Catch these concerts
Lots of classic rock, plenty of country and at least two blockbusters tours are on the summer touring landscape announced so far from venues in Greater Cincinnati. It is still early to completely predict the summer's highlights since the tri-state's two outdoor venues, Riverbend Music Center and Fraze Pavilion in Kettering have announced perhaps less than half of their summer lineup. U.S. Bank Arena has checked in with two major tours (Pearl Jam and Faith Hill/Tim McGraw) with the possibility of more.
Area venues are still waiting to hear if some of this summer's mega-tours will make it to the tri-state. Last year the market was passed over by the "big three": U2, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Getting the most buzz this summer will be tours from Madonna, The Who, Prince, Radiohead, Mariah Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eric Clapton. None are yet booked here.
One huge tour announced Monday is from Bruce Springsteen, as the quintessential arena rocker is for the first time playing at outdoor amphitheaters for his current project saluting the folk music spirit of Pete Seeger. Springsteen's schedule, announced through June, includes an Indianapolis gig at the Verizon Amphitheater, Cleveland's Blossom Music Center and Columbus' Germaine Amphitheater, but not Riverbend.
Overall, the touring industry is facing an ominous trend from last year: Ticket prices are up, but attendance is down, indicating promoters and bands have to rely on an increasingly smaller and well-off segment that can afford to go to several shows a summer. Actually last year's average ticket prices may have been inflated by the presence of the Stones, McCartney and U2, all charging hefty amounts.
When it comes to Riverbend and similar venues, prices have actually been fairly stable the last several years, generally in the $50-$75 top-end range to see a quality bill. (Jimmy Buffett is this year's big exception, rewarding the years of Parrothead loyalty by charging his fans $116 as a top ticket price. Riverbend still sold out in minutes.) (The Cincinnati Post)
|
