Tickets way too expensive, need new rock stuff and Tilles comments (Page 1 of 5)

Hi Tica,  I am somewhat new to this forum and thus I just wanted to dispute the fact that he is not winning any new fans.  I totally understand your right to voice your opinion.  I also have the right to disagree.  I envy you seeing Joe 20+ times. Wow that would be awesome. 

Regarding the ticket prices, I think it depends on the venue.  I paid around 70.00 for each ticket that I purchased this year.  One concert in Evansville In at  The Centre and one in St. Louis at the Fabulous Fox.   I think this is a fair price.  I paid 100.00  per ticket to see Bruce Springsteen in 2004.   I also paid 100.00  per ticket to see the Eagles in 1996.  So 70.00 to 100.00 to see Joe in a these wonderful old and famous theatre's is a bargain.  Regarding the Rolling Stones, The last time they toured prior to 2012, I was going to go but the tickets were 300.00 a piece.   

I think you are entitled to your opinion on which songs he plays. I myself like the way he changed up the arrangements on a lot of the old songs.  And Just Got paid was one of the highlights of the show.  I think he does a good blend of old and new stuff.  I am pretty sure it is a hard balance for Joe and his team to make everyone happy.  I think the magic of just seeing him perform is enough for me.

If you read recent posts here you will see that there are many folks like myself that are newly converted Joe fans.  I too wish it was still easy to see him, but he is much  more famous now and     that is one of the prices of fame.  Thanks for listening and please do not be mad but I had to voice my opinion as well

Hi Tica. I feel your pain, but don't think there's any going back to the way things were. I love the seated, acoustically balanced venues. (I hear the screams from my Eurobonabuds as I type that, lol)  What balances the cost of the tickets is the infrequency of shows. No more 3-4 shows close by each year. Again, this is progress in Joe's career.

As to the set list, there is the addition of "Wee Wee Hours", which brings out that beautiful Gibson 350?. I think of the songs as old friends whom I enjoy visiting. I've done 3 nights in a row and was amazed at how each seemed different in delivery. "WUD" is a signature song which has been shortened this tour with the addition of the opening acoustic songs. There are Joe fans who beg for an all acoustic album, so this pleases them. Who doesn't enjoy watching/listening to first timers during that song ?? lol  The following songs give a taste of all Joe's works. Something for everybody. My experience has been, that by the end of the show, people are itching to get to their feet and share their joy. "Just Got Paid" has become the cue for that to begin. When he used to end with "Asking Around", too many left the show in tears, not good PR to see people crying as they leave the show
I'm sorry the thrill is gone for you, pun intended   I hope you do catch a show at the Beacon. Until then I have found the Other Artist thread a source for young upcoming players that are at the stage in their careers where they are in small clubs and affordable. Maybe going to a few of those shows will calm your rocking soul       Cathy

Ticket prices - Yeah, pretty high, but it gets us into nicer venues.

Same songs played for 6 years? - Uh, no.  The only song from the Toledo show that existed 6 years ago was WUD.  And it's changed up enough to keep it interesting to me.  It's a signature song and every time I go to a show I take newbies and that song never fails to impress them.  Mountain Time is also a signature song and I would be very disappointed if it was not played.

With so many songs to choose from, I feel the set list adapts and changes at an appropriate rate.  I've found it interesting that the set list has actually varied each night by 1-4 songs this tour.  I don't remember this happening before.  For example I did not get Blues Deluxe in Toledo.  At my show, 10 songs were "new", meaning from the last couple of albums or heard live for the first time.  Your insistence that the same songs are being played over and over simply does not pass a fact check.

Just Got Paid - Yeah, it's lasted far longer than I thought it would.  Still works for me as a closer though as long as it doesn't go on for as long as it used to.  Can't have both Young Man Blues and Just Got Paid go 10+ minutes each.

I can't believe you would complain about the show starting on time.  Really?  It shows so much respect for the audience to actually start on time . . . every time.  The idiots that can't be courteous enough to find their seats before the show starts are not going to be swayed by 10 minutes.  It just makes the courteous people sit there 10 minutes longer for no reason.

I think you need to take a Bonabreak.  No one will mind.

Thanks for all the great feedback. And, yes, I figured a few people would feel personally offended and try to kick me to the curb if I voiced these thoughts but, as a few of you have acknowledged, I don't think I"m entirely alone in thinking these things which is why I posted. And even though praise is great to hear all the time, perhaps insightful and constructive criticism is helpful for an artist's growth...?

And the point is, I DON'T WANT TO 'TAKE A BREAK'. I love seeing Joe and like I said I've always felt like I need a fix and will go to great lengths and distances to do so. But one it's harder to find people to go with because of the price. And yes, even though there are a few new folks coming in...the number is SURELY curtailed because the tickets fees are self-limiting. I just wonder if trying to play somewhere much bigger, with much lower ticket prices would bring all of us old faithful--all, say 1800 of us in an area...but if the tickets were affordable we could bring 3 or 4 people and make that 6000-8000 people--with the vast majority being new converts. I'd be curious to know the percentage now, I bet it's less than 20% new people.

And YES, there are some old 70s rock acts--The Who, ZZ Top, Stones, Neil Young--whomever- who can command tics in the 100s..but they have been around for 40 years and selling out stadiums.  Joe is new and pretty much unknown still--we are all 'in the know', but very few people know who he is...I know some fans like it that way.....I remember reading somewhere on here a while back that Joe did NOT want to go 'big' and so perhaps this is the strategy, never get bigger than 2000 seat theaters...and maybe being able to fill those at a high price is good enough and keeps him 'exclusive.'   Maybe, but also it's limiting his exposure too, IMHO.  I just saw Foo Fighters at Madison Square Garden in NYC. I was in the worst seats possible (up at the very top in the 400s because they were sold out--how many does that place hold....50K?) Anyway it was an amazing amazing concert. Although it is fantastic to get to hear Joe in small venues where it's intimate and we can sit close....I think it would also be awesome to hear him in a huge venue--esp with the total rock side of things.

As far as getting tired of hearing the same songs over and over. I've heard most of these songs over and over at nearly 20 concerts over the past 8 years...I just don't see how Joe shows need to turn into The Nutcracker where you go every year and you can predict what happens next. OK, yes, there have been a few new songs per album for various shows, but there are always the majority of songs being the old ones and maybe 3-4 from the new album, so just a small slice of the whole show. And these same old songs are great, as I did acknowledge, but why must their be 'signature' songs when they aren't even Joe's songs, but standards (If I'm correct about that, esp those old fast blues ones). I understand the more recent ones but some of the old ones...

I understand how each song has its merits and showcases the various guitar talents that Joe has...but all I'm saying is, why do we have to have only WUD to see this amazing acoustic display? Isn't there one more song that also does all this fancy fast stuff, but it's just a new song to breathe some more life into things?  Can't he do another song that is crazy impressive like that, but just isn't WUD? Or maybe I just need some serious long 20 minute guitar jam or something.  And yes, I totally get that people are ready to rock by the time Just Got Paid and Led Zep comes on...I sure am...but can we have a DIFFERENT song to rock out to? I love hearing the Zeppelin, but what about a new rock ending with a new twist? It just would be more exciting, not as predicable

And sure I love knowing the songs and knowing what happens next--but, no, I don't pay $100+ to watch the people next to me light up as they hear. Hopefully I'm captured enough by Joe that I"m not watching the peoople next to me...and if I am, then I really need to just stay home and listen to the CDs! I want to experience the joy myself, not watch others experience it. I want to share it with friends, but I don't want to be able to tell them what happens next (which is what I did to the person next to me in Friday's show--her first time.)

Maybe part of my beef is that if we must revist old songs all the time, then all my very favorite songs are never played--- Pain and Sorrow, Bridge to Better Days, Sun Goes Down, Tea for One....I heard these maybe once or twice back in...2006? 2005? don't remember. But never again. If we have to hear songs get repeated I'd choose different ones. Or vary them. I guess that is what's happening in London next year (which will be cool.)

I understand that Joe is super busy and exhausted and giving it his all...but maybe he needs to slow down to revive the creative juices?  This is probably the time when he will be at his creative peak--in his 30s...so best not to burn out or get too comfortable with the oldies....yes Dave W above, I agree...I'd like to see some "mistakes made in fiery jams" not something so rehearsed he can do it with his eyes closed, which is what happens now imho.....my two cents.

Oh and Cathy, yes, I do go to other shows--of all types...in the past couple of years, in addition to Joe I've seen Wolfmother (desperately waiting for them to come back to the US), Foo Fighters (twice!), Snow Patrol, OK Go, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Greg Allman, Beth Hart, Jonny Lang, Black Keys, maybe a couple that I forget...and there are more that I wanted to go to but....like a bunch of 80s bands--Journey, Stevie Nicks, etc....

Tica, you’re putting way too much thought into this. Attend when you feel the price is right and when you think you’ll have a good time. Let other people do their jobs in setting the prices and choosing the songs. If you think it’s too expensive, don’t go. If you don’t like the set lists, don’t go.

I’m not questioning your feelings or your fandom or your right to an opinion, BTW.

Thanks VAFan, but I do want to go and I will pay the big bucks--but I would like to hear new stuff and I would like to bring friends who won't go if it's too expensive...hence the dilemma.

Wow Tica that was a serious vent. I wouldn't call it a rant since the tone was dialed down. I thought this tours set was a total revamp with only a couple of legacy songs. To me he has morphed a lot over the last 6 years and one of the biggest changes has been the venues and the cost of doing the tours to play those types of venues. 21 people two buses and two trucks not to mention the cost to rent the rooms and pay the local crews. Yes the ticket prices make it difficult to buy one for a friend and have them tag along. That was how he built his audience many years ago. Now he is getting exposure from PBS and Palladia so it isn't the same anymore people can see the show at home and decide to see it in the flesh and many do. That is how he doubled his audience in my town in two years. Joe reads the forum. I'm not sure he can concentrate long enough to read your entire post as it is a bit wordy. He does care and listens to the fans. This is one of those he might have to chalk up to you can't please em all.