As much as I would not call myself a Kenny Chesney fan anymore it looks like he is still doing something right. Kenny Chesney is the only country act in the Top 10 of Pollstar’s annual midyear report, ranking the most successful concert tours at the halfway point of every year.
Kenny landed at a very respectable number 7 on the list. With Britney Spears taking number one, Fleetwood Mac (2), Celine Dion (3), Elton John/Billy Joel (4), the Eagles (5), and Bruce Springsteen (6), Chesney and Dave Matthews (8).
Rascal Flatts took in number 18 and George Strait number 30 so far for this year.
Looks like the secret to the success for this year may be lower ticket prices. Kenny says he does realize how tough things are right now for fans.
”I know this is a rough summer,” said Chesney. “I remember how it is when you want to, and you gotta figure out what you’re not gonna do. It’s why we’ve really tried to keep the prices reasonable… put on a good show… but especially to give people for those few hours a reason to just have a good time. I can’t solve the problems, but maybe I can get you to forget… to laugh… be free and remember how great it feels to be alive.”
“When you have to decide,” said Chesney, “I wanna know we’re giving the people the best show, that we’re a good way to spend your money. That we’re stacking up against such big tours – and music that is anything but what we do, well, that makes me proud for the genre, too.”
Rascal Flatts are very well known for their great stage show. The boys put on one hell of a show (one that I would never pass up) but I don’t have very much to say about their ticket prices. They seem to creep up just a little bit more each year and I worry that if something doesn’t change we may be paying upwards of $100 per ticket here in Nashville soon. I would prefer that they stop lugging around 13 buses of their stage around (it costs almost $13,000 per show to move their stage) and strip down their performance in return for lower ticket prices.
Would you rather pay higher ticket prices for a BIG stage, fireworks and show or lower ticket prices and make it all about the music?
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I sucks that tickets are so high
there are so many artist i want to go see
but cant cause of money.
so I have to pick my favs.
Kennys tickets are a little higher this year but he gives you a great show with awesome acts so i dont mind paying what he is asking.
My opinion may not be a very good one as I can’t make up my mind on how I feel about this issue.
I DO know that many artists’ (especially RF’s) ticket prices are getting ridiculously expensive and it really stinks. But I DO LOVE the enormous stage show they deliver. But it doesn’t seem like it has to cost THAT much. I don’t know. Perhaps it does. It’s just the other big entertainers like Kenny, Brad, and Carrie don’t sell tickets for that much and they still put on great shows.
I definitely think it needs to be more about the music though. I mean, that’s what people come for, for the most part, right?
I’ve been a RF fan forever, but this year I was really disappointed. I didn’t think the show was as good as it was last year, and I paid almost $15 more for a worse seat. Not sure I can justify that again next year. I saw NIckelback and sat in about the same section and paid almost half of what the Rascal Flatts ticket was, and the show value was much better.
I really think that it shouldn’t have to be a choice – you should be able to have the big show without astrinomical ticket prices. Yes, it costs a LOT of money to put on those big shows night after night – but some of the prices out there are way too extreme.
As far as which type of concert I’d rather see – I think that all depends on the connection you feel towards an artist and the music as a fan. A stadium or a bar show doest really matter – if you’re loving the music, that’s all that matters!
I think big shows definitely take away from the music. I think that’s one of the reasons I prefer acts before they get big. I saw Trace Adkins at a county fair shortly after Chrome was released in front of about 100 people. I still prefer that show to the times I’ve seen him since at larger venues. The best thing was, I paid $5 for the show!
All the pyro, fancy lighting, giant stages, props, costumes and all that ridiculous hooplah is just a way to distract people from the fact that an artist can’t put on a great show based on their vocal/instrumental ability. It’s sad really. Concerts should appeal to your ears, not your eyes.
I agree Stephanie…I was floored when I found out I could see Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Darius Rucker for $50!!! That’s INSANELY AWESOME!!!! Even Keith Urban, my all time favorite show, needs to work on his ticket prices some…I want to go to more…I just cannot afford it especially the shows I have to travel too.
I’d rather it be all about the music and the artist being the entertainment rather than the stage itself. Sure the effects can be cool, but I’m there for the artist and to have a good time with friends. I don’t need a huge production. Bar shows and small arena shows are my favorite.
First of all, it’s not just the artists who decide ticket prices. There are many varibles including the venue, the type of venue, how much equipment the artist has, ect. RF should not be the only ones bashed for this…their ticket prices vary, and are NOT all super expensive. I”ve seen some shows go for 35, some for 55, some for 75 and some for 100. Kenny charges 100 and above for EVERY show and no one complains about him. Toby Keith charges anywhere from 75- 100. Jonas Brothers are charging 90 and up; Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill charged WELL over 150 dollars on concert tickets in 2007. The Eagles, Springsteen, Maddona and Elton John charged well over 2-300 dollars. At least none of these artists claim that they “try to keep their concerts affordable,” when they charge well over $100 a show!! *cough,* Kenny Chesney! I really think that if enough fans love an artist, they don’t really think much about forking over a ton once or twice a year.
I think that the smaller stage shows are the best ones. Jason Aldean keeps his stage show VERY simple and ticket prices low and his live shows ROCK. I don’t think it should take a lot of fancy lighting, pyro, etc to entertain. It should be about the music…that is the point of a concert right??
Don’t get me wrong, I love Keith Urban but I think his ticket prices are way too high…until he brings them down, I won’t be seeing him. I’ll just stick to the smaller artists that entertain for a better price.
I prefer a show that is about the music and not about the production!
Actually, K, you are wrong. Kenny’s ticket prices are $100 and below. His field seating and lower level seats were $99 this year. And after that as the seating got higher or further away, it went down to 89 and 79 i believe. So, this time, I think Kenny actually is trying to keep his prices low and give people a good show. I think the artists are kind of caught in a catch-22. We as the audience want this big special show, yet we don’t want to pay the price for it. Some people may say that they are fine with having just the performer and the stage, but most people are not. And in reality, if artists were to skip all the big stuff, people would leave the concerts disappointed. I think they’re all just trying to keep up with each other and make the fans happen. Things don’t come cheap tho, LOL!