The Live Concert Model Is Broken — It Needs Fixing

Friday is about music. Today the live concert model that needs fixing.

DALL-E

We don’t buy concert tickets early here. Generally. We almost never have. We’re a lazy bunch. The Passionless Kiwis that Gordon Mclauchlan documented in two volumes separated by three decades. We love a good whinge but we don’t usually flock to buy tickets to make the shows sell out, so then they cancel, or postpone. And we get our whinge.

That’s the way it has always been. And now it’s basically a monopoly with Live Nation running events, owning some of the venues, managing some of the talent, and clipping the ticket on, well, the tickets (Ticketmaster).

We bemoan the lack of big stadium shows — in an era where that’s essentially over. And then when they get announced we do not buy them. There are see-and-be-seen exercises (like a Taylor Swift concert, or Beyoncé) but alleged big draws like Guns N Roses and Foo Fighters played to crowds here where it could have been a drive-in, park your car at the back of the actual field.

Now there’s this odd trend of announcing shows miles out from when they’re going to happen. Just this week, and I’m hardly a finger on the pulse, ear to the ground kinda guy, I heard about Paul Kelly playing here next September. His new album he’ll be touring behind isn’t even out yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited enough to hear this news, in theory. Paul Kelly is always great live. And is one of the world’s truly great songwriters, one of the ones you can always rely on. He’s bringing Jason Isbell as an opening act (The Ryan Adams it’s okay to still like). There’ll be people eager just for Isbell. And Reb Fountain is on the bill too. And she is a wonderful performer, with a solid body of work now.

But it’s also hard to say, truly, that I’m excited, when there’s nearly a year until it happens.

Just the other day it was announced that Tyler, The Creator is coming to Auckland for one show only (in August). So again, nearly a year to wait. His new album is also not out yet. And though he has a couple of incredible albums from recent years, there’s no guarantee that the new album will be amazing, and we’re expected to want to get our tickets within days of hearing it, or maybe even before it’s released. Full disclosure, my interest in Tyler is really only as a parent. I have a son who will want to see that show, in a perfect world. And I’ve enjoyed some of the recent material from Tyler, so I’m on board with the idea. But how does that momentum last?

Metallica was announced this week also. They’ve been trying to return to New Zealand since Covid, with at least one set of dates scrubbed. They’re bringing Evanescence (I mean, I’d boo if I could be bothered) and also Suicidal Tendencies (don’t need to see them, but it’s definitely bonus credits, colour me suddenly curious in seeing Metallica again because of that).

Now, as you can probably tell, it won’t matter if I don’t see any of these acts, so don’t mistake this as a ramble where I’m desperate for “Free Tickets”, I basically pay for my tickets to gigs these days and then review them anyway simply because old habits die hard and good luck changing your wiring when you’re my age. This is not about any of that. This is about What The Actual Fuck Is Going On.

I’ve never seen Tyler, because I don’t know that he’s been here, if he has, it was when I was not interested at all. Seen Metallica twice, and basically that will do, but nostalgia is running through me like it’s the actual lifeblood right now, so maybe I will trot along to that. And Paul Kelly? Well I’ve seen him so many times that I tried to bloody get on stage with him even.

And then I’ve seen him so many times after, that it’s enough to almost - almost — forget about it, or at least feel sure that Paul probably has.

But what is the game being played here? What’s all this announcing super early? Is it to get money in the bank, to top up the losses from other gigs and then hope the newly announced show goes ahead? With the money in the bank, they can rely on the fact that not everyone will seek a refund, not everyone will know to ask, etc. That can’t be the strategy right? Stranger things…

But look, also, this week, at the Travis Scott story. Again, I’m aware of him because my son is a fan. We have tickets to the show. I’m taking Oscar, a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He saw Kendrick Lamar a couple of years ago and had his mind blown.

And we got told we were super-cool parents by a bunch of strangers in the same arena. That didn’t hurt!

Anyway, this year’s buzz is Travis Scott. And it’s irrelevant whether I’m a fan or not, I’ve done the work, I’ve sat through the albums, I’ve found a favourite song or two, and I am looking forward to the concert because I’m chaperoning, and because I always love a “Big Show” and the chance to have my mind blown, or opened, or blown open! More importantly than any of that, I’m facilitating a birthday wish for my son.

For what it’s worth, I think the song 90210 is wicked-good. And am also aware that’s not the preferred song-slang these days, but anyway…

Travis Scott’s gig was moved from Thursday next week (31st, Halloween) to Wednesday the 30th. This happened, out of nowhere, a few days ago. One week out from the gig, basically. We were already in the can for being late to buy flights, now I’ve gotta pay change-fees to get new flights, and hope I can get that paid back out of the flight insurance. Yes, yes, it’s all very white-whine, but I did say at the top, we love a whinge.

Here’s the fucking shit part though: The $250/ish tickets we forked for, on the day they were released, some months ago, are now going for $60. Because not enough sold.

This is bullshit.

There’s the whole early-adopter thing with clowns buying every model of iPod and then iPhone, or 300 pairs of sneakers, just to, ahem, get their kicks. But why should you be penalised for buying the first tickets to the show? Play the long-game gamble and get to go for a third of the price, or under? That’s absolute bullshit right. It should be the opposite.

So I reckon there should be the 1 Day Sale model. All these alleged “Special Access” Pre-sales. People actually switched phone-providers (in some cases, but clearly not in enough cases!) to be able to get the first tickets to Travis Scott.

But why not make the tickets a price like $200, and then for one day they are $100 — literally half price, but you can only buy ‘X’ amount (say six tickets, or maybe it’s only two, effectively a 2-for-1). And that’s your 1 Day Sale. After that they’re the price they are, and no discounts. You don’t get your perfect pre-sale, numbers-wise, but then again, you never do. So this way you get some happy fans, and some money to bank to go towards all those promo costs and riders and fees and whatever else is owed.

I don’t for a second think I know what it takes to be a promoter. I don’t like them, generally. And they fucking hate me! They’re usually idiots or scoundrels. There are a small handful of really great people doing really great work as promoters in this industry. The rest are fly-by-night nut jobs.

But the way they punish the top fans is unforgivable. And I reckon fixing that would go some way toward fixing the live concert industry.

And look, I’m not really the person to listen to on this issue. I’ll acknowledge that. My heart is not super into it. I’d rather write about actual music rather than logistics. But when I had to spend an hour on the phone trying to sort flights, I guess I had some time to think about it.

And I don’t get the angle at all.

I don’t get why shows are being announced 13 months out. There’s every chance they will not happen. I don’t get why a show can be changed one week out. I’m super-nervous about managing the expectations of a youngster around that; the gig feels like it’s going to fail. It probably won’t go ahead, and yet I’ll be on annual leave and up in the big smoke. And then, no fire whatsoever. It’s a weird vibe to have before a gig.

Was all of this set in motion, this monopoly, this gauging, this complete disregard for the customer, this swindler attitude of the promoters — like bloody pirates — because of the desperation around stopping scalping? Was that it?

Someone let me know.

Meanwhile wish us luck for Travis Scott. I do hope it’s cancelled before Wednesday if that’s what it’s to be. I once attended a Counting Crows gig that never happened. I had no skin in the game, was there as a reviewer. The audience, crestfallen, simply got up and walked out when they were told there was to be no show. They’d made it to the venue, bought merch, were sitting waiting. And then no deal. There was no riot, no protest, just weary resignation. Fuck that’s depressing.

Anyway, I’d love to know your take on all of this. I don’t presume to know anything. I just wanted to sound out a few ideas.

But I will tell you what is NOT depressing? This week’s bloody cracker of a playlist eh! ENJOY!

And, as always, thanks for reading.

DALL-E