Grateful Dead

I started going to concerts on a regular basis around 73-74, and I saw great acts for $5-$6 in a small 2,500 seat theatre, a little more for arena acts. Often you got your tix minutes before showtime at the box office. Getting tickets was for the dedicated, you lined up and obtained them, no scalper nonsense. Now, bands that are just doing the “remember us?” circuit with no new releases (see: Doobies for example) who are asking $150 for binocular-recommended seats. No. Not a chance.
Jack - Rooting for the Habs!?!? Hmmmm. Guess who won’t be on Mike’s 2021 Christmas card list…

$160 for tv and internet, $44 of it was taxes and fees.

Replaced it with Verizon Fios gigabit internet (fiber optic was already installed underground on my street and the Verizon equipment was already installed at my house), and an antenna for local tv. There is also an Ethernet cable running from the modem to my tv.

I bought the Red Wings streaming package from NHL tv so I could watch the regular season. Haven’t been able to watch the playoffs except for games on NBC which I get over the air.
Starting next season ESPN+ has the NHL, so I’ll get the Red Wings streamed through that. Maybe I’ll be able to get the playoffs streamed too. Otherwise, eventually I might have to get cable again to watch the playoffs, but I won’t do that until the Red Wings will actually be in the playoffs, and who knows how long it will be until that happens.
Hopefully next season. 🤞

I also won’t pay the high concert ticket prices, except for Roger Waters, I paid for floor seats in 2010, 2012, and 2017, and it was worth it. Had a good floor seat for 2020 which was postponed, and eventually refunded. Don’t know yet if I will go in 2022.

I banged away at this about a month ago. They are totally absurd.

$300 for D&C. No thanks. Ain’t no dude named Garcia in the lineup. It’s a total joke, but people pay it.

Oro - I have seen Phil and his band a number of times at the Cap. It didn’t matter who was in lineup, he always put on a good show. You will have a blast.

Very tough loss for the Isles last night. You don’t give up a shorthanded goal the entire season and that’s how you lose game seven of the conference finals. Brutal.

Mike - my apologies in advance. Before the Stanley Cup playoffs started I pledged my allegiance to Canadaland, hoping for one of the four teams to win. The last team I ever expected to be there was the Habs. But, I got a back them. Look at it this way. Every team I have backed so far has been eliminated.

Hoping for a good series.

....the Monopoly board version of this started with the first Eagles reunion tour. Promoter inflated the prices thinking "people will pay". And they did. Every other promoter followed suit, and here we are.

Concert tickets. No more $150 to sit in the 2nd and 3rd levels. 1st level arena seats in today's inflation shouldn't be more than $99.

Movie tickets. I'm single so $15 a ticket doesn't sound bad, but take a date and she's going to want milk duds and popcorn and it's more like $40. A family of 5? What a joke, you're looking at $100 outing.

Sports tickets. Avg NBA salary 8 to 10 million (I looked at a couple sources). Avg baseball salary 4 million. No way I'm feeding that machine.

Cable / Internet / Phone

Inflation everywhere.

All out of control. Literally out of control. I stopped feeding the machine a few years ago, as much as possible. Athletes, musicians, celebrities, television personalities in general. And then they get up on their soap boxes and start preaching their politics. Bunch of overpaid bafoons. Boycott all of it I say. The cable bill is the one thing I'm having trouble getting rid of, but as soon as I can, the $200 a month for internet and four or five channels I actually watch is going bye bye. And who uses the landline anymore? But they don't even really charge you for it anyway they just add it on as a service so it sounds like you're getting more, but you really don't save anything by saying no I don't want the landline. I have to buy a bundle of TV packages with channels I don't want.

They're sheering us for the long con, and we're bleating all the way.

grinder and paying to support a corrupt system, use that money for party favors and listen to music in your home or car or somewhere.

I cant think of any artists id like to go see anyway. Thats just me being grumpy grumpkins.

And hendrixappreciationman, you are correct about chatterers and cells and I WAS THERE WHOZ GOT A BEER OR SOME WEED....

on the tube, TTB has a great show form 2018-02-02 from the capitol theater. Definitely worth a watch. Then there are segments of earlier this year, their fireside (?) series.

Possibly heading to a wedding in St Helena in August. Was supposed to be last year, with a “vacation” attached, something not experienced since 2012.
We’re not too comfortable traveling yet, but feel we have to go. My line is if we’re driving all the way out there etc, we have to find a safe way to do something, besides just go to the wedding and back.
So my question to all you NoCal folks out there is, where can we stay near there (“there’s” expensive and all ready sold out), some place that in turn would be a good home base for some day trips?
And, what would be some good day trips, stuff we could do mostly outside and avoid crowds etc.
like we already know Muir Woods will be packed so will avoid...

Originally wanted to finally get to Anchor Brewing,, Phil’s Place, as well as other, normal, Bay Area tourist stops.
I’ve been, but Lovey hasn’t so was hopping we could make a big trip outta it, but that was last year....
Sorry, way off topic but figure who better to ask!
Shanks!

It is indeed a shame that concert tickets have gone up in price. I think I paid $5 the first time I saw the Stones in the early '70s. The last time they toured, a friend (?) offered to sell me an extra ticket he'd bought for the face value of $225. To sit in the upper level at Dodger Stadium. No, thank you.

Red Rocks might be kind of special case, considering how many people are willing to travel there to see shows. I was thinking of doing just that to see TTB this summer, but tickets have been scarce, and expensive on the "secondary market" (ie, legalized scalping services). Part of what's going on is that TTB had to cancel there last year, and they're trying to honor those tickets, so there just aren't that many to go around. But TTB has a whole tour in progress, so there will be plenty of other opportunities to check them out, but sadly for me, it's all in the eastern parts of these United States. C'mon, Derek, whaddya got against us TTB heads on the West Coast, maaaan?

Anyway, Deadheads should definitely check out the TTB is some way shape or form. I kind of see them as a continuation of the ABB legacy, kind of drawing on the same soul and blues sources with a little country and jazz thrown in. Like the ABB, their jamming is not as wide open as the GOGD, but it's almost always very dynamic and esciting. Derek Trucks is the best guitarist alive (yeah, I said it), the double drummer rhythm sections is always smokin', Susan is a fantastic vocalist, what's not to like? If you need a place to start, I would recommend their Live from the Fox Oakland album, which is a great concert in great sound (and video!). Added bonus: if you closely, you might catch a glimpse of a tall geeky white dude wearing an Eat a Peach t-shirt standing about 30 ft in front of Derek during his spectacular solo on "Keep on Growing."

I hear ya HF. Take it your not going to D&C at Fiddlers?
Another new ticket buying annoyance, you have to buy them so far in advance!

I skipped D&C, not sure I’d be ready for crowds yet, especially the kind sure to be there you described.
Remember Folsom the first year was half empty, but 2020 I believe they sold it out!
Saw exactly what you speak of get worse from year to year as the crowds grew...
Also, Denver in October...could be awesome, or not so much...would they still have a show after a foot of snow?
Biggest reason not going, no peeps. None of the gang is going and they live far enough away that it’d be a hassle for someone to drive, but don’t want to hotel etc. Plus, we usually stop risking the White Ribbon of Death from then until spring unless we have to.
Nope, couldn’t see spending that much cash for something five months away, that chances are fair I wouldn’t end up going...
Bummed I missed the Wolfs at Vail recently, but too soon and betting that crowd would of been the “I’m at one of the first show” bunch, rather than heads...
But!,
Did score Phil tix for Vail in September, so hopefully that works out. Figure if I change my mind I could sell em easy enough. Ahem, Wish I knew what the lineup was though...