(Lack of) Moderation in Concert-Going

bucklind17 · #1 10-08-2008, 06:45 PM

I am curious how many people, when their favorite bands/artists release concert dates, plan to go to numerous cities to see them perform?

I have never been a creature of moderation. I am a theater fan and have seen some of my favorite musicals over ten times each (and one, way more than that). However, I have rarely been in a position to go see one of my favorite bands perform numerous times in one tour. Right now, TWO of my favorites are touring at the same time and I feel like I am ready to burst with so much excitement that I am already anticipating that the two concerts I have planned for each are not going to be enough. I am looking at hotel room rates, trying to figure out if I can a little time off of work, checking to see if tickets are still available, etc.

Part of me wants to say, ok, calm down. You are seeing four concerts in two weeks and you are going to fall over when they are done, with exhaustion and happiness. The other part of is thinking "They aren't going to tour again till who knows when! The other shows aren't that far away! Just do it!" I feel like the devil side is going to prevail.

So please, share some experiences with me. How many times have you seen your favorite band on one leg of a tour? Or ever? Or anything? To hell with moderation, I really want to say!

wondergirl9847 · #2 10-08-2008, 07:07 PM

Wellllll, I saw Lindsey 13 times on the UTS tour and 5 times on this tour. I wish that had been reversed though since I feel this tour outdoes the UTS tour major. Heh. I've seen Keith Urban, I think, 5 times in various cities. During the SYW tour, I saw Fleetwood Mac 5 times in England and 3 times in Texas. I went to Philadelphia twice to see Justin Guarini and went to Beaumont, Texas and Flint, Michigan to see him as well. There aren't many artists I do that with, just those few.

My feeling is...if you can afford it and your job allows it, go for it! I'm not married, no kids, I live and work at home, so I can travel around if I want. I am not planning any more trips until next summer, so I have to work my butt off until then to make back the money I've spent over the past few years. LOL

I was going to go on a couple of short trips later this month and next month, but have nixed those to help save money for a bigger trip next year.

No regrets.

paleshadow · #3 10-08-2008, 07:31 PM

Usually two shows is plenty for me. I find that the more shows I go to the less special it becomes, especially when you start to see how rehearsed the dialog between artist and audience can be.

MacMan · #4 10-08-2008, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

My feeling is...if you can afford it and your job allows it, go for it!

THAT'S really the only reason anyone should do it. Nobody (especially an artist, or concert) is worth going broke over. I've only seen one artist multiple times on a tour. Fleetwood Mac twice in 03 and once in 04. The two times in 03 were plenty actually in hindsight, especially like paleshadow said, if the show is so rehearsed and doesn't change, you don't really need much more then once or twice. But... if you can afford it, go for it... it's a fun thing to do!

GarboSpeaks! · #5 10-09-2008, 01:20 AM

I follow Stevie & Fleetwood Mac. Siouxsie when I can, then there is a local act that I like a lot that I see several times in a year, but that's cause he's local and tix are generally pretty inexpensive.
I LOVE concert going, and if it's my favorite bands, it's worth every penny. Even though I am dismayed @ the lack of change in shows (FM/Stevie) I still love every second if it. BUT, when I see Siouxsie multiple nights and she changes it up a bit or a lot, I'm like why the f can't other acts do the same? lol
Theatre I dig too, but haven't been able to see as much as I'd like (prolly cause I'm following the Mac around. haha....) Last show I really liked was Hedwig. I sure would like to see Wicked though. I hear it's coming to SF.

DavidMn · #6 10-09-2008, 02:45 AM

Well, I've traveled extensively to see Fleetwood Mac and its various incarnations. THhe only other band Ive traveled outside of Minnesota to see is the Stereophonics whom I saw in Washington D.C earlier this year. But as far as Fleetwood Mac goes, I've never traveled overseas to see them. I guess I've always figured I can go to to more shows here in the states. Here's the breakdown of who I've seen and how many times.

FLEETWOOD MAC-41

STEVIE-27

LINDSEY-29

PETER GREEN-3

GRAND TOTAL-100

I also firmly believe in just doing what makes me happy and what I am able to do. you only live once.

LukeA · #7 10-09-2008, 02:48 AM

I can point to two examples-

I saw U2 ten times on their 2005 tour- although, to be fair, six of those shows took place five miles from my apartment. Along the way, I turned the trip to San Diego for opening night into a long (Easter) weekend, with a couple days in Vegas beforehand, and had a blast discovering one of the most underrated cities in the country, Pittsburgh.

As for Fleetwood Mac, I saw them seven times on the SYW tour- only twice in the city I lived in. Again, I made the effort to travel to opening night in Columbus (front row center tickets helped), and enjoyed traveling to cities such as Nashville and Madison.

To me, what really made it worthwhile was to make it an excuse to spend time in cities that I either already loved or hadn't been to before, but had an interest in exploring. It's also a big thing for me to go to opening night- due to the anticipation and everything involved in the show & the tour, etc.

If you have the money & the inclination, go for it! Just make sure you're racking up the frequent flyer miles

GoS · #8 10-09-2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LukeA

... and had a blast discovering one of the most underrated cities in the country, Pittsburgh...

Here here!

I have seen Lindsey twice (once on each of his last two tours) and regretted not seeing him again. I planned to see him in multiple places, but the most of the shows in my area wouldn't work out and everything else was too far away. The only artists that I would see multiple times on the same tour would be Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, and Led Zeppelin on their world tour.

wondergirl9847 · #9 10-09-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LukeA

To me, what really made it worthwhile was to make it an excuse to spend time in cities that I either already loved or hadn't been to before, but had an interest in exploring. It's also a big thing for me to go to opening night- due to the anticipation and everything involved in the show & the tour, etc.

If you have the money & the inclination, go for it! Just make sure you're racking up the frequent flyer miles

That's me too, going to cities I've never visited or at least cities I know I love and there's plenty to see/do there. I try to plan seeing the sights in the various cities when I go see whoever in concert. I stayed an extra day in Chicago and St. Louis since I wanted to do other things in those cities. Makes it more like a vacation and not just "I went to a concert."

Plus, if I know people that live in the cities, that's always cool to meet up and hang out. My friend, Lynn, in St. Louis drove up to hang out with me, and we went to the Arch, had lunch, went shopping and had a nice day before I had to jet off to Cleveland for the next LB show.

trackaghost · #10 10-09-2008, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paleshadow

Usually two shows is plenty for me. I find that the more shows I go to the less special it becomes, especially when you start to see how rehearsed the dialog between artist and audience can be.

Depends who you go and see though. Some artists it's worth going to see more than once because each show is so different.

bucklind17 · #11 10-09-2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Depends who you go and see though. Some artists it's worth going to see more than once because each show is so different.

Exactly. One of the two in question here is obviously Lindsey. I am excited to see him twice, but really, those two dates are the only doable options for me. I feel pretty fine with this because I know he won't be changing it up too much from night to night, but I also know myself and know that I'll excited to see him at least a second time.

The other band in question (Hanson, for those curious) plays about half of their setlist every night and changes up the other half. They are also essentially moving into the northeast. There are 10+ shows within four or so hours of me, just scattered in various locations that are hard to get to, aside from the two I had planned to go to and the third in question. They also have been doing a lot of charity work over the past few years and love getting their fans involved, so there are pre-show calls to action that are a lot of fun to be involved in. Sooo, I've pretty much convinced this third show is worth it!

Please keep sharing though, I find this stuff interesting!

Richard B · #12 10-09-2008, 09:43 PM

A shame the Grateful Dead (and the dead heads) are no longer touring, as they would have something to say about this.

chiliD · #13 10-10-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard B

A shame the Grateful Dead (and the dead heads) are no longer touring, as they would have something to say about this.

I think the Allman Bros Band has acquired many of the old Grateful Dead fans. There's a whole legion of fans who follow them intensely from town to town (or just go to ALL the shows during their "Beacon Run" in NYC)...just like the peak days of the Grateful Dead. But, then, the ABB tours almost exclusively east of the Mississippi River and will play numerous shows in geographical areas of about a 100-200 mile radius so that fans CAN attend multiple shows.

Back when concert prices were SANE, I used to go to 3 or 4 concerts a week. And, then, Fleetwood Mac would play at four or five venues in SoCal alone during a week's time (for example: LA, Orange County, San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara)..I'd be at all of them. (and, their set list would change from night to night)

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Depends who you go and see though. Some artists it's worth going to see more than once because each show is so different.

Fleetwood Mac has LONG dropped off that demographic.

bucklind17 · #14 10-10-2008, 07:47 PM

I long for more sane concert prices and am grateful that the majority of the artists I like are either still playing medium sized venues or are back to playing such venues, so their tickets are usually in the $30-$50 range. I was thinking of going to see New Kids on the Block for the nostalgia factor and their cheapest tickets at the venue I'd like to see them at are $90! No thank you! Seeing one of my favorite bands three times adds up to that price.

SteveMacD · #15 10-10-2008, 07:56 PM

Bob Pollard. He's a good singer, has great songs, a great band, and an enthusiastic (if not completely drunken) bunch of fans. But, it's never knowing what he'll say next that makes it essential. I try to see him within a 5 hour radius. He's the only artist I've ever flown to see (it was a two show tour, so I got to see both shows).

While I had a few albums and had seen him a few times prior to March, 2007, it wasn't until after that point that I became a die-hard (long story). So I can only say that I've seen him now a grand total of ten times in concert, two times at an annual fan fest, at an impromptu Guided by Voices reunion during his 50th birthday party, and even an impromptu hijacking of a solo acoustic cover singer's set (which was utterly hilarious). So ten proper shows, which isn’t a lot. The number of GbV-related shows I’ve seen is 23, which sounds like a lot, but consider that a lot of the guys live nearby and play at the local dives. But considering I’ve only seen 15 Fleetwood Mac-related shows (which includes seven Mac shows, a John Fogherty show, and a Bonnie Raitt show), it says a lot.