About a month ago, Kid Rock made an announcement that made shockwaves throughout the music world. He announced that on his upcoming tour, he’d be charging just $20 per ticket, so that his less wealthy fans could attend the shows.
This was a nice gesture, but what about all the people who aren’t Kid Rock fans? What kind of major acts can they see for just 20 bucks. They might not have a whole lot of options this summer, but I’m here to save the day with a list of popular acts who would do well to charge to just 20 bucks for a show. Most of them are more than rich enough that they can afford it.
U2
Look, it’s easy to make fun of U2. They’re recent albums are a transparent attempt to capture past glories, and Bono is the best example of the White Savior Industrial Complex around. But still, there 80s work, was pretty damn good, and to hear “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bad” performed live in 2013 would be pretty damn awesome. That’s why Bono and company need to get rid of the pretentiousness for a few nights, get back to doing what they doing best, and let fans in on the cheap. It just might remind them of what made them great to begin with.
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl wants everyone to know that he’s the last bastion of real rock n roll maaaaan! Well, if that’s the case, he shouldn’t care how much dough he rakes in on his next tour with the Foos. They’ve become popular enough that they can charge whatever the hell they want, and people will stay buy tickets, but if Grohl wants to let us know that he still works for the working class music fan, the smartest thing he can do is slash ticket prices severely, so that he average Joe 6-pack, who still plays his well worn copy of The Colour And The Shape can check things out. If the Foos played a series of cheap gigs, it would let the fans know that Grohl truly does care about the little guy and give them a lot of credibility when they claim to rail against the mainstream.
Metallica
Some free advice for James Hetfield and co.: if you want to let the fans you alienated after they downloaded your songs from Napster know you still care about them, give them some cheap gigs that they can actually afford to attend. Metallica is big enough that they can charge whatever they want for tickets, and they’ll still sell, but if they want to prove that they’re still a “real” band, and that fame hasn’t left them separated for the true metalheads, they should give the fans a show that they can actually afford to go to.
Green Day
The rare punk band who lucks out and becomes a mainstream phenomenon, Green Day have made an obscene amount of money over the years, far more than any 3-chord punk band can hope for. Billie Joe Armstrong claims to speak for the working class, but if he wants to prove himself, he ought to put his money where his mouth is and give his actual working-class fans a chance to attend his concert. Who gets to go to Green Day shows now? Upper-middle class kids who may understand what he’s saying in theory, but haven’t actually lived it, and can’t actually relate to the concept of not knowing where you’re next meal is going to come from. how about throwing a bone to the folks who actually have to live that experience day-in, day-out?
The Smiths
I know it’s a long shot, but I’m going to keep bringing it up until it happens. Come on, Morrissey, swallow your pride, and hook with Johnny, Mike, and Andy for a few gigs. And charge a low price for it, so the old school fans can actually make it. If it’ll motivate you, I..um....have a cow in my basement in right now, see. Yeah, see, and if you don’t play few Smiths gigs, I’m gonna force it to listen to Theory of A Deadman, yeah, that’s the ticket.....
