Last year I went to see several concerts here in Dublin. These included music artists that I had wanted to see since I first heard them in the 1980s. Highlights were Cyndi Lauper, Yazoo and The Bangles. For the past few years there was a good possibility that any pop artist that I had liked could play a concert in Dublin. It was great going onto the Ticketmaster page almost on a daily basis and seeing who would play a date in Dublin as part of a current tour.
This year it is noticeable that very few concerts in general are selling out. 80s acts like Simple Minds and Spandu Ballet are playing Dublin's O2 later this year but they, like many other concerts, are not sold out. Ticket prices are still ridiculous. I do not want to pay for a ticket at the back of a venue so when I look at the prices I only look at the best seats available. Spandu Ballet are €70 which I might have paid to see them in a smaller venue like Vicar Street but not in a huge venue like the O2. Ticket prices for stars who still only play bigger venues are also still very high. I can't justify paying a €100 for Beyonce, €140 for Britney or especially €500 for a seat in the first few rows for Tina Turner.
80s acts played Dublin often because they were usually guaranteed a sell out date on their tour. Not any more. Many concerts were marketed as 'Your last chance to see them play!'. It was retro ransom! Leonard Cohen, Elton John and Eagles all played here in the last few years and will do so again this year.
Going into the next decade it will be mainly 1990s nostalgia. Which means techno and grunge! Great! But there were of course lots of great pop from the 1990s too and it will be interesting to see who music fans want to see reform and tour again.
At least the list of artists that I still want to see is not that long. I know I could go the UK and see a couple of 1980s acts play in one night such as those music acts who play in the Here & Now tours but I still like to see an artist play a one off show. Music promoters cleverly know that the nostalgia audience are mainly in their 30s and 40s and for the past few years those music fans had disposable cash to spend on seeing certain artists play in concert again.
One artist that I still would really love to see in a solo concert is Nik Kershaw. His hits I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Wouldn't It Be Good are still perfect pop songs. Both songs were top ten in the UK in and were taken from his album Human Racing.
It is the album's title track that I like the most.
Here's the video for Human Racing which went to number 19 in 1984.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Human Racing & Saving Whales
Last year I went to see several concerts here in Dublin. These included music artists that I had wanted to see since I first heard them in the 1980s. Highlights were Cyndi Lauper, Yazoo and The Bangles. For the past few years there was a good possibility that any pop artist that I had liked could play a concert in Dublin. It was great going onto the Ticketmaster page almost on a daily basis and seeing who would play a date in Dublin as part of a current tour.
This year it is noticeable that very few concerts in general are selling out. 80s acts like Simple Minds and Spandu Ballet are playing Dublin's O2 later this year but they, like many other concerts, are not sold out. Ticket prices are still ridiculous. I do not want to pay for a ticket at the back of a venue so when I look at the prices I only look at the best seats available. Spandu Ballet are €70 which I might have paid to see them in a smaller venue like Vicar Street but not in a huge venue like the O2. Ticket prices for stars who still only play bigger venues are also still very high. I can't justify paying a €100 for Beyonce, €140 for Britney or especially €500 for a seat in the first few rows for Tina Turner.
80s acts played Dublin often because they were usually guaranteed a sell out date on their tour. Not any more. Many concerts were marketed as 'Your last chance to see them play!'. It was retro ransom! Leonard Cohen, Elton John and Eagles all played here in the last few years and will do so again this year.
Going into the next decade it will be mainly 1990s nostalgia. Which means techno and grunge! Great! But there were of course lots of great pop from the 1990s too and it will be interesting to see who music fans want to see reform and tour again.
At least the list of artists that I still want to see is not that long. I know I could go the UK and see a couple of 1980s acts play in one night such as those music acts who play in the Here & Now tours but I still like to see an artist play a one off show. Music promoters cleverly know that the nostalgia audience are mainly in their 30s and 40s and for the past few years those music fans had disposable cash to spend on seeing certain artists play in concert again.
One artist that I still would really love to see in a solo concert is Nik Kershaw. His hits I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Wouldn't It Be Good are still perfect pop songs. Both songs were top ten in the UK in and were taken from his album Human Racing.
It is the album's title track that I like the most.
Here's the video for Human Racing which went to number 19 in 1984.
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