Axl Rose Slams Irving Azoff In $5 Million Countersuit

[Voodoochild]

Well, his job wasnt to wait for the album to explode by itself, but rather make it happen. For a business standpoint, manipulate the situation to fuck up your client may not be a good way to cash in.

[bushkarocks!!]

Everyone got a right of freedom of speech, sadly you can't find it on this board

Yeah. And in reality you tend to adapt to your surroundings.

But in our case, it's labeled "censorship".

I bet none of you would go into a bar full of Flyers fans and tell them how much their team sucks and how stupid their fans are. So you "censor" yourself.

But on the Internet it's ok, "freedom of speech"... 




/jarmo

Hold on i don't know what you are on about
I am talking about discussing stuff surrounding our favourite band and people can have a different oppinion on that
Proble  i have and i think many others is that we can't have a normal discussion about our favourite band here cause if you give any from of critism towards GnR or whatever. You suddenly got compared to a nonfan a slashlover or whatever comes in ya fucking mind .....

Instead of a mature civilized conversation you rave about it's my board it are my rules ...
Sure go ahead , makes you very likeable ....

[bushkarocks!!]

One thing I would like to see is some artists helping or at least giving kudos to Axl for trying to fight against a huge scheme of manipulation in this market. But I guess people are attached to their contracts...

First of all i am a fan of all the era's and the current line-up is just awesome!
But i see the point Cotis tries to make.....
Maybe it's you who don't get it .... what point he is making.
Of course response with how this is you website and you make the rules blablabla
Sure ya right on that ......

This board is close to an official forum of GnR and It's a shame it's owned by someone who can't accept any Criticism about what's going on with GnR
Very sad...

Everyone got a right of freedom of speech, sadly you can't find it on this board

I'm sure jarmo already adressed and he don't need me defending his rules, but I must say something (and I know exactly what people will call me after)...

I ran a message board once - not as big as HTGTH, but big enough to have several active members. And I know exactly what's happening.

Cotis uses this rethoric to put a spin in every admin decision. He's not that worried about a good message board, but rather trying to whine and take shots at Jarmo. Pure and simple. He uses sarcasm and irony just like my old brother did with me when we were kids - it's always in order to irritate the other, but twisted enough to claim "it wasn't intended to offend" or whatever. Of course, all he wanted to do is lead me to take the first move against him and then claim to our mother how I started all and how he was innocent. Really, as childish as it may look, it's exactly the same thing I see with cotis. Otherwise, why is he so worried how this board works and question every single move, even if he has nothing to do with it?

A friend once told me one thing: "freedom of speach doesn't equal to shit in the living room", haha. It's damn right. You can't evoque freedom of speach for everything you think you can say and fuck the rest. Fuck if this board is meant for fans of the current GNR.

Try to go to other boards. All I see is people taking shots at the band (Axl or current members) all the time, in every single thread. "Oh, Axl is so fucked up and shouldn't try to sue Azoff". "Oh, Slash's album is way better than Chinese Democracy". In my honest opinion, that's far from being fan of the current line up.

If the Here Today Gone To Hell message board is what you call "close to an official forum of GnR", why would Jarmo let all this negative shit flood every single thread? Really, that's your concept of being a fan of "all the era's"? To me, sounds like fans of everything but the current.

People feel all upset because they couldn't hijack the thread with cheap shots at Bumblefoot or how "Axl lost his voice" or whatever. If they think it's right to call Jarmo a nazi and his rules censorship, may I call this hijacking and bullying as terrorism, ok?

i agree with most of that,what i dont agree is when people feel a need to desecrate the old band to appear to be loyal super fans.
if  i like contraband better than CD,that doesn't mean im not a fan of the new band. too much a lot of times is either this or that and it drives me crazy. if i like Slash, i hate the new band.if i think contraband is awesome i am hater. if i think finck is terrible,i live in 1988

i think there is a giant difference in giving an honest opinion and trolling/hating/not being supportive

there are several posters over the years that do exactly as u said... there are also several posters who i call the invite me backstage crew that seem to solely exist on here to try to get some reward and its fake as hell and i see through it.
read bodhi's sig for what i mean.

Look D that is what i try to say
If we got a opinion like slash album is better then CD (not that i think so ) or love libertad( not that i do)  you immediately got a stamp here as a nonfan slashlover , hater of the nugnr ...
Ofcourse if ya are just trolling and keep looking for a way to hijack a fucking thread sure a mod need to take action...

[jarmo]

Hold on i don't know what you are on about

Of course not.

I don't know about you, but have you ever come across a situation where you thought "hold on, maybe I should just keep my mouth shut?".

No?

Instead of a mature civilized conversation you rave about it's my board it are my rules ...
Sure go ahead , makes you very likeable ....

But that's the reality. That's how society works. Somebody always makes up the rules. The government, your parents, your teacher, your boss etc etc.

Try telling your boss you can come late every day because you should be allowed the freedom. Who's he to make up rules how you should behave and what you should do?

Then tell him he's a moron. Freedom of speech. Right?

Or maybe you think that's a bad fucking idea like most adults..... But on the Internet you should be allowed to whatever the fuck you want because it's all a big playground with no rules..... And you can't be held responsible for anything you do because it's only the Internet....

Wrong. Not here.



I don't care if people like me or not.

I'm not in this for some kind of popularity award.

Sorry if it upsets you. 



/jarmo

[Gunsguy]

See and this is exactly what most users do not what, I click on a thread go to last post and scroll up and guess what?  I have no idea what this thread is about   

I don't know some here that are doing stuff I do know Cotis has made public postings about fucking with Jarmo though and it appears he just continues to do it every thread.

EDIT: oh this is the lawsuit thread?  I have read both sides, it goes with the counter suit that the original suit has nothing top do with money rather has to do with Azoff getting the last fuck up the tour word by putting Guns into litigation, that's my thought.  He just wants to mess things up more, and I am glad the Guns family has decided to fight it

[Halo69]

People chill out, this is just a forum, stick to the threads and have a good time 


Axl definitely has a case, but its hard to do justice on this kind of people. Azoff is very powerful in the music industry today, but hell... i dont buy my tickets at Ticketmaster... its a good tool... but i dont really need it, which means there's alternate ways to go to a show and not support this kind of blood sucking assholes.

Axl i hope you kick this motherfucker's ass! And i hope he pays the 5 million and issues a public apologize to all the people involved with this GREAT BAND!

Hopefuly this won't result in more delays on the next tour and album, Axl has been really prejudicated with this kind of situations, i hope that after this he can finally find some peace for a change and continue with his projects

[innocuous1]

Axl definitely has a case, but its hard to do justice on this kind of people. Azoff is very powerful in the music industry today, but hell... i dont buy my tickets at Ticketmaster... its a good tool... but i dont really need it, which means there's alternate ways to go to a show and not support this kind of blood sucking assholes.

This case has highlighted for me the scope of the Ticketmaster/Livenation merger.....Say, if someone did not want to support TM/LN and wanted to get around them and still get to see concerts - -  What alternate ways do you suggest?  (other than starting up my own ticketing company)

[Jester]

Well, I want to be able to read both sides of the arguement before I say too much more. The Papers lodged by Azoff would surely make for interesting reading, It seems they were lodged in the Superior Court of California,
which can be searched here: https://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/onlineservices/civilimages/index.asp

(Posted Friday, March 26) "On Thursday, Front Line filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming that Rose and GNR owe the company more than $1.8 million under their management agreement.
The suit also asks for a full accounting of Rose to determine what other funds Front Line might be owed."


I'd do it myself, but it seems you must be a U.S citizen to sign up there 

"This site allows you to download scanned images of General Jurisdiction Civil (lawsuits greater than $25,000) Case Documents from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse (111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles).  You can search for available case documents by either a case number or a party name.  Most, but not all documents filed with or generated by the Court since January, 2004 are included; additional documents, both newly-filed and previously captured, will be added on a daily basis."

[Halo69]

Axl definitely has a case, but its hard to do justice on this kind of people. Azoff is very powerful in the music industry today, but hell... i dont buy my tickets at Ticketmaster... its a good tool... but i dont really need it, which means there's alternate ways to go to a show and not support this kind of blood sucking assholes.

This case has highlighted for me the scope of the Ticketmaster/Livenation merger.....Say, if someone did not want to support TM/LN and wanted to get around them and still get to see concerts - -  What alternate ways do you suggest?  (other than starting up my own ticketing company)

well just to give you an example, and this is how it works in my country, im an unsure if the same where you are. But the big label music stores usually sell those tickets, most of the underground stores also sell tickets. The bad thing is that you have to pay a 2 euro commission. You can also pay at the venue (which here its not an incovenience, but if you are in the States for example... everything its far from everything, so that might not be a good solution).

But here even on the internet, we always have a company doing the competition with ticketmaster. I never bought my tickets at ticketmaster because most times  the website is paralyzed! Especially for the wrestling events here!
I must admit though that i only tried it once, and since bands only come here like once a year, its more usual for the website to get phrozen.

Anyways like i was saying, and because i dont wanna get too off topic here (cmon Jarmo, its Kramer!  ), i think Axl definitely has a case!

[Halo69]

Well, I want to be able to read both sides of the arguement before I say too much more. The Papers lodged by Azoff would surely make for interesting reading, It seems they were lodged in the Superior Court of California,
which can be searched here: https://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/onlineservices/civilimages/index.asp

"On Thursday, Front Line filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming that Rose and GNR owe the company more than $1.8 million under their management agreement.
The suit also asks for a full accounting of Rose to determine what other funds Front Line might be owed."


I'd do it myself, but it seems you must be a U.S citizen to sign up there 

"This site allows you to download scanned images of General Jurisdiction Civil (lawsuits greater than $25,000) Case Documents from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse (111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles).  You can search for available case documents by either a case number or a party name.  Most, but not all documents filed with or generated by the Court since January, 2004 are included; additional documents, both newly-filed and previously captured, will be added on a daily basis."

Really? wow! That should remain a secret of justice, and so should the court papers. This world has gone crazeeeyyyy!

Anyways i gotta buy some Frontline, my dog might need it this summer... with all this summer insects u never know

[innocuous1]

Axl definitely has a case, but its hard to do justice on this kind of people. Azoff is very powerful in the music industry today, but hell... i dont buy my tickets at Ticketmaster... its a good tool... but i dont really need it, which means there's alternate ways to go to a show and not support this kind of blood sucking assholes.

This case has highlighted for me the scope of the Ticketmaster/Livenation merger.....Say, if someone did not want to support TM/LN and wanted to get around them and still get to see concerts - -  What alternate ways do you suggest?  (other than starting up my own ticketing company)

well just to give you an example, and this is how it works in my country, im an unsure if the same where you are. But the big label music stores usually sell those tickets, most of the underground stores also sell tickets. The bad thing is that you have to pay a 2 euro commission. You can also pay at the venue (which here its not an incovenience, but if you are in the States for example... everything its far from everything, so that might not be a good solution).

But here even on the internet, we always have a company doing the competition with ticketmaster. I never bought my tickets at ticketmaster because most times  the website is paralyzed! Especially for the wrestling events here!
I must admit though that i only tried it once, and since bands only come here like once a year, its more usual for the website to get phrozen.

Anyways like i was saying, and because i dont wanna get too off topic here (cmon Jarmo, its Kramer!  ), i think Axl definitely has a case!

Thanks...well, I guess I should continue researching - I am in the U.S..  I've been looking at what I believe is their corporate website.  Page 6 of their slide presentation lists GNR under their management....of course, out of date, which is to be expected.....but what got me is the picture used!!  Really?!?!   

http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/19/194/194146/items/323932/635C87F4-C150-4D05-870E-32864DA050CA_LiveNationTicketmasterPresentation.pdf

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194146&p=irol-presentations

[Ali]

Axl definitely has a case, but its hard to do justice on this kind of people. Azoff is very powerful in the music industry today, but hell... i dont buy my tickets at Ticketmaster... its a good tool... but i dont really need it, which means there's alternate ways to go to a show and not support this kind of blood sucking assholes.

This case has highlighted for me the scope of the Ticketmaster/Livenation merger.....Say, if someone did not want to support TM/LN and wanted to get around them and still get to see concerts - -  What alternate ways do you suggest?  (other than starting up my own ticketing company)

well just to give you an example, and this is how it works in my country, im an unsure if the same where you are. But the big label music stores usually sell those tickets, most of the underground stores also sell tickets. The bad thing is that you have to pay a 2 euro commission. You can also pay at the venue (which here its not an incovenience, but if you are in the States for example... everything its far from everything, so that might not be a good solution).

But here even on the internet, we always have a company doing the competition with ticketmaster. I never bought my tickets at ticketmaster because most times  the website is paralyzed! Especially for the wrestling events here!
I must admit though that i only tried it once, and since bands only come here like once a year, its more usual for the website to get phrozen.

Anyways like i was saying, and because i dont wanna get too off topic here (cmon Jarmo, its Kramer!  ), i think Axl definitely has a case!

Thanks...well, I guess I should continue researching - I am in the U.S..  I've been looking at what I believe is their corporate website.  Page 6 of their slide presentation lists GNR under their management....of course, out of date, which is to be expected.....but what got me is the picture used!!  Really?!?!   

http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/19/194/194146/items/323932/635C87F4-C150-4D05-870E-32864DA050CA_LiveNationTicketmasterPresentation.pdf

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194146&p=irol-presentations

That's interesting.  There aren't many pictures of the new band available, though.  So, I'm not sure you can argue it means anything.

Ali

[nekomex]

Difference is, i said "I" believe it will be huge just based off other bands who have reunited who wouldn't generate half the buzz as GNR.

That's the keyword.


Remember when KISS reunited? Or Led Zeppelin. Or any other band.

They got a lot of press. People still read and listen to the radio etc. So suddenly everybody was aware of this "once in lifetime" thing.


Seems like you always have to try to come up with something "special" to sell tickets. It's either a "reunion", "the last tour" or "the biggest tour so far".

In reality, it's often "two new songs plus all the old stuff you want to hear over and over again".




/jarmo

i agree , but thats why i found so stupid what Azoff did, you have an album that was known like the most expected album in rock history and you waste your time trying to get back the old band? and just throw away the possibility of exploding the new music?

he just needed to promote the name of GNR and a new Tour and Chinese Democracy and make a big deal about the people being able to see GNR and Axl again with a new album etc.

Azoff seems to be a lot of nasty things wrapped up in one, but I have never heard him accused of being a bad, much less stupid, businessman.  Again, assuming what the countersuit says is true, what Azoff was attempting to do makes sense from a purely business profit-motivated standpoint.  The really big dollars, particular in the US market, are there for a reunion / nostalgia tour, not for Chinese Democracy (not matter how strong and anticipated it was) or ANY new music, regardless of the quality.  The sales just aren't there in this downloading / itunes single-driven climate for something like Chinese Democracy, which is not a single-driven, hip-hop super catchy want-to-be-on-my-iphone-ring type of album.  Chinese Democracy is a more old-school thing that requires extended, devoted listenings to really appreciate.  It probably would have done great in 1999/2000.  Less so today.

So, there was nothing "stupid" about Azoff's actions, from a business standpoint.  That's not to say it wasn't underhanded and disingenuous to pick up this band under the guise of being "really behind" the band and Chinese Democracy, when your real motive was to get Axl and Slash back on stage together.  He probably was angling for a reunion, saw it wasn't going to happen, held out to see if Chinese exploded sales-wise.  It didn't.  And he probably decided more money could be had elsewhere, with other less "difficult" clients.  Nice guy.

i did not say Azoff is a stupid buisness man, i said that he made an stupid decision, and i stand by what i said, he tried to do something that was not his job to win more money, he ended up losing his client and getting bad press. probably he doesnt care, but still.

[bushkarocks!!]

Hold on i don't know what you are on about

Of course not.

I don't know about you, but have you ever come across a situation where you thought "hold on, maybe I should just keep my mouth shut?".

No?

Instead of a mature civilized conversation you rave about it's my board it are my rules ...
Sure go ahead , makes you very likeable ....

But that's the reality. That's how society works. Somebody always makes up the rules. The government, your parents, your teacher, your boss etc etc.

Try telling your boss you can come late every day because you should be allowed the freedom. Who's he to make up rules how you should behave and what you should do?

Then tell him he's a moron. Freedom of speech. Right?

Or maybe you think that's a bad fucking idea like most adults..... But on the Internet you should be allowed to whatever the fuck you want because it's all a big playground with no rules..... And you can't be held responsible for anything you do because it's only the Internet....

Wrong. Not here.



I don't care if people like me or not.

I'm not in this for some kind of popularity award.

Sorry if it upsets you. 



/jarmo

  great respons mate out of all i said just pick the things you can keep whining about   bravo!!

[veritas55]

Difference is, i said "I" believe it will be huge just based off other bands who have reunited who wouldn't generate half the buzz as GNR.

That's the keyword.


Remember when KISS reunited? Or Led Zeppelin. Or any other band.

They got a lot of press. People still read and listen to the radio etc. So suddenly everybody was aware of this "once in lifetime" thing.


Seems like you always have to try to come up with something "special" to sell tickets. It's either a "reunion", "the last tour" or "the biggest tour so far".

In reality, it's often "two new songs plus all the old stuff you want to hear over and over again".




/jarmo

i agree , but thats why i found so stupid what Azoff did, you have an album that was known like the most expected album in rock history and you waste your time trying to get back the old band? and just throw away the possibility of exploding the new music?

he just needed to promote the name of GNR and a new Tour and Chinese Democracy and make a big deal about the people being able to see GNR and Axl again with a new album etc.

Azoff seems to be a lot of nasty things wrapped up in one, but I have never heard him accused of being a bad, much less stupid, businessman.  Again, assuming what the countersuit says is true, what Azoff was attempting to do makes sense from a purely business profit-motivated standpoint.  The really big dollars, particular in the US market, are there for a reunion / nostalgia tour, not for Chinese Democracy (not matter how strong and anticipated it was) or ANY new music, regardless of the quality.  The sales just aren't there in this downloading / itunes single-driven climate for something like Chinese Democracy, which is not a single-driven, hip-hop super catchy want-to-be-on-my-iphone-ring type of album.  Chinese Democracy is a more old-school thing that requires extended, devoted listenings to really appreciate.  It probably would have done great in 1999/2000.  Less so today.

So, there was nothing "stupid" about Azoff's actions, from a business standpoint.  That's not to say it wasn't underhanded and disingenuous to pick up this band under the guise of being "really behind" the band and Chinese Democracy, when your real motive was to get Axl and Slash back on stage together.  He probably was angling for a reunion, saw it wasn't going to happen, held out to see if Chinese exploded sales-wise.  It didn't.  And he probably decided more money could be had elsewhere, with other less "difficult" clients.  Nice guy.

i did not say Azoff is a stupid buisness man, i said that he made an stupid decision, and i stand by what i said, he tried to do something that was not his job to win more money, he ended up losing his client and getting bad press. probably he doesnt care, but still.

Fair enough.  I don't disagree with that.

[veritas55]

Interesting article on the front page of the NY Times today regarding these VIP ticket packages.
This quote stood out and addresses the point I made somewhat earlier in the thread (before all the back-and-forth sniping about censorship  ) about the importance of getting a wealthy concert-going demographic nowadays:

?It?s probably the biggest negotiation in any tour deal,? said Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, promoter of the Bon Jovi tour. ?On a hot act you can make as much money from 10 percent of the house as the other 90.?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/arts/music/23VIP.html?ref=todayspaper

Here's the article (it's free on the web, so I think it's okay to post):

Richard Perry/The New York Times

Fans in the V.I.P. section at a recent Bon Jovi concert at Hersheypark Stadium got to take their seats home with them.

?It was an amazing experience, even more than I dreamed,? Ms. Aguiar, 25, gushed after the show at Hersheypark Stadium here on Wednesday night, as she packed up her chair and lugged it to the parking lot.

Nearly a decade after ?The Producers? introduced the $480 ticket to Broadway, V.I.P. pricing has established itself in the ledgers of rock ?n? roll. This summer Justin Bieber fans can pay $350 to attend a pre-show soundcheck. For $800, Christina Aguilera will pose for a picture. (For $900, Eagles fans get dinner but no photo-op; most packages also include plenty of swag.)

At Bon Jovi?s three sold-out shows this week at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the top package ? which includes the takeaway chair, a leather bag and a catered meal ? is $1,875.

Once available only for top-dollar tours by the likes of U2 or the Rolling Stones, V.I.P. packages have trickled down to the rank-and-file of live music, as artists try to maximize grosses and reap some of the markup value that the best seats get on resale sites like StubHub.com. And despite the soft economy, promoters have found that hard-core fans are willing to pay premium prices to get red-carpet treatment for their favorite shows.

?It?s probably the biggest negotiation in any tour deal,? said Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, promoter of the Bon Jovi tour. ?On a hot act you can make as much money from 10 percent of the house as the other 90.?

Four-digit prices are relatively new for the concert business. In 1996 the average ticket to the top 100 tours cost $26, according to Pollstar, an industry trade magazine, but since then it has increased more than 140 percent, to $63. One reason is the collapse of record sales, which has forced artists to rely on touring for most of their income.

Artists and their managers say the V.I.P. programs allow them to dote on their biggest fans, rewarding loyalty with special treatment. And many concertgoers leap at the deals. Laurie Huey, a 44-year-old accountant in New Jersey, has bought six various V.I.P. packages for the current Bon Jovi tour, at a cost of about $8,500. She has five Bon Jovi chairs at home and expects to buy even more before the tour is through.

?Years ago I used to have to pay a scalper that to get front row,? Ms. Huey said. ?I would rather pay the Bon Jovi fan club or Ticketmaster and know what I?m getting, because I?ve gotten burned by scalpers.?

At Hersheypark, the well-oiled Bon Jovi machine coordinated several levels of backstage access. Members of the fan club got a backstage tour that included a chance to pose for a photo with Jon Bon Jovi?s maracas and mic stand, while the non-fan-club V.I.P.?s enjoyed prime rib, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and white wine in a separate tent. Participants said their experience was well worth the price tag.

?I have money,? said Jim Leaman, 55, who owns a propane gas company. ?So if I want to come to a show, I want to be up front and I don?t care if it costs $100 or $1,000.?

What fans did not see backstage, however, was Bon Jovi. The more famous the stars, the less available they tend to be to fans, no matter the price. For the ?Glee? concert tour, which comes to Radio City Music Hall for three nights beginning Friday, a $300 V.I.P. ticket includes a gift bag and a pre-show party, but no cast appearances. (?Glee? packages, like Bon Jovi?s, are long since sold out.)

But Rick Springfield, the actor and ?Jessie?s Girl? singer, sells ample schmoozing time before and after his shows (for $1,000, which includes a seat on stage) as well as autographed guitars ($600). His manager, Rob Kos, said that access helps develop strong relationships with fans.

?Rick?s fans are incredibly loyal, which is the reason he?s still able to have a career,? Mr. Kos said. ?He?s very cognizant of that.?

Some consumers, however, see super-premium pricing as little more than exploitation.

?The artists are just gouging their fan base,? said Terrell Lowe, 49, a brewery sales executive and an avid concertgoer in San Francisco. ?The majority of people just can?t afford that.?

The profitability of V.I.P. tickets has spawned an industry within an industry, with numerous companies competing to run artists? fan clubs and develop special merchandise and ticketing packages. Live Nation, the giant concert company that merged with Ticketmaster this year, owns several such firms, including I Love All Access, SLO and Musictoday.

One independent company, Artist Arena, creates packages for famous artists like Kid Rock and Kings of Leon down to baby bands including Boys Like Girls, which sells a $150 ticket that includes a meet-and-greet and a trunkful of merchandise.

Promoters say that premium ticketing offers them two particular benefits. One is that high prices up front can effectively subsidize cheaper seats elsewhere, which leaves more money in fans? pockets to buy extras like food and T-shirts. Another bonus is that since V.I.P. tickets are not often included in general advertisements, artists can reap huge profits while avoiding the stigma of listing very high prices; press releases for Bon Jovi?s concerts, for example, give a top price of $150.

Many in the concert industry still worry that high prices and the conspicuous segregation of crowds into the have-lots and have-somes could backfire.

?These aren?t just customers,? said Dan Berkowitz, the founder of CID Entertainment, which organizes V.I.P. programs for Bonnaroo, Coachella and other festivals. ?They are fans who have an emotional attachment to that artist. So if all of a sudden the artist says, ?You can?t get close to me unless you?ve got $1,400,? they?re going to lose people.?

V.I.P. packages are not available on every tour, but the number of acts that avoid them altogether is dwindling. The most prominent is Bruce Springsteen, whose tour last year had a maximum ticket price of $98. In concert he been known to praise theaters that do not have special V.I.P. boxes.

Jon Landau, Mr. Springsteen?s longtime manager, said he had no plans to add V.I.P. packages for future tours. But he said they are likely to be part of the overall concert landscape for a long time.

?If you call something deluxe, if you call something unique,? Mr. Landau said, ?this is America ? someone will buy it.?

[Halo69]

honestly i wouldnt pay a damn cent to see any other of this or the old band... they're humans just like us, why should i pay a fortune to see them or get a photo with them. Fuck no!

I hate this cliches they make up, to make band members seem like they're larger than life... pfff... they're just human beings and i wouldnt pay a damn cent thats for sure, not even if i got to meet Axl! i wouldnt pay a cent

[Dr. Blutarsky]

I go to concerts to hear the music, watch the performance and have a great time. That experience is all I need, not the chair, the autograph, lock of hair, etc.

[overmatik]

I go to concerts to hear the music, watch the performance and have a great time. That experience is all I need, not the chair, the autograph, lock of hair, etc.

Me too, but having the opportunity to watch The New Wall show by Roger Waters at the Garden in the first row is tempting...

[babydolls]

a takeaway chair... I really dont understand why that would be worth paying for from any gig..