How much for a concert ticket?

I remember there was a time when I would laugh bitterly in the faces of fools who spent ridiculous amounts of money on designer clothing. It's all very well going into hundreds for quality...but...thousands? Really?
"That white blazer you bought for £2000? Yeah, well I bought one almost identical for £25 in a sale. Put that in your juice box and suck on it."
What irritated me the most was that all that money, if donated to charity, would go a long way. It could feed a family in a poverty stricken country for at least a year. Is an item of clothing really worth someone else's life?

And then I thought...well shouldn't the whole 'ridiculous waste of money' concept apply to concert tickets?
Exhibit A: Glastonbury Festival, UK

£1 Baby to see T Rex? Yes please....

See, the fact is, there are some people in the world that will pay any amount of money to see their favourite band/ musician. 
But what about the people who would pay any amount of money to see the band BUT JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY?
I went to see Paul McCartney last year in the o2 arena...I paid £45, but Macca's team were so sweet they had these guys (good-looking guys I might add) go around giving tickets to the front row that were originally hundreds. And...yours truly was one of the lucky people to get free front row tickets!
It was a once in a life time experience but then I thought...
Hang on..
What about the people who had actually decide to spend hundreds on tickets? 

What had made me want to bring up this particular subject is the Rolling Stones' high prices for their concert in London. The cheapest ticket is £106. If you want Mick and Keith to be anything more than spindly stick figures in the distance, prices go to £406.

And a VIP hospitality ticket, which guarantees a place inside the terrifyingly-named "tongue pit" at the edge of the stage, is £1,140.

Yeah.

I understand why The Rolling Stones have put the prices so high. They're up there with the other "gods" of classic rock, like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. They're probably thinking, "Hey, it won't be long till we're in wheelchairs so we might as well milk those rich pigs who always wanted to see us as teenagers but never got the chance."

What's sad though is the high prices mean that the arena will probably be full of wealthy older men and the occasional spoilt kid whose parents have decided to indulge them. For the younger generation, The Rolling Stones will not be as accessible.

And then...back to the point earlier. Isn't spending £1,140 for a VIP ticket as self-indulgent and pointless as spending silly amounts on clothing, or a hotel room?


And to you: how much would you happily spend on a concert ticket?

Pop may be rocking the charts...but rock is rocking the concerts...

Not that I have anything against pop music. I love it, I really do, it's just that today's charts are mostly filled with the crappy pop and hip hop songs that people forget about in a year's time .Not the wonderful pop that people remember for decades afterwards.
It's all about which songs get the most airplay...
But, while people have been wasting mere pennies on annoying tracks from itunes...it's the dedicated fans who are paying real money to see better artists live.
This post was meant to be posted about four weeks ago, but I'm the queen of procrastination and I've managed to find a new excuse to not post it every day.
So without further ado...the Top Four Earning Tours of 2010!
1.Bon Jovi's 'The Circle' tour.
Money earned:$201.1m (£130.7m)

Um....am I allowed to admit I actually kind of like Bon Jovi? Just the tiniest, incy-wincyiest bit...I know lots of people find them annoying and cheesy, but they've made some pretty decent songs. I mean, come on, 'You give love a bad name' and 'Livin' On a Prayer' are so catchy! And you have got to love that 80s hair. Jon Bon Jovi should never have cut it all off...

2.AC/DC's tour
Money earned:$177m (£115m).

All I have to say is wow! They've been ongoing since 1973, with practically no breaks. And they're number two? And they were number two last year as well? Guys, I salute you.They've obviously got some very loyal fans out there. But with awesome songs like 'Thunderstruck" and "Highway to Hell" it's no surprise.

3.U2's tour

Money earned:$160.9m (£104.6m)

U2 were actually the top worldwide act last year as well. It's a shame they've slipped down, but hey, at least they're in the top three! They deserve it too, with their amazing live performances. Check this one out...I can't decide whether the girl on the stage is really embarassed or just overwhelmed.



I'm not the biggest fan of U2's music (not my taste) , but I guess they're good at what they do.
4.Lady Gaga
Money earned:$133.6 million (£86.8 million)

Yeah, well I never said these charts were completely rock dominated, did I? I actually used to like Lady Gaga, a couple of years ago when I rock music still scared me. But, hearing 'pa-pa-pa-pokerface' a hundred times on the radio, chanted by people at school and simply EVERYWHERE, needless to say, I felt like doing more than poking her face. To be fair though, Lady Gaga has worked very hard to get this position in the chart. She played 138 shows, whereas AC/DC only played 40, Bon Jovi played 80 and U2 played 32. I've heard her performances are as spectacular as her outfits too.


So there we have the top four earning tours of 2010! I just wanted to mention, Paul McCartney (my favourite Beatle! Apart from when it switches to George) made it to 8th place on the top ten! His tour made $93 million (£60 million)! I'd just like to congratulate him on that, because I think it's amazing people still listen to his music, even though it's been 50 years since the Beatles started performing. To give this post a great ending, here's a video of him performing 'Yesterday' (doesn't he look so cute?! He has the same nose as my little brother). Listen out for random hysterical screaming in  the audience. Girls don't even scream like that for Justin Bieber. 





So what did you guys think of the Top Four Earners of 2010? Were you surprised by any or not really? 
Don't be shy, give me your thoughts!

Rockstars and their cats...

Yep. I know this is a slightly strange topic, but I've decided to add a little life to this blog by adding a bit of feral fun. (Note:Although the picture above was probably made by putting a poor kitty through a lot of pain, you have got to admit, it is cute.)

1. KURT COBAIN

I am not quite so sure what to make of Kurt Cobain and his history with cats. I heard him say in an interview once that he liked cats a lot, as they had a 'Fuck You' attitude. And from the pictures above, it is quite obvious he gets on well with cats . But there have been quite a few rumours going around about Kurt's mistreatment of cats.Apparently,in 1981, Kurt killed a cat by trapping it inside his parents’ chimney. This was an accident. In 1991, Kurt dyed his kitten, Quisp, red, white and blue with Kool Aid — then watched it have sex with his pet rabbit Stew. This was not an accident. However, I have found no proof of this, so until further notice, it is merely a rumour. I desperately hope it is, otherwise as a cat lover, I might have to stop liking Kurt. However, that will never happen. Nirvana's music is too good.


2. FREDDIE MERCURY

Oh Freddie, I do love your pyjamas here. Oh, and your cats are adorable too. Although the cat in the other picture looks slightly freaked out. I can just imagine the thoughts running through his head ."Oh my goodness, I'm in the arms of a rock genius! What should I do?" Just enjoy the moment little kitty. 

Freddie Mercury went as far as to write a song about his cat called 'Delilah'. The album's dedication went 'To all cat lovers-screw everyone else'

Delilah, Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my - you're irresistible - ooh ooh ooh

You make me smile when I'm just about to cry

You bring me hope, you make me laugh - and I like it

You get away with murder, so innocent

But when you throw a moody you're all claws and you bite

That's alright !

Delilah, Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my - you're unpredictable - ooh ooh ooh ooh

You make me so very happy

When you cuddle up and go to sleep beside me

And then you make me slightly mad

When you pee all over my Chippendale suite

Ooh ooh Delilah

Ooh ooh Delilah

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

You take over my house and home

You even try to answer my telephone

Delilah, you're the apple of my eyes

Meow, meow, meow,

Delilah - I love you, Delilah oh

Ooh you make me so very happy - you give me kisses

And I go out of my mind - ooh ooh

Meow, meow, meow, meow,

You're irresistible - I love you Delilah

Delilah - I love you, ha ha

You make me very happy - oooh oh yeah

I love your kisses

I love your kisses

I love your kisses

I love your kisses

I love your your your kisses

I love your kisses

AWWW, isn't that cute!

3. JOHN LENNON

John Lennon is the first of our Beatles in this blog entry. Lennon like Mercury had quite a strong obsession with cats and although he didn't go as far as writing a song about cats; when he was living with May Pang, he named his two cats the musically derived Major and Minor. 

In Liverpool, there were at least three cats in his house. When he was on tour as a Beatle, he would phone home to his Aunt Mimi to ask how the cats were getting on. His Mum had a cat called Elvis, named after you know who of course.And when living with his wife Cynthia, they had about ten different cats. 

3. PAUL MCCARTNEY

I couldn't really find that much information about Paul McCartney and his cats, but I did find these very cute pictures.

3. GEORGE HARRISON

It seems to me that most of the Beatles had a fondness for cats.

Although I couldn't find any pictures of the last Beatle, Ringo Starr, with cats, I did manage to find this:

Perhaps he prefers animals that are slightly more ferocious.

4. DAVID BOWIE

                                                        

 That cat looks very Rock N Roll.

5. KEITH MOON

What's that cat doing in the car anyway? If you tried to get my cat in a car, she would scratch your face until you were permanently scarred for life.

6. STEVEN MORRISEY 

I really do love this picture.

And to finish off...

Here's a picture of my beautiful cat:

Thanks for reading guys!