Olympia, Paris ticket prices.......Hells Bells!

[Mabeanie1]

I take your point completely Vicomte but I think it's probably just a fact of commercial life. I wouldn't mind betting that it was Leonard himself who wanted to play Olympia again and in my experience, smaller venues typically mean higher prices to raise the same level of income to cover costs, which are astronomical in this case with a massive crew and private plane to pay for. As someone else pointed out, the Olympia prices are akin to price levels for theatre shows in the US.

You're right, high prices will mean that a lot of people will be excluded, particularly in these hard economic times, but the shows will still no doubt sell out in a blink.

BTW, whenever arena shows are announced, there are always calls for Leonard to play more attractive (and inevitably, smaller) venue - why not Olympia rather than Zenith, Royal Albert Hall instead of O2, etc. - so they can't win!

Wendy

[Vicomte]

I take your point completely Vicomte but I think it's probably just a fact of commercial life. I wouldn't mind betting that it was Leonard himself who wanted to play Olympia again and in my experience, smaller venues typically mean higher prices to raise the same level of income to cover costs, which are astronomical in this case with a massive crew and private plane to pay for. As someone else pointed out, the Olympia prices are akin to price levels for theatre shows in the US.

Yes of course it is all about commercial life, Wendy and we know his management are purely in it for the money but if cornered, I would like to ask LC if he thinks that exclusion of fans without the means to pay such high ticket prices is in line with his thoughts on life. Yes, the shows should of course still be sell outs but let's take your thought to the nth degree and make all his venues small and expensive, what then?

Paris is a large city, even Springsteen is likely sell out Bercy over 2 nights, so why Olympia? Well as you say, it will still be a sell out and that is the bottom line, I personally don't like that, not with LC.

BTW, whenever arena shows are announced, there are always calls for Leonard to play more attractive (and inevitably, smaller) venue - why not Olympia rather than Zenith, Royal Albert Hall instead of O2, etc. - so they can't win!

Who can't win? The management always win but if you are talking about the fans, which I think you are, then for my part and I might be alone in this, bigger venues gives those fans who don't have a bottomless bank account, or even a little bit over after their monthly payouts, a chance to see LC from a cheaper seat and I really like to see that. They don't get that chance in the smaller venues, when the prices are raised to such incredibly expensive prices, thereby excluding them.

I don't remember those kind of prices when LC last played there, does anyone know?

[Mabeanie1]

I don't remember those kind of prices when LC last played there, does anyone know?

2010 prices c. €140 for a seat in the front blocks of an arena in France so the price difference for the best seats at Olympia isn't that great really. I don't know if there were cheaper prices for the back blocks.

I'm sure if you asked Robert Kory, he would say they have to cover costs. Leonard is of course insulated from the business stuff in his "bubble".

I actually meant that the venue bookers couldn't win but the fans can't either if they can't afford the inflated prices.

W

[pe swijngedouw]

november 2008, 128 euro, for "wheelchair place", + 128 euro, for sitting next to each other, me on a folding chair, "strapontin balcon" it was called. that was catégorie 2, mezzanine, i think it is now called. it was expensive then, and it still is now, but i bought myself some peace of mind, by buying an extra ticket, and giving it away to someone who really wanted it. perhaps i could do that again, but i haven't counted my savings yet, and, because this whole tour is unexpected, and i spent a lot of money (too much ?), last year, i'm not sure i can repeat that. but who knows.
pe

[John Etherington]

To put things in perspective, I've bought top-price tickets for nine concerts/gigs since November - The Webb Sisters, Zombies, Steeleye Span/The Strawbs, Argent/Wishbone Ash, Brian Protheroe with Paul Jones, Michael Chapman, Adam Cohen, Cass McCombs, and Mike Heron. The cost of all these tickets put together = the price of one top price ticket for Leonard in Paris.

Or to put it another way. I bought two tickets for three Leonard concerts at the New Victoria Theatre in London (all third row, centre) in 1976. Total cost for all six tickets was £30.

This may not prove anything, but it does make you think!

[Mabeanie1]

To put things in perspective, I've bought top-price tickets for nine concerts/gigs since November - The Webb Sisters, Zombies, Steeleye Span/The Strawbs, Argent/Wishbone Ash, Brian Protheroe with Paul Jones, Michael Chapman, Adam Cohen, Cass McCombs, and Mike Heron. The cost of all these tickets put together = the price of one top price ticket for Leonard in Paris.

Or to put it another way. I bought two tickets for three Leonard concerts at the New Victoria Theatre in London (all third row, centre) in 1976. Total cost for all six tickets was £30.

This may not prove anything, but it does make you think!

To be fair John, all of the acts you mention are "lesser known" artists playing small venues. In 2006(?) we went to see the Rolling Stones at Twickenham rugby stadium. I saw them a few times when they (and I) were young in the late 60s and early 70s but Tony had never seen them live so, slightly against my better judgement, we paid what at the time we considered to be the astronomical price of £330 for two tickets in the stands. I thought I would ever pay that much for tickets again. Little did I know.

If I think about my salary when I started work as a new graduate in 1976 and my salary when I retired in 2010 and apply the same inflation factor to LC ticket prices the top prices at Olympia don't look so bad ......

[cpl593h]

Olympia seems to be rather small. Maybe also 2nd/3rd category seats might be good enough - considering the prices there.
Has anyone been to the Olympia?
Would you care to share your opinion on seat categories?
Good luck with bookings!
Harald

it's a great venue. saw LC there last time around. certainly the best venue announced so far...but those prices! every seat is excellent. but i won't be paying those prices

[Vicomte]

To be fair John, all of the acts you mention are "lesser known" artists playing small venues. In 2006(?) we went to see the Rolling Stones at Twickenham rugby stadium. I saw them a few times when they (and I) were young in the late 60s and early 70s but Tony had never seen them live so, slightly against my better judgement, we paid what at the time we considered to be the astronomical price of £330 for two tickets in the stands. I thought I would ever pay that much for tickets again. Little did I know.

If I think about my salary when I started work as a new graduate in 1976 and my salary when I retired in 2010 and apply the same inflation factor to LC ticket prices the top prices at Olympia don't look so bad ......

Wendy, in 2006 for the Stones "Bigger Bang" tour you could buy decent tickets for the Stones in Cardiff for £40 -£60 each and in Twickenham you could buy stand tickets for £50 or so. I'll take a guess here and I would say setting up and running a Stones tour and with full respect, it would make L.C tour costs seem like pocket money. I used to see the Stones for pennies, being a lad whose manor was around Richmond, we had the Crawdaddy and Eel Pie Island, so paying £330 for two tickets,would have been a price too high. BUT my point here is, there were lower cost tickets on the tour you speak of, to allow for those that simply couldn't afford to pay the higher priced tickets. As for the prices don't seem bad for Olympia, sorry but for many people in France and no doubt elsewhere, they are quite obscene.

Forget what you earned then and now, that is not the equation to be used. The fact is that not everyone earns, or earned your salary nor are they able to go to several LC gigs. Believe it or not, there are people who are long time fans who really cannot buy at such prices. It comes to something when to see someone you have been a fan of for years is unaffordable. Anyone remember what John Lennon once said, "“For those of you in the cheap seats I'd like ya to clap your hands to this one; the rest of you can just rattle your jewelry!” except in this case, it might be a case of everyone rattling their jewelry as there aren't any "cheap" seats.

It's been a long road being an admirer but to come to this and knowing what LC has had to say about the World we all live in, sorry but I'll say it again, it just doesn't sit right to me. I wonder if he knows what the prices are these days to listen to him, or if he does, what does he think about it?

And again, if Springsteen with his massive set up and costs can play for 3 hours and the tickets cost between €68 et €99,90 then I see no reason whatsoever as to why L.C cannot do so.

Rolling Stones gigs:
Date: Sunday 20th - Tuesday 29th August 06
Location: London, Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff
Cost: £40 - £150

[Mabeanie1]

Vicomte - please don't turn this in to one of your personal vendettas. I didn't disagree with you in the first place. Enough already.

Wendy

[John Etherington]

except in this case, it might be a case of everyone rattling their jewelry as there aren't any "cheap" seats.

Yeah, pity it's come to this...and ironic that Leonard couldn't have afforded these prices in 2006!

[da2008]

This is pointless

[Vicomte]

Sorry the first half of this reply deleted as previous poster deleted their post.

Sorry, Wendy but it is far from a "personal vendetta" I am speaking not for me, not one bit but for others that simply cannot afford any longer to go and see someone they have long supported. And as John has put it so well, LC could not have afforded these prices a while back but thanks to his fans, he can afford just about anything. So it must feel like a kick in the teeth for them to now find ticket prices out of their reach.

On a lighter note, I have seen prices for Barca and Madrid and they appear to be 45, 60, 70, 80 and 110 euros for Barcelona and 50, 65, 75, 85 and 110 euros for Madrid (distribution costs not included).

[da2008]

This is pointless

[Vicomte]

This post deleted as another poster deleted their post and thus, this one didn't make sense

[TipperaryAnn]

This is the first indoor concert of those posted so far. Would I pay twice as much to be sure of not getting soaked? NO! I prefer to bring a raincoat and hope for the best... living in Ireland we are not short of raincoats!