Tom Petty is a hypocrite

[BlueChair]

I should preface this by saying that I have spent well over $100 for a concert ticket before. It's not something I enjoy doing, but for certain people, like Paul McCartney or Elvis, I will do it if I have to.

With that said, I am shocked at the hypocrisy demonstrated by Tom Petty over the past six years. In 2002, around the time of The Last DJ, Tom was featured in a column for Rolling Stone magazine entitled "Tom Petty Is Pissed." It included the following excerpt:

Only a complete greedhead would charge $150 for a concert ticket
"My top price is about sixty-five dollars, and I turn a very healthy profit on that; I make millions on the road. I see no reason to bring the price up, even though I have heard many an anxious promoter say, 'We could charge 150 bucks for this.' I would like to do this again and maybe come through and not leave a bad taste in people's mouths. I was at one of our gigs recently, and I was just stunned driving in that it cost thirty dollars to park your car. It's so wrong to say, 'OK, we've got them on the ticket and we've got them on the beer and we've got on everything else, let's get them on the damn parking.' You got to care about the person you're dealing with."

The album, meanwhile, featured the song "Money Becomes King," which dealt with the same subject matter, featuring lines such as "And they raised the cost of living / And how could we have known / They'd double the price of tickets / To go see johnny's show / So we hocked all our possesions / And we sold a little dope / And went off to rock and roll."

Fast-forward to 2008. In the aftermath of their lacklustre half-time show at the Super Bowl, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are charging $115.50 for anything remotely close to the stage. I was considering paying $75 for "cheap seats," but considering how far away such cheap seats were, I decided not to support one of my favourite artists on his upcoming tour.

This article says it better than I could:
http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/200 ... -king.html

[oily slick]

well it is a problem. something has happened. he was gonna quit, now he has turned it all over to somebody and decided to crash the cash registers big one final time or something. i've seen tom at least once in every decade since the 70's; his shows are straight rock and roll now and that's all they'll be. he is 57 and been rode hard and that is what you're gonna get. really has always been a lot of mid-tempo stuff and he hasn't ran around or laid on the his back on the stage and kicked his feet and played since the 80's. the good tickets are $99, but if you wanted a shot at decent seats you had to join the fanclub and pay another 40 bucks. you coulda got down front, but down front for a pair after the ticketbastard fees would have run you $280. and 3 rounds of presales for fan club/venue/radio. for tom petty, jeez. it is disappointing. what, he wouldn't let hard promises or whatever it was come out years ago cause they wanted to charge a buck more for it in the stores. i still may have to go and sit in the back on the lawn for 29 bucks.

[wardo68]

It's nothing new. Back when Hard Promises was about to come about, he made a big stink forcing his record company to release it at an $8.98 list price instead of the $9.98 list price in place for "superstars". Of course, ten years later when Into The Great Wide Open came out, he had no problem with it being sold at $10.98.

[bambooneedle]

the good tickets are $99, but if you wanted a shot at decent seats you had to join the fanclub and pay another 40 bucks. you coulda got down front, but down front for a pair after the ticketbastard fees would have run you $280. and 3 rounds of presales for fan club/venue/radio. for tom petty, jeez. it is disappointing.

Sounds like it is time to move aside and make room for the suckers.

Hope this doesn't happen if the E Street Band announces a tour this way.

I heard about Vevet Revolver ripping off kids pretty badly last year. Personally I think the band sucks, but if you join their fanclub ($US50/yr), you can buy meet and greet packages they have on their tour. Doesn't even include a concert ticket! A great deal of their fans are just starstruck teenagers who are happy to fork over their parent's dough. From their site:

"Velvet Revolver Meet and Greet Upgrade Package (GBP-125)

If you already have your concert ticket and would to purchase one of the band's meet and greet packages, this offer is for you! Fans will be given a official VIP laminate and escorted backstage to meet members of Velvet Revolver. Fans will receive a personal photograph with the band, an exclusive 8X10, a set of VR guitar picks and autograph session. *Please note: This package does not include a ticket to the concert. You must have a ticket to show to attend the meet and greet. Fans will be contacted prior to the show date with meet and greet instructions. Laminates and guitar picks will be distributed the night of the show. 8X10 photo will be personally signed by the band during the meet and greet session. Personal photograph with the band will be emailed after the tour has concluded. The meet and greet will begin before show time. Limited time offer. "

[johnfoyle]

I just watched this and , yes, it did all sound a bit too perfect. As for the crowd running to the stage and the 'jiggle' shots (especially during "Runnin' Down a Dream") of the cuties in the crowd - it had to be the corniest piece of tv I've seen in a while.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 31d76.html

SUPER BOWL HALFTIME REVIEW:

Tom and the Heartbreakers sound a bit too perfect

12:00 AM CST on Monday, February 4, 2008

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com

Tom Petty bills himself as an old-fashioned rock 'n' roller who takes a stand against all the jive and corny aspects of show biz.

But Sunday, he backed down in his Super Bowl halftime show. It seems the rocker was lip-syncing.The 57-year-old singer wouldn't be the first – or the last – musician to lip-sync at the Super Bowl. Playing a noisy football stadium on live TV is such an acoustical nightmare that most acts decide to tape their 12-minute set the week before and "sing" into a dead microphone during the show. The only thing live is the between-song "Thank you!"

Janet Jackson was obviously lip-syncing in 2004, and Paul McCartney appeared to be doing the same in 2005. But Prince and the Rolling Stones reversed the trend at the last two Super Bowls, with live sets that were raw but still spectacular.

Mr. Petty and the Heartbreakers lacked that element of danger in their by-the-book rendition of "American Girl," "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin' " and "Runnin' Down a Dream."

All the tell-tale signs of lip-syncing were there: The vocals sounded too pristine, Mr. Petty's lungs didn't seem to be expanding far enough, and every time he sang, his mouth was strategically hidden behind a big spongy microphone.

Perhaps the real giveaway came during his "ad-libbed" aside in "Free Fallin' ": He backed away from the mike a split-second before his voice trailed off.

The apparent lip-syncing wasn't the only brand of cheese on the buffet. Like most half-time shows, this one began with shots of manic fans sprinting toward the stage à la A Hard Day's Night. During "I Won't Back Down," the camera zoomed in on a bunch of teen girls excitedly jumping up and down.

The last time those things happened to Mr. Petty when cameras weren't on was in 1979.

Still, you can't fault him for taking the gig. In an age when bands like his are banished to the classic-rock ghetto, it's hard to pass up 100 million viewers – especially when you've got a new tour to promote.

Not so coincidentally, tickets for Mr. Petty's 36-city U.S. trek, including a Dallas stop on Aug. 28 at American Airlines Center, go on sale Monday: The same guy who sang "I was born a rebel" was also born a pretty smart businessman.

[bambooneedle]

There's always this:


Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down A Dream (3 DVD's and CD Set)

This 4 disc box set features the following:

2 DVD's of the epic four hour film capturing 30 years of rock and roll history by famed director Peter Bogdanovich (Director's Cut) - This movie contains hours of never before seen footage and interviews with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers plus music from the storied rock band's entire career. The movie features interviews with George Harrison, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl, Jeff Lynne, Rick Rubin, Johnny Depp, Jackson Browne and more.

1 DVD of the celebrated 30th Anniversary Concert in Heartbreaker hometown, Gainesville Florida

1 Soundtrack CD featuring rare and unreleased tracks

Tracklisting:

DVD Disc 1: Runnin' Down a Dream:
1. Gainesville 2006
2. Elvis
3. What's In A Name
4. Mike
5. Benmont
6. B.Y.O.F (Build Your Own Festival)
7. Fast Forward
8. Deals
9. A Broken Bond
10. Ron and Stan
11. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
12. Third
13. Fuel
14. Howie
15. Poet

DVD Disc 2: Runnin' Down a Dream:
1. Bob Dylan
2. Strange Coincidences
3. Scott
4. The Bottom Line
5. Steve
6. John
7. Round Trip
8. Rock and Roll Heaven
9. Runnin' Down a Dream (End credits)
10. One

DVD Disc 3: 30th Anniversary Concert:
1. Listen To Her Heart
2. Mary Jane's Last Dance
3. I Won't Back Down
4. Free Fallin'
5. Saving Grace
6. I'm A Man
7. Oh Well
8. Handle With Care
9. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (with Stevie Nicks)
10. I Need To Know (with Stevie Nicks)
11. It's Good To Be King
12. Down South
13. Southern Accents
14. Insider (with Stevie Nicks)
15. Learning To Fly
16. Don't Come Around Here No More
17. Runnin' Down A Dream
18. You Wreck Me
19. Mystic Eyes
20. American Girl

CD Disc 4: Bonus Soundtrack CD:
1. Breakdown
2. Anything That's Rock and Roll
3. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
4. American Girl
5. Shadow of A Doubt (A Complex Kid)
6. Stories We Could Tell
7. Keeping Me Alive
8. Honey Bee
9. Lost Highway