Let’s face it, travelling these days has become a rather expensive affair. With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, just filling up the tank has become an eye-popping and a checkbook depleting experience for alot of folks. And unless your favorite band happens to be playing at a venue close to home, hitting the road to see a show can make for a rather expensive evening. Hell, even if you don’t have to travel far, you still may have to pick and chose which shows you really want to see because concert tickets aren’t always cheap.
On a national level, the verdict on the summer concert season is still out. For the most part there hasn’t been a huge increase in ticket prices due to rising fuel costs (although there are some that are saying this could be changing soon as touring artists begin to feel the pinch at the pump). As the USA Today reported back in June, the festival season returns have been mixed with Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Merlefest reporting declining attendance from this year to last while others like Sasquatch, Stagecoach, and the CMA Music Festival are reporting a noticeable increase in concert-goers. [Note: In some cases this may have less to do with cost and more to do with the ever-growing number of music festivals which seem to keep popping up every year]
[Poll Question After the Break]
————
Here in Charlottesville many of the big-name concerts at the Pavilion have been well-attended but to date there have only been two sold-out shows (this past Tuesday’s Willie Nelson concert and tonight’s scheduled performance by Crosby, Stills, and Nash). Of course the closing of two local venues in the past year (Starr Hill Music Hall last summer and Satellite Ballroom this spring) have put local music fans in the position of having to decide between driving to Richmond or D.C. to see some of their favorite bands or just stay at home because they can’t afford the roundtrip.
Charlottesville’s smaller venues (Gravity Lounge, the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, and Outback Lodge for example) still offer music fans a number of concert opportunities at a more affordable price but there’s still the fact that most of us have less money to spend on concerts because the price of nearly everything else has gone up.
Which leads us to our poll question below: When everything is taken into account, are you seeing less concerts this summer than in summers past? And if so, why? We’d love to know what you think so go ahead and vote now.
————
Popularity: 34% [?]
Tagged as: charlottesville, concert attendance, festivals, gas prices, Music, ticket prices
Yes, I am seeing fewer concerts this year. It’s 100 miles to the closest city with good music. Between gas, ticket prices (which are still reasonable IMO, at least for the bands I want to see), drinks and buying stuff at the shows, it’s turned into about $100 per event. Can’t do too many of those in a month anymore so I’m having to be more selective.
The exception being the Avett’s, of course, for whom I will eat beans and rice for the chance to see them one more time.
@1 Beans and rice is a small price to pay. btw–did you the see the hevenerlee’s pics? there are some good ones in there don’t you think?
I would vote both that ticket prices are too high and that there aren’t many bands I’d like to see coming to town. Music Today’s excessive fees for Pavillion shows are unnerving.
I say no change. I love going to shows, and enjoying live music any chance I get. Interestingly enough, most of the shows I have seen this summer have not been in C-ville. So far we’ve gone to Nissan Pavillion once, C-ville Pavillion once, and Innsbrook Pavillion four times, so there has been some road time too.
Hmm need to be able to choose more than one on the poll
But yes, between the high gas and ticket prices I just cant afford as much as I used to 
Haven’t been very many bands on tour I wanna see right now.
Hey pinkie, speaking of bands on tour…didn’t you see MGMT at The National? Details…details…
I had to cancel.
I bet it would have rocked though!
Bummer. I was hoping I could get a few details on the National. I have a buddy who lives in Richmond who loves that place. It almost seems like what the Red Light folks have in mind for the Jefferson but the National is twice the size. Anyway…it’s too bad you didn’t get to see MGMT Pinkie…there will be other shows I’m sure…ones in which you’ll be in the crowd rocking your face off.
well, kids-statring with July… black crowes at the pavillion, allgood a couple weeks ago, floydfest last week, I’m off to Richmond to take a friend to see William Walters &co. then the summer visit home (mmm, sweet corn). I’m sure I’ll find some music, zappa plays zappa, for one.
sept:
MMJ(cville), TLG(richmond), avett/DBT(cville) california to see some old bands reunite to send of a good friend off to germany.
oct: asheville for Lokifest
yosemite for Los Tortugas festival of the dead.
that’s all i got now, but i don’t think i’m slowing down with the music. but the shows i go to are not the $100. after fees and what-not for super big names. and work a festival here or there, and sweet! and carpool.
i plan to make even more happen next year. music is good for the soul. and i won’t forget the sunblock.
Hate to break it to everyone, MGMT show was very bad. They remove almost all electronic elements of their music for their stage show… leaving what resembled a group of young men who didn’t make the cut for American Bandstand in the ’60’s… a bunch of wretched acoustic strumming and unrecognizable songs… let me just say they did “Kids” via Lip Sync… NOT GOOD. I can no longer listen to their music.
The National is pretty sick though. Great vibe, great ambience, good acoustics.
@11: Glad to know I didn’t miss anything. Let us know if you hear of any good shows coming up there in the future.
Since I’ve moved to C’ville, I can’t help but go see music. We used to bitch and bitch about the music scene in Richmond, or lack there of, and as soon as I leave, they get Toad’s and the National, and Cville closes Satelite and Starr Hill.
/Maybe its me.
@13. thanks. you can still write stories for the muse from a remote, undisclosed location, can’t you?
/not charlottesville
//hint hint
Are you trying to bump me out of town, nicu?
not really, just so “they” think you are “somewhere else” so we get some venues back…:)