Who’s Paying More For Concerts? – Screamin’ Scott

The crush of fans flocking to try to buy to try to nab presale and regular tickets for concerts  today is  more like gambling and luck.

Fans experiencing issues and popular concerts find themselves waiting online in back of 2,000 other people and bots. Gone are the days when I would wake up early and stand in line at Harmony House or drive to the Oakland Mall or Sears. We would go downstairs to where the ticket outlet line was light. I would get Van Halen tickets- pretty good seats. Gone are the days of standing outside the venue and getting tickets. Today, if you do this, it is a lottery or wristband before the line starts. It never fails- the scalpers always got the good seats.

To see Van Halen in 1986, it cost me $26, and even back then, I complained. In 2015, Van Halen cost me $150. Can’t imagine what the cost would be today.

Fees are becoming a problem, too. I’m far from a Taylor Swift fan, but someone paid $22,000 for one ticket from Ticketmaster. What happened to Pearl Jam’s fight for fair ticket prices? Kid Rock does his best to keep tickets affordable. The only band I would shell out for to see would be bands like the Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, or Metallica. That’s why I love my job so much. Every day I get to give away tickets to you for free. Nothing makes me happier than giving tickets to someone with a story that normally couldn’t afford to go. Hope something happens soon about prices or I will have to take out a second mortgage to see a rock concert.

15 Debut Albums of the ‘70s Everyone Should Own

• Foreigner – ‘Foreigner’

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  Out the gate, Foreigner just wasn’t messing around. With classics like “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” it helped set the stage for a stellar four-album run that included 1978’s ‘Double Vision’,1979’s ‘Head Games’ and 1981’s ‘4.’ Frankly, the greatness of those albums and the hits they contained truly don’t get talked about enough.

• The Cars – ‘The Cars’

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  The late Ric Ocasek showed from the jump what a great songwriter he was. When you look at the tracklisting for ‘The Cars,’ it practically reads like a greatest hits album from “Good Times Roll” to “Just What I Needed” to “Moving in Stereo.”

• Bad Company – ‘Bad Company’

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  Of course, this supergroup’s debut should be in your collection! Just the greatness of “Can’t Get Enough” makes this LP worthy of inclusion on this list. Oh, and this seems like an appropriate time to mention how Bad Company remains one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s biggest snubs.
• The Police – ‘Outlandos D’Amour’

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  When The Police arrived with their debut LP ‘Outlandos D’Amour,’ no one else sounded quite like them, and no one really has since. Their blend of New Wave, reggae and punk is truly one of kind, especially on standout tracks “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You.”

• Sex Pistols – ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’

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  Sure, ‘Never Mind the Bollocks…’ doubles as the debut and lone album from the Sex Pistols, but it remains one of the most influential albums of all time. It’s hard to imagine the musical landscape without this LP.

• Ramones – ‘Ramones’

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  The Ramones were basically if the Beach Boys grew up in New York’s Bowery neighborhood. They were fiercely punk, but they had some killer pop sensibilities running through them as evident in their self-titled debut, which features 14 tracks and clocks in just over 29 minutes.
• Meat Loaf – ‘Bat Out Of Hell’

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  The words “epic” and “grand” were created to help describe works like Meat Loaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell.’ It’s all the proof you need to realize how perfect a match rock and theater truly are. While both Meat Loaf and ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ composer Jim Steinman are no longer with us, their wonderful recorded partnership with live forever.

• Boston – ‘Boston’

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  If you somehow don’t own ‘Boston,’ how is that even possible? This monster debut is one of the biggest selling albums of all time moving 17 million copies in the United States alone. With a stacked tracklisting that includes “More Than A Feeling,” “Peace of Mind” and “Foreplay/Long Time,” it’s no wonder it’s such a massive hit.

• Van Halen – ‘Van Halen’

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  Similar to other LPs on this list, ‘Van Halen’ truly does read like a greatest hits album. There’s not a weak track to be found. Plus, when your album goes on to influence generations of bands – not to mention just guitar players – you’ve definitely earned a spot in nearly every record collection.
• Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’

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  Without Black Sabbath and their self-titled debut album, who knows where heavy metal would be today. It’s frightening to even think of a world without Sabbath.

• Patti Smith – ‘Horses’

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  Equal parts punk and poetry, ‘Horses’ introduced the world to Patti Smith, an artist truly ahead of her time. From her iconic take on “Gloria” to beat-influenced, avant-garde tracks like “Birdland,” Smith was a one-in-a-generation voice and remains an American treasure.

• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’

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  Tom Petty is one of rock’s most unique songwriters with the ability to be both profound, yet often minimalist and accessible in his lyrics. That was on full display on the self-titled debut with The Heartbreakers. The only thing heartbreaking when looking back on this debut is the fact that Petty is no longer with us, taken away all too soon at the age of 66.
• The Clash – ‘The Clash’

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  The Clash was a completely different animal from the U.K.’s punk scene. Leaning into early rock and reggae influences, The Clash exhibited a rage and anger that was both righteous and justified considering the economic and political landscape of their native England at the time of the LP’s release. They would famously go on to call themselves “The Only Band That Matters,” and when looking at their output and what they stood for, you can’t really fault the band for feeling that way.

• Lynyrd Skynyrd – ‘Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd’

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  Lynyrd Skynyrd came out the gate with a debut LP featuring “Free Bird,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Simple Man” and “Tuesday’s Gone.” If you really need any further explanation why ‘Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd’ made this list…like, seriously? Those four tracks are stone-cold classics! What more explanation do you *really* need?

• New York Dolls – ‘New York Dolls’

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  New York Dolls may not have made the millions that the countless bands they influenced made, but make no mistake the musical landscape – from punk to hair metal to glam – would look very different without this debut thanks to killer tracks like “Personality Crisis,” “Looking for a Kiss” and “Trash.”