The headliners this year would have included Cigarettes After Sex, Alex G and Jack White, and tickets started at $299.
Tried everything except getting better acts and lowering ticket prices.
Better acts increase cost. Lower ticket prices reduce income.
The real problem here is that too many people simply can’t afford “luxuries” like a festival visit anymore.
The lineup was pretty solid, especially if you look at the full lineup, but that price is a bit much for a single day festival.
We just keep getting fucked. I paid 160 for bonnaroo 2006 tickets because I got the first wave, I think the final wave was 190. That’s with fees and all. Adjusted for inflation thats $250-290. But that was a 4 day festival with Radiohead headlining, beck, tom petty, god tons of sick bands. It was imo the peak of bonnaroo
Now this is $300 for a single day? It’s more after inflation for 1/4 the festival? I get that there’s savings in running a festival for multiple days so it’s not like cutting a 3 day to a 1 day means costs are cut by 2/3rd, but from my perspective as a consumer it looks like I am paying ~300% more than I did 18 years ago even after adjusting for inflation because I just don’t get nearly as much value for my dollars.
I remember that bonnaroo and being like “Jesus this is so much money” and here we are with a show that’s 53% more expensive in raw dollar amount and 1/4 the length. Sigh.
Was worth it though, that Radiohead set was insane. They played for over 2 hours. Also a few months later I got tickets for daft punks alive 2007 tour - $50 plus fees (which were like $14). At the time I thought it was the most absurd shit, so expensive. I almost didn’t go. I’m glad I did because it was the most insane concert I’ve ever seen in my life. But it’s funny because nowadays finding a major act that puts out tickets for $65 with fees is actually fairly tough.
Actually…. I’d pay $300 to see that 2006 lineup.
it was so good. I saw Ben folds, bright eyes, Tom petty, common, blackalicious, beck, Radiohead, Dresden dolls, clap your hands say yeah, bela fleck, and sonic youth. Maybe others but that’s what I remover looking over the schedule and lineup. The first night we showed up late and mainly just watched the comedy tent which was patton Oswalt and some others, demitri martin was there. I had planned it out and it went fairly well, thankfully I had been once before so I had some familiarity with the grounds. I was also in my early 20s which helped me with the whole “just keep going” and I slept till noon basically everyday which also helped. At some point I had a mild fight with my friends that I came with because they just wanted to spend some time camping and that felt like such a waste so I broke away and watched several acts alone
I remember being really frustrated because I also wanted to see medeski, Martin, and wood, cypress hill, and golden but they played at they same time as beck, all overlapping each other to some degree, and all on stages that took a bit to get to. It was rough but I chose to get a good spot for beck and plant there for Radiohead after
Now that I’m almost 40 though? no thanks. My max festival is 1 day and realistically I’m not going unless prices start coming down. 2024 bonnaroo lineup was decent but not amazing and was like 400-500 for the 4 day pass, minimum (although iirc resale eventually saw the price fall down a decent bit. Hope a lot of scalpers ate shit lmao). not even gonna start about the $1800 “vip packages”
Damn. That sounds like a lot of fun. Dresden Dolls too? I never really got into them but that coin operated boy song really slapped. I’ll have to give them another go.
Jack White is good but there is no way I would ever pay $300 to see him.
Jack White alone? No. But there’s also a bunch of other good acts IMO.
Liz Phair? De La Soul? Sounds pretty good to me.
Plus All them Witches and Danny Brown, show would be hype, $300 is a lot but not out of the realm considering regular ticket prices.
- now that I see it’s “per day” that is indeed a bit too much.
Oh yeah. I missed the per day part. I agree, that’s too much even with that lineup.
Unpopular opinion but the people who keep paying $300-$1000 a ticket to take shrooms and cosplay Woodstock are the problem.
They’re just Fyre fests that didn’t hit rock bottom yet.
Taking shrooms at a concert is a total waste of shrooms. Screw those people lol
Maybe, but I don’t like this whole “not automatically directing cynicism towards real estate companies sucking up everyone’s money” business.
Off we go to stomp the leeches. Bring your rainboots, for they are fat.
I mean, the reason is we have no money. Land, food, health, whatever.
Don’t diss cigarettes after sex
Marc Rebillet and Thundercat had sets too, plus Hamilton Morris was going to give a lecture. The line up was pretty stacked overall and early bird tickets were $250, which isn’t unreasonable for a 3 day festival.
I did not know Marc Rebillet made music other than my alarm song
His Easter Sunday live stream during the pandemic was outstanding. Love that man.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H6FL6CsvoVI&pp=ygUgTWFyYyBSZWJpbGxldCBlYXN0ZXIgbGl2ZSBzdHJlYW0%3D
He’s truly phenomenal, basically the Harry Mack of spinning. Their set together is unreal!
Huh… That price is okay compared to a lot of festivals. The line up is also very good, The Mars Volta, Converge, DFA1979A, De La Soul, ect.
https://static.pollstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DesertDazeAdmat.jpg
I could not possibly afford tickets like this, but between Jack White, De La Soul, The Mars Volta and Liz Phair, it would be worth the price to me.
I know the people who run DD. They have always had trouble and would try sketchy plays to make their festivals happen. They got basically booted from Joshua Tree meditation retreat about 5-6 years ago because their festival was a fucking mess. Like way fucked up. Porta johns over flowing type of fucked.
I have zero sympathy for DD.
Edit: wow closer to 10 years ago.
I was at the last Desert Daze at JT and thought it was fine. Maybe it was “too little, too late” though.
I’m curious what sketchy plays you’re talking about.
Having more people than they were allowed at the retreat. Playing longer than stated. The property was trashed. And other random complaints. Terri was pissed, so were the people living behind the retreat but that’s typical. They hate all of the festivals. This was the first one IIRC. I remember thinking it was a bad idea to have a festival at a retreat. It’s not a ren faire, it’s a drug furled music fest but live and learn.
Festivals fucking suck now that they hit the mainstream zeitgeist. Everyone wants to be tomorrow world without doing any of the hard work.
This applies:
Q: How do you make a small fortune with exhibitions, events and shows?
A: Start with a large one.
Meanwhile I was stuck with burners while driving back from the store today… Is it just marketing? Although I guess burning man didn’t sell so well, either.
