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Re: Black Dyke in Canada

I am also a victim of living on the wrong side of the Atlantic and not being
able to hear many live brass band performances, but I agree that $60 is a
little steep.  Even $40 for what one would assume to be the worst seats in
the house is not cheap at all.  This is certainly going to temper a lot of
people's enthusiasm about going to hear Dyke.  Yes, even Dyke.  They're
great, and of course it'll be a great concert but I question how much of the
tour needs to be financed through the ticket.  Call me a heretic, but like
Craig L. pointed out, if SA and other bands can travel overseas and put on a
concert for a GREATLY reduced price, there is no reason why a band like
Black Dyke, with an operating budget higher I'm sure than any SA band, can't
do similarly.

I also think it's a little unfair too to say that because Craig R. and
others are students that they have money to burn.  I remember not too long
ago being a student and being completely unfamiliar with any denomination
higher than a $10 bill.  Just because they are a top band it shouldn't mean
that they can forget that it will be the public, yes even the students, who
will be buying the tickets.  I would think that Black Dyke's main reasons
for coming to Canada would be to increase their audience base by getting
more people to hear Black Dyke for the first time.  Putting ticket prices
out of the reach of all but the more affluent and the most die-hard follower
of Black Dyke will certainly not help them if this is in fact their goal.

It's not about the quality of the music being worth the higher price,
either.  I'm not going to debate how much pleasure Hannaford, Intrada or
Black Dyke give me per dollar spent.  Does Black Dyke deserve to charge
more?  Sure, they are a top band and they are coming a long way, but I think
a lot of people won't be coming simply because it's too expensive,
especially if you add on incidentals like travelling to hear them (not
everyone lives in Toronto), parking and any purchases at the concert.
You're probably at $100 by now.  Hope you're going alone or the price almost
doubles.

As for losing the chance of hearing them, well, I know I will not be hearing
them unless they stop in Winnipeg but I still think I'll be able to sleep at
night despite the loss.  Besides, as Craig L pointed out  (is everyone on
this list named Craig?!?), I can get a couple of their CDs and have my own
command performance as often as I like.  Even if I went to the concert, I'd
still be out at least another $40 for their latest recordings.

Which makes me wonder what their CD prices will be like.  Usually with Army
band tours the CDs are the main source of income for the band to pay for the
tour.  Perhaps with the higher ticket prices covering the cost of the tour,
the CDs will be much more reasonably priced?  I'd hate to have spent all
that money to get in the door to find their recordings are $25 a disc.  (But
that's another thread...)

Erik Pittock
e.pittock@xxxxxxxx


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