Bob Robertson IX

Artists absolutely do have a say on the matter, they can say no. They can not tour. They can only do small venues that don’t use Live Nation. They can use other ticketing services - although the most expensive concert I went to this year was Rolling Stones and they didn’t use Ticketmaster.

Artists choose to go with Live Nation because it makes them money, provides a better ticketing experience for their fans, and gives the artist a boogeyman to blame for high ticket costs. Pearl Jam tried to fight this fight in the 90s and realized that there isn’t a better alternative if they wanted to tour and make money. They chose to keep touring and went back to using Ticketmaster.

This was the concert they played for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It also included past members of the band. It was a very in-demand show and not a ‘headlining at the county fair/local casino’ show.

That concert was in 2000, so in today’s money that $40 would be around $72.

In 2022 I saw NIN in Cleveland and got GA tickets for $48 each (including fees).

They don’t work because concert tickets are still under valued. If an artist can sell out a 9,000 person venue at $20 a seat, and then they find out they can still sell out the same venue charging $200 a seat - just to a different crowd, then they are going to go with the $200 option.

I love going to concerts and now that I’m older I mostly avoid General Admission tickets, so I’m already paying more. This year I’ve gone to 6 concerts and on average I’ve paid around $120 per ticket. While expensive, I’ve never felt like what I paid wasn’t worth it. But, when it comes to beer/water/food I always feel that it’s over priced and not worth the cost. Don’t get me started on the employee asking for a 20% tip on a $20 beer.

I was a low level IT guy many years ago and had worked for the company for about 4 years. There was a sales guy also named Bob that I would help out a few times a year. It was a small company, around 50 employees, and every year at the company Christmas party sales guy Bob would come up to me and say “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Bob”.

That pissed me off, but it is the only time I can remember where I was upset someone didn’t remember my name.

That’s not how rumors work.

The problem is that you have governments like the Taliban in Afghanistan, pre-9/11, destroying ancient statues, trying to erase the history they don’t agree with.

Instead of returning stolen antiquities, countries that are currently in possession of them should be required to send an equivalent value of their own country’s treasure to be displayed in the victim country’s museums.

Imagine having to go to Egypt to see the crown jewels of England.

Not to a 7 year old.

Walking through a zoo, watching the animals interact with each other, and with guests, reading about habitats, and experiencing an animal you’ve never even heard of before is a magical experience. I just got back from taking my daughter to a zoo 3 hours away from our house because she’d heard about okapis and wanted to see one. A documentary got her interested in the animal but the zoo let her learn a lot more.

Pop-Tartare

One I’ve literally used more than once: “If I die, I’m going to look very stupid”

I’m also fond of: “There’s only one way to find out”

I was at a Courtyard by Marriott and they had a fully accessible TV that allowed me to connect my SteamDeck and play from the bed. I will definitely stick with Courtyard for my business travel just for this alone.

Nature.