Gig plans - 2023
Discussion
Crumbs is it that time already?
Rammstein tour announced https://www.rammstein.de/en/live/
Tickets will probably sell out in about 14.7 milliseconds so decisions must be made.
Continuation of current tour we saw a few months ago so not worth pulling out all the stops, but seeing them in Berlin's 1936 Olympic stadium seems fitting. Or Vienna's somewhere already on my must list.
Rammstein tour announced https://www.rammstein.de/en/live/
Tickets will probably sell out in about 14.7 milliseconds so decisions must be made.
Continuation of current tour we saw a few months ago so not worth pulling out all the stops, but seeing them in Berlin's 1936 Olympic stadium seems fitting. Or Vienna's somewhere already on my must list.
Taita said:
Wondering which of the EU gigs is easiest to get to see Rammstein, travelling from Midlands so thinking plane via EMA / Birmingham or train through tunnel......
Even from London the train gets expensive and time consuming very quickly for anywhere further than Paris or Belgium. I'd be on Skyscanner or whatever and look at where you can fly direct to. Also if you're buying general release it may be a case of what tickets you can get in the scramble... Which was how we ended up in Riga the other year. If you're unfussed I'd look to Spain or Portugal or the eastern dates, as it'll cost you half as much in accomodation, beer and food etc. Lisbon and Budapest are wonderful cities to spend a few days.We've booked for Vienna, which is on my must do list anyway so no brainer.
Mrs bought us tix for beautiful days! Only a couple of must see acts as it stands (dreadzone, Justin Sullivan) but that's ok, will be the first festival since the olden times and maybe even the last as we plan to be living a long way away in a couple of years! So it had to be done...
Also just saw PWEI gigs, 2 nights each London and Brum but quite can't discern if it's 2 gigs or a 2 night set, anyone?
Also just saw PWEI gigs, 2 nights each London and Brum but quite can't discern if it's 2 gigs or a 2 night set, anyone?
PurpleTurtle said:
I went to The Hold Steady at the Electric Ballroom in Camden on Saturday and whilst the band were great it was so rammed it was really uncomfortable.
Given that I'm a tall bloke and I like a beer I normally hang out at the back of venues near the bar, I've been to the EB many times and there is generally a bit of 'breathing space' near the bar where you can walk between a thinner part of the crowd and the bar/bogs. Saturday was absolutely packed to the gunwales, had to barge past everyone, not really pleasant.
My theory having been to a lot of UK venues pre/post Covid is that nowadays many places seems to be ramming the punters in to maximise returns, I'd be interested to know if any of them have toyed with capacity, recent Brixton Academy issues noted.
Some of my mates went to Bullet For My Valentine the same night up the road at the Roundhouse and from some photos I could see they posted online it wasn't anywhere near as rammed, despite being sold out. I think the Roundhouse, being that much bigger, is able to manage numbers better so they put on a profitable show without it being like sardines!
What are others experiencing elsewhere? Is it a change since the pandemic? Or am I just getting old?!
I think the Problem with gigs at the ballroom is it's a nightclub, it's capacity 1100 IIRC includes areas with no view at all of the stage, so the same capacity if everyone wants to view a sold out gig is daft. Astoria had the same problem by including the Keith moon bar. Get a slayer gig with a load of 18 st meatheads and you needed vasoline to get to the bar.Given that I'm a tall bloke and I like a beer I normally hang out at the back of venues near the bar, I've been to the EB many times and there is generally a bit of 'breathing space' near the bar where you can walk between a thinner part of the crowd and the bar/bogs. Saturday was absolutely packed to the gunwales, had to barge past everyone, not really pleasant.
My theory having been to a lot of UK venues pre/post Covid is that nowadays many places seems to be ramming the punters in to maximise returns, I'd be interested to know if any of them have toyed with capacity, recent Brixton Academy issues noted.
Some of my mates went to Bullet For My Valentine the same night up the road at the Roundhouse and from some photos I could see they posted online it wasn't anywhere near as rammed, despite being sold out. I think the Roundhouse, being that much bigger, is able to manage numbers better so they put on a profitable show without it being like sardines!
What are others experiencing elsewhere? Is it a change since the pandemic? Or am I just getting old?!
westberks said:
the prices really are all over the place. I frequently see newish acts and pay £20 ish for tickets and then due to seeing a couple of big artists touring have now paid £200 pp for Beyonce and this week £150 odd for Elton john.
Neither acts that i was bothered about seeing but my PA was keen to see Elton having never seen him, so its her birthday pressie & niece loved Beyonce.
expect Elton to be a great show on Thursday and due to my age of 55, will probably have subliminal memory of all the lyrics as we grew up in a time with 3 stations and you knew all of the songs in the charts..... a tad less so these days!
the following week go to see a young soul singer called Sophie Faith in a small venue that cost £17pp
I don't know if they're all over the place so much as some big artists have sussed they can charge what they like wheras smaller artists have to keep it real.Neither acts that i was bothered about seeing but my PA was keen to see Elton having never seen him, so its her birthday pressie & niece loved Beyonce.
expect Elton to be a great show on Thursday and due to my age of 55, will probably have subliminal memory of all the lyrics as we grew up in a time with 3 stations and you knew all of the songs in the charts..... a tad less so these days!
the following week go to see a young soul singer called Sophie Faith in a small venue that cost £17pp
There are some inflationary pressures and personnel shortages - particularly specialised - (who'd have thunk turning off the industry would do that
) but the increase was exponential even pre-scamdemic - I've got a box containing most of my ticket stubs going back to the mid 90s so can track it. We passed on metallica in 2019, tix were like £150 so with a few drinks and a cab etc it'd have been a £400+ night for the two of us to see them at sodding Twickenham and... nah. Then in '21 they announced Mera Luna festival in Portugal in summer '22 for something like €65 each. Bought with no idea of what the world would permit us to do, ended up being one of the best performances we've seen of theirs.judas said:
Currently listening to the Metallica set at Download - from 10 miles away... 
Aww.Had some real mixed feelings about wanting to see Metallica on a pretty special tour which given our plans might be the last opportunity too and preferring never to go near that gouging clusterfuuk ever again...
alfa phil said:
Pet shop Boys last night at Wembley arena,
They never fail, the place was rockin ,
Fabulous aren't they.They never fail, the place was rockin ,
Last year we got just a bit too pished to fully appreciate it at the O2; I felt a bit bad (I lead, the Mrs is easily led) so we booked tickets for a week later in brum
And Peter Gabriel last Monday; more the Mrs thing, but seeing him live it clicked a bit more for me. Great live performer.
ZedLeg said:
Were they not offering free water at all?
I thought that was against licensing rules.
A lot of places sail pretty close to the wind to coin a few more $. I remember being at a download festival a few back, full on heatwave and 4 water taps for like 60,000 people, hour long queues. Showsec on the gate denying me to bring some in from the campsite as only specific types of water bottle are permitted, and get this tasting people's water to make sure we're not smuggling contra in. I was gonna make them up a special but me mates wouldn't let me...I thought that was against licensing rules.
As for drink prices try Wembley arena, £22 for a wine and a (single) vodka mixer the other week. We actually made some up and preloaded on the tube, it's like being 16 again ffs. At least at the O2 we get my phone pass to the special people bar where £30 gets you a reasonably palatable bottle of wine.
Back from Vienna and seeing Rammstein twice, once in the firezone and once in the middle tier.
Wonderful city both of itself and to do a gig like this, accommodation (home sweet apartments, would recommend) walking distance from the arena which was itself nice as such venues go.
Airport had more staff working security than pax! What a difference to Stansted!
Wonderful city both of itself and to do a gig like this, accommodation (home sweet apartments, would recommend) walking distance from the arena which was itself nice as such venues go.
Airport had more staff working security than pax! What a difference to Stansted!
James6112 said:
Saw Simply Red at Blenheim palace last year, very good.
Booked to see them again, expensive seats, row 4 at the O2
Oct 2025!
Paid on credit card, in case me or Mick expire by then..
2 years, that is properly taking the P!Booked to see them again, expensive seats, row 4 at the O2
Oct 2025!
Paid on credit card, in case me or Mick expire by then..
Although theyve moved you back a row since you last posted... I know it's a big place but watch out or by the time they play you'll be in the car park!
Edited by Teddy Lop on Monday 2nd October 06:45
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