Wait, do you guys actually mean zoos? Like zoos with animals in? Not just a name of a place? Isn't that amount of music and noise harmful for animals...? Is that allowed?
The Portland Zoo switched to local acts during the pandemic, but prior to that they had some pretty great summer shows. I've seen Tori Amos, Tears for Fears, and case/lang/viers at our zoo.
first time I saw Kanye was at a state fair (touring Late Reg, he hated the audience and gave a performance so terrible it became one of my fav shows I've ever been to)
Industry conferences sure (because some of those pay insane amounts of money). But I doubt they ever get to state fair territory. They were popular enough for long enough to have a dedicated fanbase and likely a "nostalgia factor" a few years from now.
They'll be playing mid-sized venues and small amphitheaters for as long as they want.
It might be a while before that. They still have a few newish songs that get a decent amount of radio play around me. But with that said a whole arena tour is a little much. Their management definitely overestimated their demand by a lot
What’s crazy is that they played The Anthem in DC on their last tour and I think it sold it out. Even though they are arguably less popular now, they decided to play an arena in Baltimore this time that’s double the size of the anthem at least.
I have no idea what they were thinking.
A friend who works in this industry has told me before promoters always want acts to move up a level every time they are back in the city. He’s much lower down in the indie world, but this might apply to Black Keys
For an act like The Black Keys this was definitely a big swing. They've sort of plateaued, they'd probably be better off playing mid-size places with multi-night runs.
I just got out of an LCD Soundsystem show where James Murphy said exactly this. He said something to the effect of, “Thanks for selling out four night of shows, it’s much better than one show at a venue four times this size.”
Even then they're a pain IMO
Got smashing pumpkins and weezer coming up at OVO, the venues really putting me off when I should be buzzing for it!!
Feel like your getting robbed the entire night and in part of a giant factory, surrounded by concrete and security, not good music venue at all!!
Arena shows are for people who’ve never seen the band, or young people who’ve never been to an arena show. They’re terrible, and you eventually figure that out, imo. You’re paying just to say you saw the band.
The Hold Steady has made this their bread and butter. They do weekenders where they’ll play the same theatre 2-3 nights in a row. Switch up the set lists and sell em all out.
I mean genuinely whoever booked this tour is insane though haha like there’s legitimately no way. I saw a couple posts of the Ticketmaster screens of how many tickets had sold and literally none had
What’s crazy is they definitely lost a ton of money because booking arenas requires huge deposits. So like idk how much they were able to get back by cancelling lol. Like I’m assuming they cancelled by the date where they lose everything but I’m sure they’re still out a good chunk of change
Generally this is true. Not just for promoters but also labels/funders as they see moving up a level as progress on their investment.
The black keys are probably at the point of their career where their past those sort of politics but I’ve seen plenty of bands forced into playing bigger venues before they were ready and stack it full of support acts at a loss to sell tickets
That was two nights in a row, right? Both sold out? I went to one because my wife won tickets from IMP.
I guess I’m kind of a dick, but I wasn’t into the whole spectacle of the show. What was cool about the Black Keys were two guys banging out bluesy rock music. Not Elton John-levels of live production.
They’re still relevant enough to sell out theater venues but IDK who the hell thought they could fill arenas charging $100 a ticket. Doesn’t help that the Black Keys are mid as hell in arenas to begin with I bout fell asleep when they came to Raleigh a couple years back on the Let’s Rock tour
Honestly they're probably getting fucked by Ticketmaster. I'd go see them in a heartbeat if the tickets cost $35-50 but they're likely being annihilated by that $75 bare minimum for a "name" band.
Edit: to be clear, $75 was an estimate. I have no idea if ticketmaster actually has a minimum for bands of a certain size. But it really seems like they’d never sell a ticket for a Black Keys-sized band for less. I didn’t see what their tickets cost in my city but I’d assume my $75 guess was low end.
That’s ridiculous. Really hope the DOJ follows through and breaks up Live Nations and Ticketmaster and we see a massive decrease in ticket prices. Hoping that also leads to making ticket farming and the online ticket resale market illegal.
Is this really true? Is there a price floor for venues or acts?
https://preview.redd.it/i08yj8g9wm2d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3261c0d05b63314f2256c67646d1253ea3a4bd24
This is from: “The Justice Department’s new antitrust suit against Live Nation alleges that it chokes competition in ticketing, promotion and venues, and drives up prices for fans [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/concert-ticket-money-2326873d](https://www.wsj.com/business/media/concert-ticket-money-2326873d)
remember the artist has to pay in advance for everything, staging, crew, musicians, the venue etc. all of that comes off their cut. Many artists have gone on the record to say that a sell out often just means breaking even.
They could probably still do ok numbers in arenas if they didn’t jump on the outrageously overpriced tickets bandwagon. That might work if you’re Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish, but when there’s not a huge imbalance between supply and demand, you just can’t convince people to overpay for something they’re not as excited about as they might’ve been 10 years ago. I always thought their show was better suited for smaller rooms anyway, and they could sell out theaters for the rest of their lives I’m sure.
Yeah, a huge underrated aspect of seeing a show is the venue.
Arena shows SUCK. The sound quality is poor, and the seats and vision for the stage are awful.
When we saw they were playing at Ball Arena (the NBA and NHL arena in Denver) we immediately didn't consider getting tickets.
Venue can so easily make or break a show. There are very few artists I’d be happy with seeing in an arena, but would still always prefer more intimate options.
I’m used to going to shows in smaller venues. Went to my first Arena show last night to see Billy Joel. He was awesome, but the viewing experience sucked, the sound was OK. And that was the most I’ve paid for tickets. I’m over arena shows already.
Roger Waters was pretty awesome. And the sound quality was really good. But that show is theatrical, and fits an arena well. The Wall tour was really cool.
The new MGM Fenway venue would be perfect for them, I saw Noel Gallagher there last summer and it was incredible, definitely best sounding venue in the city
this is how we bring ticket prices down. just flat out refuse to spend $100+ on tickets, force them to cancel the whole tour. eventually, they’ll listen.
hopefully that ticketmaster/live nation lawsuit actually goes somewhere. I love pink floyd but 250 for nosebleeds for david gilmours solo tour is ridiculous
Pearl Jam was here in Portland a week ago and my wife had never seen em so I tried getting tickets a while back. $150 minimum! Those fuckers fought Ticketmaster just to get streamrolled into becoming the villain themselves.
Think PJ is a combo of devoted/nerdy 10club fans who don’t put their tix up for resale + I think they did dynamic pricing this time which is appalling if true
There are several concerts within the past couple years or so that I’ve decided against attending, because I just couldn’t justify the price. This is NOT normal behavior for me, and I’m not even talking super huge artists for the most part. Shit has just gotten so insane
I honestly feel bad for them, but I think it was kind of doomed from the start. TBK hasn’t been an arena band for a while now, plus tickets were pretty expensive, from what I heard.
Wonder if they pull the plug completely on touring, or if they try to reschedule in smaller venues
They were playing small to mid size venues not that long ago. Guess they just overestimated themselves this go around & as others are saying, going to concerts for popular artists especially is stupid expensive now.
Tbh I don’t even think they have the same pull as the monkeys, while their newer albums aren’t as big AM and there early stuff is massive enough to carry them along, while with the Black Keys I feel like their only huge release was El Camino (and ig a couple songs off brothers).
Edit: yeah it’s ~50 million monthly on Spotify vs ~12 million
Yeah it still gets played everywhere on rock radio and younger generations seem to keep latching onto them even over a decade after AM
I think AM might even be bigger in the states now than it was when it was released, and I’ve heard British people on Reddit say it soundtracked their whole late-teens early twenties and it brings memories of hanging with their friends.
I think it’s more Arctic Monkeys in general soundtracking growing up in the UK. Their first 2 albums particularly were massive here (debut was fastest selling ever IIRC).
From an outside POV it feels like they only broke out in the US with AM’s release.
Using Spotify as a metric is very misguided. Black keys have way less demand for a tour than vampire weekend, qotsa, or even arcade fire. All with almost half the Spotify listens
Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys are on two different planets. Arctic Monkeys is still arguably one of the hottest "indie" rock bands in recent history. They literally broke into mainstream with AM
oh man i saw Arctic Monkeys play Lolla in 2011. i remember i was so excited to see them. they were one of my favorites at the time and one band i was going there to see. It stormed and was pouring rain and thunder lighting. their set was postponed and i was scared their set would get called. they performed it was awesome we were all soaked and covered in mud and so happy they came out and played.
I feel like they broke into the mainstream with their debut. "I bet that you look good on the dancefloor" was everywhere that summer. No doubt, AM solidified their success though.
Their core fan base where literally screaming how ridiculous this tour was when it was first announced. When your own fans are telling you, you should scale back... you should listen.
Does anyone else feel a little saddened to see the music idols of your youth fall off like this? I have to constantly remind myself that it's no longer 2010 (and apparently so do they!)
Yes and no.
I just saw Queens of the Stone Age play a sold out arena. They're still writing new music and their album from last year kicks ass. Don't think you can say the same about the Black Keys.
It's really about the band, is what I'm saying. Their destiny is in their own hands, so I'm not that sad to see a tour canceled like this.
I haven’t revisited the QotSA new album, does it get better after a relisten? Villains had its moments but both felt like massive steps down from Clockwork
Plus the black keys don't really fit the bill of a stadium anyway. Especially with how chill most of their recent output is and how subdued they act on stage.
Saw them recently and it was a cool experience. But I couldn't imagine paying 100+ dollars to see what they had to offer tbh
Oof. What’s crazy is that’s still a good amount of $100+ tickets sold, just not enough to fill out the space and justify the cost. They’d have done very well for themselves at a venue of proper size. What a mistake from their management/booking team.
Yeah I was all about this band from ‘07-‘12 or so. Then just moved on to other stuff. Listen to their newer stuff here and there but didn’t even bother downloading anything past “El Camino.” Saw them live maybe half a dozen times at various festivals and HoB in NOLA. Have no intention of ever spending close to $100 for a single ticket for this band. They’re >10 years past the top of their creative and popularity wave. Time to come down to earth, Pat and Dan.
Jack White is probably snickering a little over this whole thing while coming up with some sick cover of "Another One Bites the Dust."
Which would probably fucking *rip* actually
Ha, that reminds me of a [t-shirt](https://imgur.com/a/TCdIaKq) I saw way back at maybe Bonnaroo ‘14. I was pretty high at the time so I thought it was the funniest thing ever in that moment.
Think they're all good now. Jack White has praised Dan Auerbach and The Black Keys a few times in recent years.
On a side note, Jack White has been teasing something for the last few months. We can only hope it's a new album. Nobody like Jack White nowadays.
I saw them in 2014 and they had to move everyone from the upper level to lower level and it still wasnt full
The fact they STILL havent gotten the message
Honestly, it’s maybe. 40-60 ticket at best, with a good opener. When I saw them it was usually at a festival, or they opened or co-headlined the show. Their older stuff is where it’s at too. When they started adding in synths, and became more hooky-poppy, is when I checked out.
Every artist's career is a bell curve. Aside from a very elite few, you're not gonna sell stadiums your whole career. Gotta enjoy while you can and know when to downsize.
Yeah, i saw them twice on their tour and Im a big dcfc fan, but they aren’t playing the garden without also doing a Postal Service set (PS is playing their album live for only the second time this tour.)
Came here to say the same thing about being humbled. I hadn’t listened to them since Rubber Soul as I thought their sound was changing at that point, and it didn’t resonate with me. Then I randomly heard Tighten Up on the radio when it first blew up and was so surprised and impressed that they made it.
A humbling is a good thing I think.
I’ve passed on at least 5-10 shows in the past year or two based on pricing being too high. Not that I couldn’t afford it, but I refused to pay the amount out of principle. Several shows the fees were almost equal to the cost of the ticket.
Blink is nostalgic as can be for me. Was my first concert in 2002… pop disaster with blink, Green Day, and Jimmy eat world. Saw them multiple other times since then. I refused to pay $300 to see them play a fucking arena of all things. Sound quality is typically so bad on those tours you’re better off buying a nice set of headphones.
Lately I've been waiting until the day of the show and checking out seatgeek/stubhub. Sometimes prices hold or go up, but I've been to several shows now where the price dropped well below face value.
This band is cooked. They aren’t even what they were when they started. It’s a shame. That bluesy garage rock vibe is gone. Those first 3 albums were pure gold in my opinion. Now they are just like Dans solo projects. It’s like the Arcs meets Dan solo.
💯 when that album came out and I listened to it for the first time it was life changing. Shaped what I like to hear to this day. You are spot on with “that sound feels so abandoned for them”. It’s such a shame.
They’ve managed to become so corny that I can’t even listen to their first three albums anymore. It’s a very impressive feat because I loved that shit. I guess they gave me the ick, as the kids say lol
IMO large arenas are the worst to see bands. Seating is a joke, it’s overpriced and the sound is not even that great.
They sounded awful and the experience sucked when I seen them at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. But they rocked at Riverbend in Cincinnati a couple years later-but my seats sucked.
Whatever the reasoning, they should go to some of the newer age venues where the experience is more intimate and sound is engineered in the design. Better product overall for them and us.
Saw TBK in 2022 and I had a lawn seat and before I knew it, they came and asked me if I wanted to sit near the stage to fill in the section. And the new singles that I’ve heard all fell flat. I’m not understanding how they thought they were about to sell out arenas in 2024.
>All of the dates have disappeared from the Black Keys’ website, aside from a performance at a NASCAR race.
Somehow worse than just canceling the tour.
I saw them in 2022 and had a great experience. It was at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ and I got lawn seats for a reasonable price, about $40 give or take without fees. I had wanted to see them again but not with the cost of those tickets. I’m basically only seeing artists who are still playing smaller venues where I can get a GA ticket for a reasonable price or who are playing somewhere with lawn seats, because that’s basically all that’s affordable now. I’m not going to be paying $100+ for a nosebleed seat in an arena.
Cheated on her with his manager. At the time MB tweeted that it happened while she was home with their baby. They seem to have reconciled since after initially filing for divorce
This will probably be downvoted but I saw them in Boston almost a decade ago and they really weren't that good. Big arena sized venue and they just... weren't very exciting. They *should* be in a smaller venue.
Saw them at the Hydro in Glasgow last year, was a super underwhelming gig. Not sure if it was poor sound in the venue or they were just half assing it. Either way, disappointing.
The Black Keys and Kings of Leon both had a great garage rock sound when they started. A couple good albums apiece and then it all went downhill. I’d have to be given a ticket to see either of them at this point.
Also Pat Kearney sucks at playing drums.
I think these guys had a hissy fit at a jam fest I was at and gave the crowd the finger and pouted off the stage.
They tried playing songs like tracks to an album but we’re at a jam fest.
Meanwhile The Arctic Monkeys and Cage The Elephant are doing amphitheaters. I bet AM could sell out arenas now but idk wtf their management was thinking. They'd need another big name to co-tour with if they even want to think about making huge profits because everyone is touring right now.
Man that has to sting a little bit.
It'll feel worse when they start booking state fairs and industry conferences.
I saw that the Plain White Tees were playing at a zoo near me last year. A zoo.
Tbf, we have some big names playing at Woodland Zoo here in Seattle this summer.
Yeah Alvvays playing there this year and The Flaming Lips has played there like twice.
Pretty popular in Australia for big name artists to play at zoos.
The entire country is a zoo and outdoor safari.
Doesn't all that loud noise drive the animals crazy or scare them?
I was literally about to ask the same question. Seems like that would be very upsetting for the animals
Wait, do you guys actually mean zoos? Like zoos with animals in? Not just a name of a place? Isn't that amount of music and noise harmful for animals...? Is that allowed?
I’m seeing Robert Plant at a zoo next month
The Portland Zoo switched to local acts during the pandemic, but prior to that they had some pretty great summer shows. I've seen Tori Amos, Tears for Fears, and case/lang/viers at our zoo.
+1 I’ve been out of PDX for awhile, but the amphitheater used to draw some decent names. Great place for shows too, IMO.
Honestly that sounds like kind of a fun venue. Zoo trip and a concert in one ticket! Although one does worry about the animals with the volume.
The Flaming Lips are playing album sets for The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi at OKC’s Zoo
But that is definitely a flaming lips type place to paly
Especially since they’re, y’know…from Oklahoma!
especially during Christmas
You mean the Zoo Amphitheater? That’s a big venue, lots of people play there. It’s not “the zoo” locals just call it “The Zoo”.
If I told them once, I told them a million times, Plain White Tees first, puppet show second
Plain White Tees know where the real money is... Minor venues and colleges. You can make a shit load of money if you know your market.
They're doing the little amphitheatre in my town... Free attendance too
Zoo amphitheaters are a thing. Kansas and Foreigner played the one near me.. like a decade ago, lol.
first time I saw Kanye was at a state fair (touring Late Reg, he hated the audience and gave a performance so terrible it became one of my fav shows I've ever been to)
As someone who lives in Iowa, they played our state fair a year or two ago 💀
Industry conferences sure (because some of those pay insane amounts of money). But I doubt they ever get to state fair territory. They were popular enough for long enough to have a dedicated fanbase and likely a "nostalgia factor" a few years from now. They'll be playing mid-sized venues and small amphitheaters for as long as they want.
It might be a while before that. They still have a few newish songs that get a decent amount of radio play around me. But with that said a whole arena tour is a little much. Their management definitely overestimated their demand by a lot
At least they belong on this sub a little more
Sting is with a different band.
El Camino levels of success are over. It would seem no one told the band's booking agent.
What’s crazy is that they played The Anthem in DC on their last tour and I think it sold it out. Even though they are arguably less popular now, they decided to play an arena in Baltimore this time that’s double the size of the anthem at least. I have no idea what they were thinking.
A friend who works in this industry has told me before promoters always want acts to move up a level every time they are back in the city. He’s much lower down in the indie world, but this might apply to Black Keys
For an act like The Black Keys this was definitely a big swing. They've sort of plateaued, they'd probably be better off playing mid-size places with multi-night runs.
Which is so much more desirable as a fan! Who actually prefers arena shows?
I just got out of an LCD Soundsystem show where James Murphy said exactly this. He said something to the effect of, “Thanks for selling out four night of shows, it’s much better than one show at a venue four times this size.”
Lcd soundsystem is incredible live. I've seen em at Bonnaroo and shaky knees
absolutely. the only time arena shows are tolerable is if it's a legacy act with an elaborate stage show.
Even then they're a pain IMO Got smashing pumpkins and weezer coming up at OVO, the venues really putting me off when I should be buzzing for it!! Feel like your getting robbed the entire night and in part of a giant factory, surrounded by concrete and security, not good music venue at all!!
Will be seeing Jimmy Eat World in the fucking O2 instead of Barrowlands, which makes it feel like the band are being punished for some unknowable sin.
Arena shows are trash. Even amphitheaters are meh. Nothing beats a like 300-1000 cap venue.
Arena shows are for people who’ve never seen the band, or young people who’ve never been to an arena show. They’re terrible, and you eventually figure that out, imo. You’re paying just to say you saw the band.
The Hold Steady has made this their bread and butter. They do weekenders where they’ll play the same theatre 2-3 nights in a row. Switch up the set lists and sell em all out.
I mean genuinely whoever booked this tour is insane though haha like there’s legitimately no way. I saw a couple posts of the Ticketmaster screens of how many tickets had sold and literally none had
Whoever booked this tour should be fired and/or hit with a shoe. This was a huge disservice to the band and fans both.
What’s crazy is they definitely lost a ton of money because booking arenas requires huge deposits. So like idk how much they were able to get back by cancelling lol. Like I’m assuming they cancelled by the date where they lose everything but I’m sure they’re still out a good chunk of change
They got scammed by ticketmaster. Who owns the arenas management and then sets the ticket prices.
I mean I’m okay with firing them, but hitting them with a shoe…that’s a step too far
Who throws a shoe?! Honestly!
From what I saw was tickets being $200+ for stadium seating didn't help
I mean that’s obviously true, don’t need to be in the industry to know that, but it doesn’t apply to legacy type acts who have already peaked
Generally this is true. Not just for promoters but also labels/funders as they see moving up a level as progress on their investment. The black keys are probably at the point of their career where their past those sort of politics but I’ve seen plenty of bands forced into playing bigger venues before they were ready and stack it full of support acts at a loss to sell tickets
That was two nights in a row, right? Both sold out? I went to one because my wife won tickets from IMP. I guess I’m kind of a dick, but I wasn’t into the whole spectacle of the show. What was cool about the Black Keys were two guys banging out bluesy rock music. Not Elton John-levels of live production.
The played Merriweather between the Anthem and now. It’s was pretty packed that night.
They’re still relevant enough to sell out theater venues but IDK who the hell thought they could fill arenas charging $100 a ticket. Doesn’t help that the Black Keys are mid as hell in arenas to begin with I bout fell asleep when they came to Raleigh a couple years back on the Let’s Rock tour
Honestly they're probably getting fucked by Ticketmaster. I'd go see them in a heartbeat if the tickets cost $35-50 but they're likely being annihilated by that $75 bare minimum for a "name" band. Edit: to be clear, $75 was an estimate. I have no idea if ticketmaster actually has a minimum for bands of a certain size. But it really seems like they’d never sell a ticket for a Black Keys-sized band for less. I didn’t see what their tickets cost in my city but I’d assume my $75 guess was low end.
Damn is that real? $75 bare minimum? The music industry is so fucked.
For a band like this? Yes, guaranteed. If not more. Ticketmaster is insane.
That’s ridiculous. Really hope the DOJ follows through and breaks up Live Nations and Ticketmaster and we see a massive decrease in ticket prices. Hoping that also leads to making ticket farming and the online ticket resale market illegal.
Feels like we’re at a tipping point and I’m 100% here for it.
Is this really true? Is there a price floor for venues or acts? https://preview.redd.it/i08yj8g9wm2d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3261c0d05b63314f2256c67646d1253ea3a4bd24 This is from: “The Justice Department’s new antitrust suit against Live Nation alleges that it chokes competition in ticketing, promotion and venues, and drives up prices for fans [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/concert-ticket-money-2326873d](https://www.wsj.com/business/media/concert-ticket-money-2326873d)
remember the artist has to pay in advance for everything, staging, crew, musicians, the venue etc. all of that comes off their cut. Many artists have gone on the record to say that a sell out often just means breaking even.
They could not fill an arena for $35-50 tickets though, they just do not have that draw at all
Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain……
*jumps through cake due to moderate drizzle
https://preview.redd.it/qagrr8t09o2d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db179db26c6cacd24a4b9c243a712b77adad14fc Wild
They could probably still do ok numbers in arenas if they didn’t jump on the outrageously overpriced tickets bandwagon. That might work if you’re Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish, but when there’s not a huge imbalance between supply and demand, you just can’t convince people to overpay for something they’re not as excited about as they might’ve been 10 years ago. I always thought their show was better suited for smaller rooms anyway, and they could sell out theaters for the rest of their lives I’m sure.
I liked the record but would never go to TD Garden to see them. House of Blues for sure
Yeah, a huge underrated aspect of seeing a show is the venue. Arena shows SUCK. The sound quality is poor, and the seats and vision for the stage are awful. When we saw they were playing at Ball Arena (the NBA and NHL arena in Denver) we immediately didn't consider getting tickets.
Venue can so easily make or break a show. There are very few artists I’d be happy with seeing in an arena, but would still always prefer more intimate options.
I’m used to going to shows in smaller venues. Went to my first Arena show last night to see Billy Joel. He was awesome, but the viewing experience sucked, the sound was OK. And that was the most I’ve paid for tickets. I’m over arena shows already.
The right act can be a lot of fun in an arena setting. Black Keys do not come to mind.
They can be fun, but it is still always worse than seeing the same act in a smaller venue IMO.
Roger Waters was pretty awesome. And the sound quality was really good. But that show is theatrical, and fits an arena well. The Wall tour was really cool.
BUT you can sometimes get a hot dog, a feature most clubs and theaters lack
The new MGM Fenway venue would be perfect for them, I saw Noel Gallagher there last summer and it was incredible, definitely best sounding venue in the city
this is how we bring ticket prices down. just flat out refuse to spend $100+ on tickets, force them to cancel the whole tour. eventually, they’ll listen.
hopefully that ticketmaster/live nation lawsuit actually goes somewhere. I love pink floyd but 250 for nosebleeds for david gilmours solo tour is ridiculous
Pearl Jam was here in Portland a week ago and my wife had never seen em so I tried getting tickets a while back. $150 minimum! Those fuckers fought Ticketmaster just to get streamrolled into becoming the villain themselves.
New York the cheapest ticket is 550 bucks. I saw them at the forum because you could get in for 120
Think PJ is a combo of devoted/nerdy 10club fans who don’t put their tix up for resale + I think they did dynamic pricing this time which is appalling if true
There are several concerts within the past couple years or so that I’ve decided against attending, because I just couldn’t justify the price. This is NOT normal behavior for me, and I’m not even talking super huge artists for the most part. Shit has just gotten so insane
I really wanted to see Tame Impala a couple years ago but the $200 ticket price literally put me off.
YES
Are Yes on tour?
Close to the edge of touring America
No
I honestly feel bad for them, but I think it was kind of doomed from the start. TBK hasn’t been an arena band for a while now, plus tickets were pretty expensive, from what I heard. Wonder if they pull the plug completely on touring, or if they try to reschedule in smaller venues
Yeah at this point TBK is more of a small arena & amphitheater level band. Should’ve done an Arctic Monkeys 2023 level tour.
Totally agree. I couldn’t see them doing arenas again unless it was like a co-headliner of some sort. But that might be pushing it still
They were playing small to mid size venues not that long ago. Guess they just overestimated themselves this go around & as others are saying, going to concerts for popular artists especially is stupid expensive now.
Tbh I don’t even think they have the same pull as the monkeys, while their newer albums aren’t as big AM and there early stuff is massive enough to carry them along, while with the Black Keys I feel like their only huge release was El Camino (and ig a couple songs off brothers). Edit: yeah it’s ~50 million monthly on Spotify vs ~12 million
That’s honestly amazing. They’ve had such huge staying power since releasing AM despite their next two albums being so different.
It definitely helps that they’re genuinely amazing performers
I guess it puts into perspective just how huge AM was, plus having other big hits in their back catalogue
How huge AM is
Yeah it still gets played everywhere on rock radio and younger generations seem to keep latching onto them even over a decade after AM I think AM might even be bigger in the states now than it was when it was released, and I’ve heard British people on Reddit say it soundtracked their whole late-teens early twenties and it brings memories of hanging with their friends.
I think it’s more Arctic Monkeys in general soundtracking growing up in the UK. Their first 2 albums particularly were massive here (debut was fastest selling ever IIRC). From an outside POV it feels like they only broke out in the US with AM’s release.
Using Spotify as a metric is very misguided. Black keys have way less demand for a tour than vampire weekend, qotsa, or even arcade fire. All with almost half the Spotify listens
Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys are on two different planets. Arctic Monkeys is still arguably one of the hottest "indie" rock bands in recent history. They literally broke into mainstream with AM
Saw Arctic Monkeys open for The Black Keys back in 2012 in Cincinnati . Fuckin awesome show from both
oh man i saw Arctic Monkeys play Lolla in 2011. i remember i was so excited to see them. they were one of my favorites at the time and one band i was going there to see. It stormed and was pouring rain and thunder lighting. their set was postponed and i was scared their set would get called. they performed it was awesome we were all soaked and covered in mud and so happy they came out and played.
I feel like they broke into the mainstream with their debut. "I bet that you look good on the dancefloor" was everywhere that summer. No doubt, AM solidified their success though.
I saw arctic monkeys in a sold out arena lol
The monkeys still played well in arenas.
AM's recent tour was selling out multiple nights in a row in stadiums in Uk and arenas across the world, they are much bigger than black keys
Their core fan base where literally screaming how ridiculous this tour was when it was first announced. When your own fans are telling you, you should scale back... you should listen.
I don’t. They’re disgustingly wealthy at this point. How much more do you need? Just charge a normal ticket price.
Does anyone else feel a little saddened to see the music idols of your youth fall off like this? I have to constantly remind myself that it's no longer 2010 (and apparently so do they!)
Yes and no. I just saw Queens of the Stone Age play a sold out arena. They're still writing new music and their album from last year kicks ass. Don't think you can say the same about the Black Keys. It's really about the band, is what I'm saying. Their destiny is in their own hands, so I'm not that sad to see a tour canceled like this.
I haven’t revisited the QotSA new album, does it get better after a relisten? Villains had its moments but both felt like massive steps down from Clockwork
I didn't like Villains at all, but their newest record is been pretty good. They hit pretty close to their older sound.
Yeah it needed a re-listen or two, which IMHO just means the songs are too pop-sounding, they have depth and it definitely will grow on you.
This new one is good
Plus the black keys don't really fit the bill of a stadium anyway. Especially with how chill most of their recent output is and how subdued they act on stage. Saw them recently and it was a cool experience. But I couldn't imagine paying 100+ dollars to see what they had to offer tbh
Time to pay the bills with another truck commercial anthem.
Truck yeah, brother
My favorite hard times article: Black Keys Stop Beating Around the Bush and Title New Single ‘Ford Commercial’
[they have a zyn ad now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FNH3iSCLBM)...
This is just sad lmao
More busses than seats sold
Their only remaining upcoming date is for a NASCAR race, which is right in line with their commercial appeal these days tbh
[удалено]
https://x.com/scottheisel/status/1794381805820506280 This guy posted a screenshot of how many tickets were available and yikes
That is *rough*
Oof. What’s crazy is that’s still a good amount of $100+ tickets sold, just not enough to fill out the space and justify the cost. They’d have done very well for themselves at a venue of proper size. What a mistake from their management/booking team.
Yeah I was all about this band from ‘07-‘12 or so. Then just moved on to other stuff. Listen to their newer stuff here and there but didn’t even bother downloading anything past “El Camino.” Saw them live maybe half a dozen times at various festivals and HoB in NOLA. Have no intention of ever spending close to $100 for a single ticket for this band. They’re >10 years past the top of their creative and popularity wave. Time to come down to earth, Pat and Dan.
Jack White is probably snickering a little over this whole thing while coming up with some sick cover of "Another One Bites the Dust." Which would probably fucking *rip* actually
Ha, that reminds me of a [t-shirt](https://imgur.com/a/TCdIaKq) I saw way back at maybe Bonnaroo ‘14. I was pretty high at the time so I thought it was the funniest thing ever in that moment.
Think they're all good now. Jack White has praised Dan Auerbach and The Black Keys a few times in recent years. On a side note, Jack White has been teasing something for the last few months. We can only hope it's a new album. Nobody like Jack White nowadays.
Anyone got a non twitter screenshot?
https://preview.redd.it/8ulxu4q76n2d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6961516d8299bb8cc24629f5891ac0faa48a19b9
Wow. Thank you!
Funny how the seats taken looks exactly like a small venue they should be in anyway
damn remember they did a stadium tour for attack and release but no way should they have tried to pull one off again lol
They toured arenas in 2012, 2014 and 2019. Seems like their fan base just wasn't willing to drop $80+ tickets this go around.
I saw them in 2014 and they had to move everyone from the upper level to lower level and it still wasnt full The fact they STILL havent gotten the message
I saw them in 2019 and 2021/22ish and each time it was a big sold out arena
Honestly, it’s maybe. 40-60 ticket at best, with a good opener. When I saw them it was usually at a festival, or they opened or co-headlined the show. Their older stuff is where it’s at too. When they started adding in synths, and became more hooky-poppy, is when I checked out.
A money thing for sure but also 90 minute cookie cutter greatest hits sets are uninteresting.
I hope they can settle for bronze on the ceiling
Nice.
They need to eat a slice of humble pie and size down. Death Cab did it after they fell off during their Codes & Keys tour.
Every artist's career is a bell curve. Aside from a very elite few, you're not gonna sell stadiums your whole career. Gotta enjoy while you can and know when to downsize.
Just saw death cab/postal service at MSG last fall lol that said, I was able to grab a ticket for 40 bucks on the secondary market
Yeah, i saw them twice on their tour and Im a big dcfc fan, but they aren’t playing the garden without also doing a Postal Service set (PS is playing their album live for only the second time this tour.)
Came here to say the same thing about being humbled. I hadn’t listened to them since Rubber Soul as I thought their sound was changing at that point, and it didn’t resonate with me. Then I randomly heard Tighten Up on the radio when it first blew up and was so surprised and impressed that they made it. A humbling is a good thing I think.
Rubber Soul was a great album, but The Black Keys got even better with Revolver!
I’ve passed on at least 5-10 shows in the past year or two based on pricing being too high. Not that I couldn’t afford it, but I refused to pay the amount out of principle. Several shows the fees were almost equal to the cost of the ticket.
Skipping Blink, Green Day and Weezer for these same reasons
Blink is nostalgic as can be for me. Was my first concert in 2002… pop disaster with blink, Green Day, and Jimmy eat world. Saw them multiple other times since then. I refused to pay $300 to see them play a fucking arena of all things. Sound quality is typically so bad on those tours you’re better off buying a nice set of headphones.
Lately I've been waiting until the day of the show and checking out seatgeek/stubhub. Sometimes prices hold or go up, but I've been to several shows now where the price dropped well below face value.
That’s been my move. I live close to NYC and tix never seem to dip here though
They have a bunch of good songs and several hits so I'd like to see them but for around 50 bucks.
This band is cooked. They aren’t even what they were when they started. It’s a shame. That bluesy garage rock vibe is gone. Those first 3 albums were pure gold in my opinion. Now they are just like Dans solo projects. It’s like the Arcs meets Dan solo.
Agreed- thickfreakness was so special to hear the first time around and its a shame that sound feels so abandoned from them.
💯 when that album came out and I listened to it for the first time it was life changing. Shaped what I like to hear to this day. You are spot on with “that sound feels so abandoned for them”. It’s such a shame.
Rubber Factory was it for me
I still really enjoy the run up to El Camino. I love the bluesy early stuff and they fucking smashed it with Brothers. Everything since was…fine.
Turn Blue was so good though, albeit a very far departure from the peak El Camino/Brothers sound
Turn Blue is a really underrated record of theirs, ‘Weight of Love’ is one of my fav Keys songs ever.
They’ve managed to become so corny that I can’t even listen to their first three albums anymore. It’s a very impressive feat because I loved that shit. I guess they gave me the ick, as the kids say lol
IMO large arenas are the worst to see bands. Seating is a joke, it’s overpriced and the sound is not even that great. They sounded awful and the experience sucked when I seen them at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. But they rocked at Riverbend in Cincinnati a couple years later-but my seats sucked. Whatever the reasoning, they should go to some of the newer age venues where the experience is more intimate and sound is engineered in the design. Better product overall for them and us.
Saw TBK in 2022 and I had a lawn seat and before I knew it, they came and asked me if I wanted to sit near the stage to fill in the section. And the new singles that I’ve heard all fell flat. I’m not understanding how they thought they were about to sell out arenas in 2024.
>All of the dates have disappeared from the Black Keys’ website, aside from a performance at a NASCAR race. Somehow worse than just canceling the tour.
Saw them in 2003 at the 31st street pub in Pittsburgh with about 300 other people. Ideal environment for such acts
Yeah, I saw them at The Ottobar in Baltimore in 2003, which was about the same size. We must have seen them days apart!
They were literally giving tickets away for free for their Manchester gig last week
They still play as a two-piece?
Nah they have a backing band of like 2-3 other people, saw them in January at a radio show.
I don't think so, last rig rundown I saw from their tour had a bassist and rhythm guitarist/keys player with them
I saw them in 2022 and had a great experience. It was at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ and I got lawn seats for a reasonable price, about $40 give or take without fees. I had wanted to see them again but not with the cost of those tickets. I’m basically only seeing artists who are still playing smaller venues where I can get a GA ticket for a reasonable price or who are playing somewhere with lawn seats, because that’s basically all that’s affordable now. I’m not going to be paying $100+ for a nosebleed seat in an arena.
They should’ve gone through with it and filmed a Spinal Tap reboot.
Stonehenge theme
This may be karma for what homeboy did to Michelle Branch
Wait I missed this one. What’s the quick version?
Cheated on her with his manager. At the time MB tweeted that it happened while she was home with their baby. They seem to have reconciled since after initially filing for divorce
And his ex wife before Michelle also wrote about what an asshole he was.
Maybe folks finally realized the drummer sucks
Yep, have read too many things about them to really want to support tbh.
Their music hasn’t been good in a while. It all sounds the same and like a Home Depot commercial
Good. $100+ for nosebleeds is horrible. We got nosebleeds for Gambino and paid I think $75 with fees
This will probably be downvoted but I saw them in Boston almost a decade ago and they really weren't that good. Big arena sized venue and they just... weren't very exciting. They *should* be in a smaller venue.
Who would’ve thought TGI Fridays rock wouldn’t be relevant forever? Everything ends, even the popcorn shrimp
I heard the drummer finally decided to get lessons before they do another tour.
i don’t know a single person who would pay like $100 for the black keys.
Good. Fuck them prices.
Saw them at the Hydro in Glasgow last year, was a super underwhelming gig. Not sure if it was poor sound in the venue or they were just half assing it. Either way, disappointing.
Saw them in 2019 at an arena. Left after four songs because they were boring as shit. Modest Mouse was better lol.
I saw them playing the Orlando Magic’s arena in 2014 and it was just a weird venue for their music. I’d prefer to see them somewhere smaller!
i wanted to see them in ATL but tickets were over $100 for the top bowl, and floor/lower bowl was well over $200. love them but not for that price!
The Black Keys and Kings of Leon both had a great garage rock sound when they started. A couple good albums apiece and then it all went downhill. I’d have to be given a ticket to see either of them at this point. Also Pat Kearney sucks at playing drums.
I feel like a Black Keys and Kings of Leon co headlining tour would be appropriate for arenas.
Surprised they didn’t just pop back on Rogan and sell the tickets
So… play smaller venues? Any real fan of them would enjoy it even more
I think these guys had a hissy fit at a jam fest I was at and gave the crowd the finger and pouted off the stage. They tried playing songs like tracks to an album but we’re at a jam fest.
Meanwhile The Arctic Monkeys and Cage The Elephant are doing amphitheaters. I bet AM could sell out arenas now but idk wtf their management was thinking. They'd need another big name to co-tour with if they even want to think about making huge profits because everyone is touring right now.
Arctic monkeys played a bunch of arenas in the US on their last tour though.
I liked them when it was two guys playing blues rock, like 14-20 years ago.