutes ago, Tom-Ass said:

tickets are so ridiculously cheap on stubhub right now for the Foxboro shows. I feel like such an asshole for paying full price. You can get on the Floor for $95 bucks now and prices are still dropping.

Through TravelZoo you can get on the floor for the 2nd night in the front sections for $50.50 - plus fees it's about $75.

[AFD5]

I haven't followed any of the gigs ticket sales but i'd imagine they'll pick up now that Steven has made a couple of appearances. The point being that just maybe Izzy may show up now at one of these other shows & nobody's going to want to miss that. My guess & that's all it is would be is it the Met Life Stadium New Jersey were half the Paradise City video was filmed ? Wouldn't that be a great place for Izzy to make an appearance. 

[Tom-Ass]

1 hour ago, DanielCT said:

Through TravelZoo you can get on the floor for the 2nd night in the front sections for $50.50 - plus fees it's about $75.

unreal

[IncitingChaos]

On July 8, 2016 at 7:23 PM, Gorthar said:

Here is the Wall Street Journals take on GnR ticket sales:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-guns-n-roses-summer-stadium-tour-too-ambitious-1467931049

 

 

I've read two articles about this, one had to make a correction that arrowhead only seated 34,000 for concerts and one had to say the tour will sell over 1 million tickets and is going to be one of the most successful tours of the year