Going to gigs
October 26, 2008
Currently there are 85 entries on ebay for Eddie Izzard tickets mostly being offered from ‘power-sellers’ or professional ticket touts. This makes me so angry on a number of levels:
1. Buying tickets to a relatively popular gig is a coronary inducing easy-jet style scramble. Eddie Izzard is a prime example: a 21 night show ’sold out’ in under two hours. Minutes later no less than 80 ebay entries appeared with claims of ‘ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT SEATS! A GREAT XMAS PRESENT’. Yes thank you kind tout what a lovely Christmas present; I was trying to buy them myself but so kind of you to offer me yours instead.
2. For popular gigs that ’sell-out’ in a blink of an eye the re-sell prices are eye-wateringly extortionate. My great Christmas present can set you back £200 (each). I’ve seen tickets claiming to be front row selling for £600 each (10 times the actual price).
3. Gigs that sell out this fast don’t actually sell out at all. My Friday night Mogwai adventure sold out pretty rapidly yet there were masses of empty seats on the balcony.
4. Because ebay profits from this they won’t do anything about it. I bet a vast proportion of their sales come from this market rather than the ‘ooo, I’m clearing out my attic’ market.
There are many other reasons that make this desperately unfair to the fans. I won’t get to see Eddie Izzard this November and I can bet you there are empty seats every night because of this problem.
The only event that does anything about this is Glastonbury who make it impossible for people to resell their tickets. Are they applauded? Of course not. What happened instead? It took months to sell out as well it should and everyone deems Glastonbury a failure because nobody wants to go. Utterly depressing.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. No.
June 3, 2008
The new Martha Wainwright album is out: I know you’re married but I’ve got feelings too.
I bought it today on Amazon. You can too if you like here. I don’t have a fully formed opinion about it yet other than I’m very excited to hear it in its entirety.
However, she’s been playing the songs live now for a good few months and I managed to catch a couple of her gigs: once at last year’s Glastonbury (a welcome relief from the tedium and the mud); and once at a free gig at the South Bank centre.
One particular song I love is The George Song, written about an ex who killed himself. It’s dark haunting and beautiful and whenever I’ve heard it, it’s just her and her guitar. Perfect.
On the album it is dreadful.
Dreadful.
I’m really not pleased. It’s got a hideous backing track and it’s the wrong bleedin rhythm almost jolly and dancy. No NO No NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. No.
This has upset me. And the only live version I can find is a dodgy youtube mobile phone video. I normally despise people for mobile videoing during a gig. But just this once I’m glad. All I’m hoping is that she releases a live album because I don’t know whether I can cope with this watered down dance remix.
Listen to the most of the tracks on her myspace.
And the pant wetting Guardian review is at the bottom courtesy of Zemanta this new blogging prettier helper thinger.
- ‘I’m getting out from the shadows’ [via Zemanta]
