“Who can afford to go to multiple shows?” says the anonymous tour manager. “Two tickets to a show, you’re talking probably about $200 with fees and everything. You go to a meal around the show, you’re talking at least $100 or $200 for a nice dinner. Then you got parking and babysitters, then you add the VIP stuff to that and you want to make it a special night, you’re talking $500 to $1,000 a night for a couple to go out. It’s capitalism at its best.”
It seems silly to believe every artist with a label can go on an arena tour. In my city arena shows used to be reserved for the biggest of the big. Now no touring bands will play smaller venues and simultaneously perplexed why fans won’t show up at $200 a seat. Meanwhile the medium venues are either hosting the same local bands repeatedly, or closing.
What a conundrum.