Good on the Italians, although consumer groups world wide can argue that her shows should be cancelled but I doubt they actually will. Her secret strength is in her nose, cut it off and she's as weak as Shaven Samson.

I suggest we all grab some cans of scrumpy, head to Kildare on Sat 14th July with a large bag of rotten fruit, throw them at her white Hummer helicopter, watch as it crashes and burns, then all off to a party in my place.

Well thats the thing. They can name their price safe in the knowledge that it'll sellout. I guess it raises another question. Should the price of a ticket go up in relation to the demand? Babs will sellout, no doubt, but people in their hundreds of thousands won't be clamouring for a ticket. There's not that many middle-aged, golf jersey wearing, Lexus driving Babs fans out there. Alot of the tickets will probably be corporate blocks anyway. So the ticket price doesn't reflect the demand (if it did, everyone in Ireland would want to go).

If my favourite band is playing in a stadium somewhere, I consider it a bad thing. Promoters consider it a bonus, and the ticket price goes up.

By the way, I hear she gets her power from the Triangle of Zinthar, destroy this and MegaStreisand will fall.

DId i hear 800 euro for maximum priced ticket for the Irish gig?? Who the hell she think she is. Not even Pink FLoyd would go that far!!

€515 I heard, wouldn't be surprised if they lumped €300 extra on in fees.

Fucksake. TM are auctioning off the best seats for babs. Bad move for gig goers.

Did a quick check on TM. The most expensive not auctioned tickets are €551.75 with €6.35 in fees.

i laughed, what a fantastic nose indeed

the pricing structure is farcicle, another status symbol for the tee-wats of our society

PQ

Unfortunately, my mother is a lifelong fan and it's one of her life dreams to see the woman live. (I know, I know....) Ma ain't exactly rolling in it but she's going anyway. Ms.Streisand has only ever played one gig outside the US and this is almost certainly the last chance Mam has to see her. Why must MegaBucks Streisand take advantage of my mother's mental problem?

Ironically, we grew up in Celbridge. Mam waits all her life for a chance to see her and she shows up playin in our back garden.....

gd, that's amazing. Is there any bitterness on behalf of your mother for Babs openly ripping her fans off? No amounts of "legendary" or "first time ever"'s can justify that kind of robbery. I kind of feel sorry for any of her fans out there who have to struggle to meet this ridiculous asking price. What a heartless woman (babs, not your ma!)

When I went to see Neil Young in Vicar St. the over the top ticket price immediately killed any kind of atmosphere before he even took the stage. All that people were talking about what how overpriced it was. I wonder will this concert have any affect on Streisands fans.

First off, I'm now Paddy, not gd_kane. A sign-up mistake.

Surprisingly, my Mam hasnt really complained about the price. She's THAT devoted. I mean, she was all set to travel to France or wherever should Babs ever tour Europe. The fact that she picked Celbridge is so mad, it kind of negates any negativity! She knows it's crazy money but she doesnt care.

There's a surprising amount of fans out there. Straight men too! Not enough to sell out all the 500quid tickets tho!

I tried to think of someone I would pay 500 quid to see live and I couldnt. If they resurrected Elliott Smith, maybe....

PS: I used to be Norman Schwarzkopf on Cluas for anyone who's been pining for me...

Well, La Streisand's Rome concert has been cancelled due to 'production difficulties'. I wonder if the main difficulty was getting punters to produce the 800 euros?

If the act I loved most in the world showed so little respect for their audience that they thought they could charge 500 smackers, I'd fall out of love with them pretty quick, I think.

I saw Elliot Smith in The Funnel on the quays in about 1997 (well, almost - the stage was six inches high, almost as tall as me - you see my difficulty)He was bloody great.

Arrivederci !!

Barbara Streisand has cancelled the opening date of her European tour in Rome next month following international criticism over ticket prices.

Organisers have been forced to scrap next month's opening show in Rome, Italy, originally slated to take place on June 15 at the city's Stadio Flaminio, delaying the start of the month-long tour.

Consumer groups in Italy earlier this week protested against the show due to the expensive price of the tickets, which range from $200 to more than $1200, calling it "absurd and shameful".

The superstar has previously defended the high prices because part of the proceeds will go to her charity the Barbra Streisand Foundation.

Streisand is still due to perform as scheduled on June 21 in Vienna and the rest of the dates for her European tour will now be revised and announced in the next few days.

However, a spokesman for the star denies the cancellation is a result of criticism over the ticket prices.

Ha hah! Brilliant. She'll probably quadruple the t-shirt prices for the Irish gig to compensate.



Ah, she's trying the guilt trip. This tour practically needs a charity to help fans afford a ticket.

(by the way, I like how there's links at the bottom of this page in case we wanted to buy tickets for her London show)

At the end of the day its only money. Sure its a rip off but if it was an act I genuinely wanted to see I'd pay the cost more than likely.

It's only money, eh? Riiiggghhht....

Doubt Babs goes the t-shirt route to be honest. Probably selling commemorative sets of cutlery or monogrammed silk scarves. (Which would, incidentally say "BS".)

Thats the whole point of this thread. The cost of seeing your favourite band is getting higher and higher because people like Streisand and others are charging (and getting away with) ridiculous ticket prices. It might be nothing to you, but I can't afford €70+handling charge for a two hour concert.

HELLO DOLLY, GOODBYE LOLLY

Sorry just had to ;-)

To be honest giving out about this is a waste of time, i mean the market that this concert is aimed at can afford to go anyway.

They are hardly the same crowd who show up at crawdaddy or ep every other year anyway ye know? so therefore her concert prices are not going to affect others.

Frankly if any of you lot were that concerned y'oud have realised that a concert by Andrea Bochelli cost 150 euro last year...now he's a classical tenor. Do you believe that Andrea Bochelli affected ticket price trends??? eh....no not really....

The fact is that Streisand for example has 40 years in film and music and to be honest i cant stand any of her work, but she is probably one of the most famous and successful entertainers of all time. (in fact she is the single biggest selling female ever)

Overall, I think that ticket prices as a general rule in this country are nonsense.

I'll make a quick point, Arcade Fire, 2 albums, 2 hours thereboyts of work in their entire career..charged 44 euro at face for standing in the Olympia. Now; bear in mind that they are an oustanding act who no doubt have a huge future; at present they have two albums.

Streisand has over 40 years of albums..if you could for a moment forget the style of music she produces, in economic terms and value to her fanbase, there is alot more offered. Certainly more than two albums.

ALL TICKETS are a rip off in this country..in particular festiavl tickets...so if on one hand you are insane about the price of Barbara Streisand yet still shifting over 220 lids for a weekend with up and comers in a field in Laois..do you not think you are contradicting yourself?

Where were all the protestors at the Arcade Fire gig??? or Oxygen???

HYPOCRITES, which is why the promotor know they can get away with it every time...

Touchy.

I'm not saying that Streisand is the root cause of this problem, I just used her in the first post as a recent example. In fact I said that concert was too ridiculous to even discuss (but people did anyway). The problem is far greater than the Streisands and Bocelli's of this world. I'd agree that they're aimed at a different, wealthier market than your average Crawdaddy fan, but I also think there's ripple affect and bigger concerts in places like the Point or Vicar St (like those places or not) are generally becoming much more expensive. That's my point.



This is nonsense. €220 for a weekend of music from dozens of bands, compared to €300 (average) for a two-hour concert with a woman forty years passed her prime? I don't see the contradiction myself.

Oh, and there were protests for Arcade Fire, even though I think €44 is fairly reasonable. This band will probably be too big for Olympia the next time they come to town.

Look, I really think the anger is being vented the wrong way here...the fact is; its what you are getting individually for the spend in termns of value for money and a pleasurable experience that wont be easily forgotten.

I mean, sure, not every gig is going to be like this, but high profile ones wherebye the artist is performing for the first time/last time in a country, regardless of taste is going to be easy to sell. As a result the market is exploited. Which is simple econimics and has happened through history....

My issue is where this attitude to the market " the greatest show ever by the best band in the world" type line being thrown around like anybody's business is applied to all concerts. A band/act regardless of how high profile should be sold on the strength of two things; popular demand and value for money based on the length/effort of the show (which would encompass the back catelogue and present material base).

Ok; Arcade Fire, I thought were rather expensive considering the lack of material, but I suppose in retrospective given the fact they are an experience to remember, The Killers would be a better example. €54.5 yet they sold out effortlessly to a crowd mostly made up of students/young 18-15 year olds.

I have news boys n girls, everybody has money right now on the whole, and concerts will sell. Personally as I've said before while EP is no doubt full of artistic quality, for that price I personally would expect to see one large act, and by large I mean Prince sort of standard at it, not Primal Scream (i am a fan of them though).. ye know?

Check out the glasto lineup and ticket price and compare and contrast with EP....economic exploitation...which i choose not to be a part of. If you do, then maybe your getting the memorable experience I referred to previously....

I guess that that protest in Italy was admirable, it doesnt change anything, and like every other good and service in this country at present the market state will dictate the prices and we, unfortunately can do sfa about it....

Well I can only agree with this, we are being exploited. But your "lets just shut up and pay" attitude isn't going to get us anywhere either.



Ok, this makes sense but the problem I have is who converts "popular demand" to euros. The promoter or the artist? And of the two who's to say if they're €30 or €40 off the mark? Nobody.

Maybe I am being naive Parton, I don't know much about this business. Thats why I start these threads, I know there's a few posters here who know far more about this kind of thing than I do.

"who converts "popular demand" to euros"

Well this is the problem isnt it? I mean I know U2 get alot of stick and rightly so at times, but I recall paying 35 pounds for slane in 2001...and saw a full day of quality live performers for it.

I believe that there is alot of hype generated in the media, propped up by the people behind the media..I.E the promoters coupled with peoples almost effortless willing to part with money in this country mean that MCD, AIKEN et all can convert demand to euros....
Does anyone on this board genuinely feel they should pay the same amount of money for The Killers as BOB Dylan? Regardless of taste...purely based on value for the fan?

Brandon Flowers complained of throat illness and cancelled last minute leaving alot of my friends disappointed as a result. He performed two days later at the VH1 awards in LA.... Why didnt the Irish protest or complain to the cusomer affairs dept? Cos we dont mind...we are too feckin easy parting with our cash...

I believe its a consumer issue that perhaps doesnt really belong on this board. The Italians as I have said were admirable but ultimately irrelevant in that Madonna will still get away with charging a 100 lids on the "aul one does arobics again" tour next year...... This is an economic problem in this country...most of these acts then show up and play the cd for an hour and head of..no encores....nothing...

I agree with your sentiments and can fully understand the frustration people have at ticket prices....but sure then night clubs in this town charge 20 notes in to hear a horrible mix on an I-Pod...so maybe consumers are their own worst enemy in the way they fill these venues without question...

PS:my old man told me that thirty years ago when everyone was broke ye could spend yer money on a pricey concert and get three hours of solid performance out of an artist..nowadays they charge by the fookin hour and dont do any overtime....who do the artists/promoters remind ye of?

I love the Italians. People power...

A year of two ago in a Village in central Spain (I was there to partake in some bull running) the local council upped the price of cigarettes. The locals simply refused to buy them.. What happened?? They soon reduced the prices...

There was time when Irish people stood up like this, but then again, that was before euro 88..

Thanks Jack

exactly, dont pay, stay away. i would never dream of paying anything more than 35-40 sterlings for a gig, doesnt matter who they are.....But when a price is so high, it becomes a status symbol for those with small weeners to talk about, much like tix for the england game at croke park

BTW, caught Ray Davies last week, 2 hours of great tunes from a legend backed by an awesome band, 3 encores, autograhps, handshakes for one and all, a smile, a tonnage of groovy mooves....it was superb, and @ 23 sterlings, top vfm

See you @ the EP, €220, a bargain!

PQ

I was driving home from Liffey Valley last night and the traffic down towards Celbridge was f**king nuts. Backed up to Woody's in Lucan and it took 40 minutes to get from the shopping centre to the Spa Hotel, I'm willing to bet that there were lots of people who didn't get to the gig on time.

Oh dear. What a cock-up. Dozens of punters stuck in their cars while Babs wowed the rest.

couldn't be arsed reading the whole of this thread... but 500 quid - who cares really?... excessive of course but only if you compare it to going to other gigs... if you compare it to certain opera and other arts "events"... (which is the way she obviously looks at it, however many miles she is off the mark), tix are probably priced about evens...

...how did it go anyway?.... wouldn't have minded seeing her myself actually...

My dear mother reports that it was wonderful. The sun shone just in time, she was plenty banter-full and even brought out hubby James Brolin for a wave!!! That silver fox! She's really just a down-to-earth yeshiva girl underneath it all.....

Programmes cost 35euro.......

haha... that is the funniest thing i've heard all day...

...this is my view: for tickets that price, she should be perfoming at la fenice in venice or the opera house in new york or whatever... you get my drift... i'd accept the ticket (and programme) prices then because it will have been pitched in a certain way... but a muddy field with thousands of others with portaloos and food stalls and rows that apparently didn't even exist is shoddy indeed...