Dear Mom,

There’s nothing more exciting than the news of your favorite performer coming to your town. The anticipation of the day is a cherished feeling for any concert-goer. Checking the calendar for the day of the week, calling up your friends to share the excitement and seeing if they’re down for the show. Nothing beats defiantly telling one’s employer not to expect to see you on the job the following day. The stage is set! 

And for me as of late, this is where things start to go south… Or better yet, test my loyalty to my musical heroes. First let me state, I have literally been to hundreds of concerts, spending much of my youth, and this phase of my arrested development known as adulthood in concert halls and auditoriums. At one time in my life I owned  a concert t-shirt for everyday of the week (for more than just one week,  mind you). Now that’s a fashion statement! 

But as of late the cost of these excursions have been for an increasingly larger price tag than the days of old. Undaunted I carry on the tradition. Two occasions this summer come to mind of my loyalty to the groove. Bootsy Collins, of Funkadelic fame, and Judas Priest, the heavy metal gods themselves, graced the Twin cities this summer. The average base ticket price for these shows was $45 to $50. But let’s not forget the beast known as Ticketmaster and its $8.65 “service” charge on top of that. While it is known that performers do have a say in ticket prices, I realize that taking the show on the road is a costly endeavor on their part, and rock stars got to eat, too, but the performances of these two greats have left me a little flat. As a musician myself there is an old adage of “leave em’ wanting more.” That saying held true for many a show, lately it seems I’m just left wanting.

Bootsy hasn’t toured for awhile and now has his own record label and production company. With the passing of the late great James Brown (Bootsy’s former boss and mentor) Bootsy put together a traveling James Brown Tribute show. With four opening acts (all from his label) I was ready for a full night. Yet, by the time The Man himself took the stage, the show was behind schedule and Bootsy cut his set short, not even playing one of his own hits. I love James Brown’s music as much as the next funkster, but  for the ticket price I need to hear Bootsy playin’ some Bootsy!

Saturday night and the Priest was back! Hell yeah!! I got my drink on, got a designated driver (bought her ticket, too) and was ready to bang my head! Having seen this band seven times before, I was pumped! (Some would say lit.) Word on the street was the opening band (Metal Church) had to pull out of the tour due to financial reasons and that a local act with questionable musical skill and taste, would fill the slot. (Bummer) Judas Priest’s set list was a great combination of old and new material and the standard Metal clichés. All was in place. Then, after little more than an hour, the show was over.  WHAT!? 

These two headlining acts have seen the ups and downs of the music industry over the past three plus decades they have been playing and know how word of mouth gets around. So what gives? I don’t buy that they’re getting up in years, look at BB King! Is it a money grab?

Whether you loved it or hated it – We still got your money. I hope this isn’t a new trend in these tough economic times or these performers  might as well just send out a DVD every couple of years like Prince.

So, until I’m not so gun shy about paying $50 bucks for a concert, I’m going to give my buck to the P-Funk because George Clinton and P-Funk played for three hours and it only cost me $20 dollars! And George is  pushing 70 and he still does drugs!

Xoxo

Your wayward Son,

Brianthebassplayer

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