MADONNA/REBEL HEART and More- Page 7

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 10:46am

All I know is, the non-profit I was working at during the American Life tour was offered as many comp tickets as it could take to the second night's show. There simply are not enough people who can spend 400 bucks or more for a seat. I know the only thing we're told is how much the whole tour makes, but I would love to see "average ticket prices" or a "number of deep discounts from list price" for these shows and other artists, like U2.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 10:50am

That would be interesting, as well.

But doesn't the actual number of what the entire tour makes mean that she's still doing something right? To be fair, a show like WICKED isn't at 100% capacity every week anymore, but it's still one of the #1 shows on Broadway and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I don't think that an oversized stadium that has some empty seats is an indication that her shows don't sell anymore.

Does that make sense? I'm still tired.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 11:01am

Yes, it does make sense. Especially since NOBODY really sells albums anymore. But if you look at the number of dates she has done on her tours, it always increases. It's as if being able to make big financial statements is the most important goal of all.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 11:07am

But I take that increase in dates to mean there's still a high demand to see her. And maybe her goal is to make as much money as possible. But lucky for her, she has enough people willing to give it to her, to make that increase possible.

All I know is that I hope I can see this tour because I really do love the music she's representing with it and have never felt disappointed with her show (except the abrupt ending to STICKY AND SWEET that had the audience wondering what the hell was going on). I mean, this is all such a matter of personal preference it seems a bit weird to talk about.

Posted: 3/4/15 at 12:14pm

for sure that dates will be added to this itinerary as well....

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 1:41pm

Namo you just contradicted yourself as Jordan pointed out. If she keeps interesting dates its because demand is there, so clearly people are willing to pay for her and want to watch her. Compared to other big touring artists as well she plays way less then others.

'And no, I am not saying the tour will flop. I just wish there was a transparent way to understand HOW those overly expensive seats will actually be filled with this unsustainable pricing scheme.'

This is pretty much prices the same as her last tour, i paid £170 for my ticket to MDNA, this one is £10 more (if i was going for the same seats). It's not like this is a shock. Lady Gaga cost £150 for similar tickets, she had 3 albums out, i think Madonna in comparison price wise is fine. Yes we would all love them to be cheaper (god i remember paying £39 for my ticket to the Girlie Show) but it aint gonna happen, she also does not set the ticket prices, that will be down to Live Nation and what they think they can get people to pay.

Also yes i think the Rebel Heart album is a return to form but that does not mean i do't like MDNA, you can say it over and over again my opinion won't change. Was it groundbreaking? no, it was a good dance album, that at the time is what i was wanting from her, she delivered that. This time i was wanting her to step away from that and do something a little different, get the songwriter in her back, she has delivered that. Stop trying to get me to change my mind about what i like and don't like.

The whole odd thing you have just gone on about with ticket prices, increasing dates yet no demand etc shows that you just talk for the sake of talking, you bitch for the sake of bitching. If that makes you happy i guess then who am i to deny that, go for your life, knock yourself out

Updated On: 3/4/15 at 01:41 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 2:12pm

Songanddanceman2, Do you really believe that Madonna, or any other like artist, does not have a part in setting ticket prices? I'm not saying she has 100% say so, but she definitely has major input. Look at the recent ultra successful Garth Brooks tour. Every single seat was $60, from front row to nosebleed. Garth was the one who set the prices for that tour, for affordability and to keep scalping down. (Which only worked for the floor, by providing proof of purchase). He or the promoter could have made millions more in higher prices, but Garth chose the lower price.

Updated On: 3/4/15 at 02:12 PM

Posted: 3/4/15 at 2:38pm

There's a great documentary; Who the F#!k is Arthur Fogel. I think it's still on Netflix.
Which is the mastermind behind these juggernaut tours. it gives you a better understanding behind madonna/U2 and the Gaga/Rolling Stone shows. The artist definitely has a say- but there is a huge team that also stealing lots of your hard earned cash.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 3:31pm

Okay, so I went back and started over listening to the album (because I couldn't remember that much from the first attempt) and got through the first nine tracks.

1. Living for Love: Fun and shows more effort than anything on MDNA
2. Devil Pray: Here we go with the tired religious schtick again. Unfortunately, a cursory glance at the track names tells me she's retreading the subject for more mileage. Song is kind of a mess, but could be decent with new lyrics.
3. Ghosttown: Best track I've heard yet and her best song in the last 15 years. Should be pushing this hard as a single.
4. Unapologetic Bitch: Definitely aimed at her gay fans and I can see them twitching to this on the dance floor. Only problem is, her cutesy voice doing the bratty immature thing brings to light the whole aging issue and sounds rather embarrassing. It would have been a hot song back in the late 80s during the height of the "attitude" era or sung today by say, Miley Cyrus. Picturing Madonna singing this herself today makes me wince.
5. Illuminati: Awful. Delete.
6. Bitch I'm Madonna: A sledgehammer to remind me everything I hate about Madonna and really taints the album. Another sassy immature ego track tailored for her unconditional fans. I think this sours the album even more than Gang Bang did for MDNA. Narcissistic schlock. Delete.
7. Hold Tight: Not bad.
8. Joan of Arc: Like Devil Pray, could be a decent ballad with all new lyrics. After the first 16 bars, the melody is great. But the lyrics are just fishing for too much sympathy. And this after Bitch, I'm Madonna? Seriously?!?!
9. Iconic: Eye-rollingly bad. Annoying and stupid. Probably should have been on the MDNA album. Delete.

At least this album paid more attention to mixing and production (though in some cases like Iconic, to excess). But why do the lyrics have to be so cringe-worthy most of the time? And are people still that impressed with her immature bitchiness?

I am curious to know what her "return to form" means. Which form? Mixing dance tracks with ballads?

Updated On: 3/4/15 at 03:31 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 5:07pm

Mister Matt, not sure if you said. Did you get the regular edition or the deluxe version? I normally don't purchase deluxe and was wondering if it was worth it. Not talking about super deluxe. I just looked on Amazon. I didn't even see a non-deluxe version.

Updated On: 3/4/15 at 05:07 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 5:51pm

I agree I wish things could be more transparent. It tonnes of freebie tickets are given out, then why should I pay top dollar? Why is something apparently sold out, but tonnes of "re-sale", "fan-to-fan transactions" are available?

I just hope I can scrape together the money while face-value tickets are still available.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 5:56pm

Could not disagree more with you about Devil Pray and Joan of Arc. In fact I would say both of them stand head and shoulders above Ghosttown (which I like) but it's a very obvious commercial hit aimed at the mainstream. Both of those songs I see as a return to form for her (that seems to also be the popular opinion). It's funny though that the 2 songs mentioned obove and Iconic are the songs that seem to be getting the most praise (along with Ghosttown). I agree on Bitch I'm Madonna (awful song) though I get don't know what that has to do with the lyrics on Joan, I'm pretty sure even she gets down about things and that song plays that emotion perfectly. Will have to see what you think of the full album when it's released since the deluxe one has 25 tracks.

Updated On: 3/4/15 at 05:56 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/4/15 at 8:07pm

Worked from home and was there when the new Rolling Stone with the Madonna cover was delivered. #feelingblessed #askmeanything

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 6:19am

Well done Namo at avoiding all remarks regarding you contradicting yourself. Enjoy Rolling Stone.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 11:06am

We both put a lot of things out there about this topic and it's not like either of us addresses everything the other writes. But which things am I contradicting myself about?

I still would love to see HOW those seats get occupied. Because those prices are not sustainable for any artist and there's got to be a lot of smoke and mirrors going on, which is the very essence of showbiz.

Posted: 3/5/15 at 1:33pm

great photo art for joan of Arc

Deluxe album has cool shots

http://www.madonnarama.com/posts-en/2015/03/05/first-look-at-madonnas-new-album-rebel-heart/
Album artwork

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 1:51pm

'Yes, it does make sense. Especially since NOBODY really sells albums anymore. But if you look at the number of dates she has done on her tours, it always increases. It's as if being able to make big financial statements is the most important goal of all.'

But as someone you think is giving comps away (like you said with the Reinvention tour) or gonna struggle to sell then why would she add on more dates? The financial reports for each show as well as capacity is well documented via Billboard, just like Broadway its very easy to see how well a show is doing

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 2:02pm

Does it account for comps? Does it show avg ticket prices?

I have no doubt these megacorporate tours are hugely profitable. I also believe this is not a sustainable business model. U2 is playing four nights in Boston. The two gigs that are weekend are essentially sold out, but with tons of "resale" tickets available for just ridiculously insane amounts of money. There are scads and scads of the same seats available on the Tuesday and Wednesday shows at the already inflated regularly prices and I have no doubt that when the tour rolls around there will be bodies in all those available seats. I do not believe they will all be bought for any of the listed prices.

And, believe me, if the agency I was working at that got offered as many free tickets to American Life (the night after the show I had paid my hard earned money for), I doubt it was the only agency or the only time on the tour.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 3:50pm

Could not disagree more with you about Devil Pray and Joan of Arc. In fact I would say both of them stand head and shoulders above Ghosttown (which I like) but it's a very obvious commercial hit aimed at the mainstream. Both of those songs I see as a return to form for her (that seems to also be the popular opinion).

I'd say Joan of Arc is more commercial and aimed at the mainstream than Ghosttown. Still don't know what Madonna's "return to form" means. I mean, you've also said Confessions and MDNA were her return to form as well.

Don't know why anyone would praise Iconic. It's one of the more annoying and ridiculous tracks on the album (I did finish listening to it last night). When she switches from "iconic" to "ironic", it's so cheesy and eye-rolling. The sort of thing a 14 year-old might find OMG so clever because he's in high school now and picks up on these "subtleties" in Madonna's music. Meh.

I will say that there was one track (only one) that truly impressed me...Body Shop. THIS is what I would expect from a new Madonna album. Something fresh and fun that actually sounds current. It's the only song that really grabbed my attention and made me smile and want to hear it again, even hope for more of the same. The sort of spontaneity that was almost synonymous with Madonna through the mid-90s. The majority tracks of the album are mediocre-to-poor retreads (returns to form?) of her forgotten tracks (aka non-whatever-chart-topping multi-platinum hits) dating back to Erotica. And there are a handful of potentially good songs bogged down by very similar awkward verses. I swear there about 4-5 songs I kept thinking, "Didn't I hear this one already?" Then there are the WTFs and the truly heinous. I didn't know if she could get worse than Gang Bang, but she managed it with S.E.X. God, that was pathetic.

Updated On: 3/5/15 at 03:50 PM

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 4:55pm

I saw Madonna in the 80s on the "Who's That Girl" tour and again in the 90's for "Blonde Ambition", they announced yesterday the tour dates and ticket prices range from $40.00 to $355.00. My partner has never seen her, so I think I'm going to need to rob some banks to see her this time around...

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 5:40pm

The all-seated thing sucks too.

I paid about $120 to see her in Dublin back in 2012, standing pitchside up close and personal with Madonna herself and the excited crowd. Good times.

I'm probably looking to see her in Chicago this time, and there doesn't appear to be many face-value seats left...but then on her website it says tickets only go on sale to the public March 9th...does something happen then?

Forgive my ignorance.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 5:57pm

I don't think i ever said MDNA was a return to form Matt, please don't put words in my mouth. I liked the album, i was a fan of the album because at the time i wanted a dance album, she delivered that. Also lets be honest Confessions is held up as one of her best albums (i enjoy it a lot but its not one of my faves).

Th return to form is just my opinion and what a lot of the press seem to be saying, if you do't think so love that's fine, it's your opinion (i do agree with you that Body Shop is fantastic). GhostTown is far more commercial than Joan of Arc, i really like Ghosttown a lot but it could be sung by many female singers, the bombastic euphoric like chorus, the drop out before the chorus etc, its aimed at the mass market. I think Joan of Arc feels much more hers.

As i said what's interesting is some critics love Bitch i'm Madonna, Iconic, Hold Tight and hate Body Shop, Joan of Arc, Wash All Over Me etc, some are they other way around, it's just opinion (though all seem to hate S.E.X)

Jay i think pre sales for Icon members etc went on sale already but to the general public it's from the 9th.

Namo
'I have no doubt these megacorporate tours are hugely profitable. I also believe this is not a sustainable business model. U2 is playing four nights in Boston. The two gigs that are weekend are essentially sold out, but with tons of "resale" tickets available for just ridiculously insane amounts of money. There are scads and scads of the same seats available on the Tuesday and Wednesday shows at the already inflated regularly prices and I have no doubt that when the tour rolls around there will be bodies in all those available seats. I do not believe they will all be bought for any of the listed prices.'

It comes down to basic math, especially with the arena shows (its harder to tell in something like Hyde Park because the capacity fluctuates greatly), but once her tour amount per venue is announced plus the amount of seats sold it's not that hard to work out (at least to an average). I'm sure comp tickets are offered, hell i offer comps out on my plays even when we are sold out, especially to industry. I am also sure some venues don't sell as well as others, that's just part of touring. But if she is earning over 300 million on a tour of only 80 dates then clearly the demand is still very much there.

Updated On: 3/5/15 at 05:57 PM

Posted: 3/5/15 at 6:04pm

Billboard Review:

http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6487805/album-review-madonna-rebel-heart


REBEL HEART REVIEW: Billboard magazine

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/5/15 at 6:09pm

I don't think i ever said MDNA was a return to form Matt, please don't put words in my mouth.
Uh...Yes, you did.

Posted: 3/5/15 at 6:10pm

US Magazine

3.5 out of 4

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/madonna-rebel-heart-album-review-a-regal-star-studded-set-201543
US Magazine Review- Rebel Heart