Sorry for the extended absence. You know how it goes at an office, even for ghost dogs: you take a vacation, and they make your life miserable immediately before you leave and after you return. So mainly I've been catching up this past week, but the husband and I had a wonderful time in lovely Ireland!
Pretty, isn't it? If you go to Ireland any time soon, I really recommend heading up north to Antrim. That was my favorite part of our Irish travels.
Meanwhile, on St. Paddy's day proper, I am decidely NOT enjoying the luck o' the Irish. This morning I leisurely checked my work email before showering and walking the dogs to find that the head honcho had sent out one of those group scolding emails re: timeliness that I'm sure was only meant to be addressed to like me and a couple of other people, but this company is very passive-aggressive like that. So really, I have no one to blame for myself with regard to my chronic tardiness, but it's still a bummer on St. Patrick's Day, and really, I pay this company back tenfold with unpaid overtime.
Then when I was making my morning tea, I spilled some boiling water on my fingers...ouch!
Good thing that tonight is a much-anticipated Flogging Molly concert! This L.A.-based "celtic punk" band is one of my husband's discoveries...he checked them out while Iris and Ro and I were rocking out to Saul Williams at last year's Lolla. He became an instant fan and bought a bunch of their albums, and listening to them in the car with him, I was converted as well. So although I'm not super-familar with song titles and such, I know that I will definitely enjoy this concert experience. Provided I don't get hit by a bus or some such beforehand. And I will do my best to bring you a full review sometime in the next...oh, year or so.
Unfortunately, in my rush to get out the door this morning, I forgot the camera, so no A/V goodies, but I'll do my best to steal some off of YouTube so that you get the general idea.
In other news, Trent wrote a huge anti-scalping rant, which I think is meant to deflect anger that if you see the whole NINJA package (if the whole "NINJA" name thing is not due to the pernicious and super-gay influence of Rob Sheridan, I will eat my metaphorical hat), you may be paying up to $150 for the best seats/general admission. Panic ensuing here.
Luckily for us in the Windy City, NIN will be unaccompanied by either JA or Street Sweeper, and I suspect that this is because those other two bands will be playing Lollapalooza, and there's a whole contractual thing re: when bands are allowed to play Chicago before or after the show. So our ticket prices (according to the presale, which sold out in a millisecond before Ro and I could score tickets) will be around $45. Normal Trent prices.
I must say I'm disappointed that tickets in other cities are going so high. I know, thanks to JR, that there are a LOT of factors that go into pricing, but we are in a recession, folks! I also know that there are a lot of people who would be willing to travel to multiple shows, given that it's being billed as The. Last. NIN. Show. Maybe. Not. For. Forever. But. Definitely. For. A. While. But these ticket prices are too prohibitive for those diehard fans. And...whatever, I guess. No one is forcing anyone to buy tickets or not buy tickets. If you're that diehard and poor, maybe you should settle for nosebleeds rather than not go to the show. Maybe you're pissed and want to say, fuck it, and not go at all, and I think that's a valid reaction.
I think what I'm most annoyed about are the strange venues and cities on the tour. I guess maybe it's a Live Nation thing. But I was hoping for maybe a Milwaukee or Madison show...you know, something easy to get to from Chicago, so that I could hit an extra show. But the closest they're getting is Noblesville, IN, north of Indianapolis, and eh...forget it.
So expect a lot of wailing and [gnashing _of_teeth] on NIN boards, and expect some defensive blow-up from Trent any day now over it.
(It's okay, Trent, we still love you!)
It's kind of funny because although it's cool to have NIN and Jane's Addiction on the same bill, were the two fan groups THAT interrelated that they each wanted to see ticket prices shoot up like 150% to see both acts at the same time?
Anyhoo, it's back to the proverbial grindstone for me...I'll be back soon to tell you all about the reasonably priced and festive Flogging Molly!
16 comments:
Speaking of ticket scalping and prices, those are the very reasons that I will not be able to go to the Flogging Molly show with Maise tonight. :( Me and my damn procrastinating. I may or may not like their music (never really listened to them) but I'm not willing to risk more than double the cost of what Maise paid for tickets on my first time seeing them live.
Isabel, I know you commented in the last post about the whole Trent/Chris Cornell twitter fight. I've been following Trent's side but hadn't actively looked for Chris's response. I finally checked out that Rolling Stone link you posted and whoa...when did Chris Cornell get so old?
Twitter is an...odd place sometimes. I've seen a couple of NIN "fans" get blocked from Trent for some comments (and after reading them, I don't blame him one bit). Sure we make fun of TR here but it's not like he acutally reads any of it no matter how much we laugh and say he does. These chicks though...they're saying inappropriate stuff right to him. Just boggles my mind on how fans can be so retarded at times. Anyhow, another twitter debate is going on now about Trent being misquoted by Fox News. Oh wait...I guess they fixed it. It did say that he was willingly scalping tickets to his own fans.
I'm budgeting for the single show I'm planning to attend (Clarkston, MI on 5/31), and the general attitude I take is, "As long as I'm in a seat, I'm fine." I can't jockey for a spot on the rail, partly because there is no general-admission pit at this venue, and partly because I will be skipping out of my friend's wedding reception (having given prior notice) to attend, with no time to change out of my dress. Yep, an NIN show in formal wear. Hell, the last time I saw NIN at this venue, I noticed a bride and groom in the crowd!
As for the bill, yeah, the big names certainly justify a slightly higher asking price, emphasis on "slightly." The non-presale asking prices for my venue are $65, $45, and $25, and I really can't argue with that. I may change my tune once I see the presale prices for my show. I've heard that other venues aren't quite as lenient (*cough*KansasCity*cough*).
I'm one of the lucky ones in my workplace and have avoided the round of redundancies going on, just! - but it is still going to be tough persuading my husband that I should be able to go to the Sonisphere festival for a weekend to see Trent AND perhaps to take in one or two shows I'm hoping he will do in smaller venues in London fingers crossed, particularly now we have a baby. Still, he goes to see rugby matches which cost an arm and a leg so I'm hoping that will off-set the expense.
Out of interest Iris what did these fans say to Trent to get them banned from his twitter account?
Oh and by the way, for D Angel - I went to see the 'Priest Feast' last month which had Testament, who were surprisingly great since I was never really into them, Megadeth who were genius and tight as ever but only played one hour, and Judas Priest who, if I'm honest, were a bit embarrassing with Rob Halford stomping around in this bizarre cloak with giant metal boots - very strange
King Kong VS. Godzilla - Universal lost it in the fire they had last year. I want to play it. They are striking a new print of it JUST FOR ME. Because I rule.
And I betcha the reason these tix are so expensive has less to do with the fact that it's a double bill and more to do with the fact that they don't think it'll sell out. You can charge less with the expectation of selling 90% of the house than you can with the expectation of selling 65% of the house. Gotta recoup expenses, baby.
My suggestion? Get cheap seats and just move while the show's happening, since I doubt these shows will sell out (oh, also, I bet that they've done a double bill because neither tour would be profitable enough on it's own).
PS - You know who's a really good singer? Evan Dando.
Excellent - I was so jealous they did that tour in the UK because both Testament and Megadeth had kind of weak bands playing with them in the US.
I was suprised at how tight Testament was when I saw them as well - very smooth. I think the older bands get the more they focus on giving a really great show (as opposed to just "rocking hard").
I hear you on the Priest thing. I will never not be into them but why does Rob have to look like Darth Vader with the mask off? And to be honest I didn't like "Nostradamus"... I am more likely to listen to "British Steel," "Screaming for Vengeance," or "Painkiller" than any new stuff.
I finally signed up for facebook. Insane. People from my deep dark past are adding me - it is weird. Fun though - nice to see what my friends are doing.
And I am blown away at all the gifts Angelwoman got for her Bridal Shower - not even the Wedding - just the bridal shower! We still haven't opened some of them yet. We need a bigger place, seriously. The music for the Wedding should be good. I put a little D. Mode and Duran Duran on my list. And a little Priest, "Living after Midnight"...
p.s. - you know who covered a Misfits song? Evan Dando.
Doesn't surprise me. Which song?
And, frankly, I'm surprised that Jarvis Cocker hasn't. He does a smokin' cover of "Paranoid" and is kinda known for his awesome choice in covers.
How come I'm not a part of the tags for this story? I'm referenced in it, I should be tagged.
:(
DANDO DOES MISFITS
THE ORIGINAL
Great tune, Either way.
When he comes to London, Trent usually plays Brixton Academy which is capacity 4000 but he tends to play 4 nights or so, so I think we have it pretty good here. We'll never see the full Lights in the Sky epic lighting but the shows are more intimate.
JR speaking of Gaffney's acoustic set, in the last post, I saw Wayne Hussey doing an acoustic intimate thing in January, he did a really great version of With or Without You which actually reminded me how much I used to love U2 years ago before Bono became so completely pompous
Suddenly thought you might not know who Wayne Hussey is, singer of the Mission, a goth band from the 80s, however not sure if they ever became famous in the US
Ugh, buying NIN tickets today was disastrous, due to non-functioning Live Nation site. But Ro saved the day, and we will be in the building!
I am falling in love with Nick Littlemore from Empire Of The Sun. I’m just in awe of him. I have the same blue necklace as he does in that video!
Wow! I would love to be a fly on the wall for the conversation between Trent and Lars Ulrich from Metallica. Never saw that one coming over the mountain. Loved the new Metallica album!
E-Mail from trent to me:
Download FREE new music at the new NIN/JA 2009 tour site!
From: nine inch nails (trent@I_Love_Angelman.org)
Sent: Sun 3/22/09 6:51 AM
To: ANGELMAN
The NIN/JA 2009 tour site is now live at ninja2009.com and features a FREE download with exclusive, previously-unreleased music from Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper. You can also browse tour dates, photos, videos, and listen to streaming music. http://www.ninja2009.com
Additionally, starting today you'll have the option to remix two Jane's Addiction tracks and one Street Sweeper track on http://remix.nin.com
The NIN/JA 2009 tour with Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper begins May 8th in West Palm Beach, FL, and continues through North America this summer. NIN will then continue on with a series of dates across Europe and Asia during July and August. Watch the NIN tour page for updated on-sale information: http://tour.nin.com
Tour Dates:
5.08.09 - w. palm beach, fl [cruzan amphitheatre]
5.09.09 - tampa, fl [ford amphitheatre]
5.10.09 - atlanta, ga [lakewood amphitheatre]
5.12.09 - austin, tx [frank erwin center]
5.14.09 - albuquerque, nm [journal pavilion]
5.15.09 - phoenix, az [cricket wireless pavilion]
5.16.09 - chula vista, ca [cricket wireless amphitheater]
5.18.09 - las vegas, nv [the pearl]
5.20.09 - irvine, ca [verizon wireless amphitheater]
5.22.09 - mountain view, ca [shoreline amphitheatre]
5.24.09 - george, wa [the gorge amphitheater] - sasquatch festival, nin and ja only
5.26.09 - englewood, co [fiddler’s green amphitheatre]
5.27.09 - kansas city, mo [starlight theatre]
5.29.09 - chicago, il [charter one pavilion] - nin only
5.30.09 - noblesville, in [verizon wireless music center]
5.31.09 - clarkston, mi [dte energy music theatre]
6.02.09 - toronto, on [molson amphitheatre]
6.03.09 - mansfield, ma [comcast center]
6.05.09 - camden, nj [susquehanna bank center]
6.06.09 - holmdel, nj [pnc bank arts center]
6.07.09 - wantagh, ny [nikon at jones beach music theater]
6.09.09 - columbia, md [merriweather post pavilion ]
6.10.09 - burgettstown, pa [post-gazette pavilion]
6.12.09 - charlotte, nc [verizon wireless amphitheatre]
Tickets to the Chicago show have been procured thanks to Ro. Would have liked to have been present for the last show in the States but what the fuck is there to do in North Carolina? And more importantly, whose couch could you crash on?
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