Celine Dion

[Richard]

Hello Paddy!

I know the easiest way to save money at a Celine Dion concert. Don't go!

I'm sorry to be negative, but I refuse to support artists who price themselves out of the market for ordinary people. I won't even buy their albums.

Richard

[comet]

Hi Paddy,
Those ticket prices are horrific !

When we were younger and poorer we used to sit around on the wall at the Canal End of Croke Park and you could hear the concerts quite clearly,
I heard Neil Diamond in this manner, Neil Diamond refers to these people as "Tree People " in the Hot August night concert he even greets them !.
Since the rebuild and the clamp down on noise levels you can hardly hear a sound as we found out at the last U2 concert,
we walked around all the side streets around the stadium in the hope of finding a spot where the sound was good but to no avail.
Sometimes if there is heavy cloud cover you can hear some of these concerts for miles, we were able to hear Billy Joel and identify the songs he was singing from about three miles away at his last concert in the RDS Dublin.

I also heard and SAW Paul McCartney recently at the RDS.
A screen was visible to those of us who were on a wall at the river Dodder bank and the sound was quite good and clear as well

[Paddy]

Hi Richard,


I admire your firm principles but sometimes the heart needs to rule the head,

especially if (like me) one grew up during the hippy era!


Celine has long been my all time favourite singer.

So, I have to be there - hopefully at more reasonable cost.

Otherwise, it's up a tree or on a wall, hopefully with Comet's moral support!


I've discovered that tickets, when they are (officially) on sale,

will probably cost €75, €100, €125 and €150 (£50 - £100).

Not too bad, if it's true?


Since I was happy/silly enough to pay €59.50 (tickets all one price)

to see Nana Mouskouri in the NCH on 22nd October (for my third time) ,

I think I'll stretch the budget to see Celine for my first time.


'Let it all hang out, man!' might be the right motto - this time?

All donations gratefully accepted!


Regards,

Paddy

[Paddy]

Hi Comet,


Those horrific prices were not official prices. They came from a ticket touting business, capitalising on the likely scarcity of tickets!

Since posting, I've discovered that tickets, when they are (officially) on sale, will probably cost €75, €100, €125 and €150 (£50 - £100).
Not too bad, if it's true?

I kinda knew you'd have some Croke Park adventures to relate,
when I mentioned ladders in the earlier post.
Maybe the solution is to buy/rent/borrow one of those nearby apartments!

Now that you're still younger and richer - and great at bidding - why not?
Could make a mint during concerts.

If we don't manage tickets, let's hope the clouds ('moonshadows') follow us.
Shouldn't be too difficult - even in Ireland!


See you there, Comet,
and Richard, would be welcome too

Paddy

[Paddy]

Hi Richard again,


RE saving money:


Just thought of what an old guy, who was insisting on buying me a whiskey,

said to me over 30 years ago (funny serious):

"There are no pockets in the habit."

(A 'habit' is a garment worn by the dead)


There's wisdom there?


Regards,

Paddy

[nicola]

I don't think those ticket prices are too bad.

I have paid £60 to go the RAH, or to see the top West End Musicals. I admit that I never paid over £35 for an individual singer though. Josh Groban charged me £35. Sarah Brightman charged £25, whilst Katherine Jenkins and Hayley Westenra have never gone over £20 in my experience.

The cheapest I have spent on concert tickets is Emilie Autumn for £11.50.

The most expensive I have seen is £20,000 to see Keedie and Tina Turner, but then, that was a A-list charity celebrity event. Needless to say, I didn't go.

[Martin]

richnorri said:

Hello Paddy!

I know the easiest way to save money at a Celine Dion concert. Don't go!

I'm sorry to be negative, but I refuse to support artists who price themselves out of the market for ordinary people. I won't even buy their albums. ]

Richard

Hi Richard
I generally agree with you but there is always an exception to the rule. In my case it was Simon & Garfunkel who I saw three years ago in Hyde Park. I have been a great fan of theirs since the sixties and as this was likely to be the last time that they would ever tour together I thought it was worth paying the high ticket cost. And I was not disappointed as they were magnificent.

I wonder how much we Hayley fans would be prepared to see her in concert? There was a fairly recent instance last year at Savill Court where tickets were costing £80 - £175. The promoter only sold half the tickets and ended up advertising them on ebay!

Perhaps this could be a new thread entitled "How much would you be prepared to pay to see Hayley and why?"

Best wishes
Martin

[Paddy]

Hi!


The last post reminds me that the-powers-that-be in 'Croke Park' (Dublin)

indicated to me that they are unable to confirm the concert,

as their schedules for 2008 are not yet finalised,

but they advised me to 'keep an eye on' ongoing schedule posting on their website.


Of course there are other concerts already confirmed - including some in the UK!

Now where will Hayley be around the first week of May?


Maybe a new thread, "What would you NOT pay to see Celion Dion?", would also be appropriate!


Regards,

Paddy

[nicola]

I would pay no more than £60 for Hayley. Mainly because I have seen her live five times already and am used to her selling her tickets quite cheap, so I would be flabbergasted if she suddenly put up her ticket prices.

If I was well off, I'm pretty sure I'd throw principle to the winds and pay anything below £500 if I liked them enough.

I like Celine Dion, but I wouldn't pay to see her. I saw her live on TV once and it put me off. I don't know... I find her a bit sickly? I love her and her albums though.

I think I would pay a lot of money to see Enya for my Mum who is a big fan, for Enya never does live shows (probably because she incapable due to her music's production).

The best concert I have ever been to was the cheapest, and that was for Emilie Autumn (a violinist that mixes classical with gothic and industrial). Just over a tenner to see her, and there was only about 200 people there. What a night.

Only on Sunday I paid £30 to see Patrick Doyle's film music be performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Very cheap considering my friend and I had box to ourselves that was very close to the stage. Several A List actors/actresses came on the stage to introduce each song and perform some siloquies, such as Judi Dench, Alan Rickman (*faints*), Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Richard E. Grant, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane etc. I think it was a bargain! I would have gladly paid £200 for that event.

[Paddy]

Hi, Nicola,


You got yourself some great bargains, particularly the last one in the Royal Albert Hall!


Like yourself, I'd pay as much as I could afford to see a performer I loved,

especially if I'd admired him/her for many years.

The cheapest I've paid (in recent times) was €20 (around £14) to see Eivor Palsdottir.

The dearest I've paid recently was £75 for a charity show in the London Palladium.

Worth every penny, as I saw Nana Mouskouri, Val Doonican, John Williams, Frank Carson and many more.


'Can't understand what you mean by "a bit sickly" in relation to Celine Dion.

'Saw her on TV on Sunday and she looks great.

She sang a lovely song from her forth-coming album, 'Taking Chances'.

Her latest style of singing, I think, is even more impressive.


She's a 'must see' for me, whatever the cost!

What price enjoyment!


Paddy

[nicola]

By 'sickly' I mean her mannerisms. The way she expresses herself whilst she sings is really cheesy and sentimental. It doesn't come across well for me. She is an artist I have always bought albums of, but have never become a 'fan'. She only has two outstanding albums in my opinion and that's 'Let's Talk About Love' and 'A Decade if Song'. The last one I bought was 'One Heart' and it was a cheesy pop album mostly written by Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys song writers Max Martin and Rami. I haven't bought any more since.

I forgot to mention that the RAH gig was actually all for Leukemia research. Everyone was there for charity. Everyone was so lovely and friendly.

Oooh, John Williams! I hope to go to a concert of his. Although I have heard several of his pieces by a live orchestra.

[grant]

nicola said:

I would pay no more than £60 for Hayley. Mainly because I have seen her live five times already and am used to her selling her tickets quite cheap, so I would be flabbergasted if she suddenly put up her ticket prices.

Hi Nicola

Interesting point! I don't believe Hayley would wish her concert ticket prices to be inflated too much as I think she would feel that would be against what she wants from her audiences.

However, there have been some concerts recently where ticket prices have reached £30/£50 In both cases so far though, this gave preferential seating or additional incentive. In the case of Beverley Minster; front seats and exclusive access to Hayley after the concert.

Despite having seen Hayley almost 20 times, I was not put off by those prices for those particular concerts.

As for how much would I be prepared to pay, well, that's hypothetical for me and would depend on what I could afford and the person/event. I would love to be able to pay £1000 for a ticket to a charity concert and I would happily do so for Hayley IF I could afford to. Sadly I cannot.

As for Celine Dion. I absolutely loved the track she recorded for the movie 'Titanic' but not much else I'm afraid.

Best wishes
Grant

Edit:
Having given this a bit more thought, I frequently find it preferable to stay over after a concert to avoid a long drive home late at night. Taking Beverley as probably the most expensive; on top of a £50 concert ticket, my overnight stay cost another £50 and if I add on a meal and a glass of wine before the concert, then I spent about £110! Luckily, having worked for British Rail, I travel free on trains. Anyone else would probably have to add travel costs.

Oh! and just in case anyone's inclined to ask, No! I don't begrudge a penny of it!

[Paddy]

nicola said:

By 'sickly' I mean her mannerisms. The way she expresses herself whilst she sings is really cheesy and sentimental. It doesn't come across well for me. She is an artist I have always bought albums of, but have never become a 'fan'. She only has two outstanding albums in my opinion and that's 'Let's Talk About Love' and 'A Decade if Song'. The last one I bought was 'One Heart' and it was a cheesy pop album mostly written by Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys song writers Max Martin and Rami. I haven't bought any more since.

Oooh, John Williams! I hope to go to a concert of his. Although I have heard several of his pieces by a live orchestra.

Hi again, Nicola,


I love cheese - of all kinds, except the greeny, mouldy stuff.

So, I still don't really understand your 'cheesy', as applied to Celine.

I'd probably disagree anyway but no matter.

'Sentimental', yes, perhaps in some songs on 'One Heart' (not one of her best albums).


Whatever about her presentation, what I like about Celine is the variety of her repetoire

and her ability to vary her singing 'styles' and match singing to song. Sometimes,

I must admit, she becomes a bit too 'loud' for me.


I agree with you that 'Let's Talk About Love' and 'All the Way - A Decade of Song' are "outstanding albums".

I'd also include 'A New day Has Come', 'The Colour of My love' and 'Falling into You' among my favourites.

I like her Christmas album, 'These Are Special Times', especially at this time of year.

I really enjoy listening to some of her early (mostly French) recordings,

many of them on 'The Collection 1982 - 1988' (including her Eurovision winner).


I expect you have quite different views .....

Anyway, we agree on one thing: John Williams is fantastic.

And Méav and Enya too.



I'm really looking forward to 'Taking Chances' in a few weeks time.

And a concert nearby would be a special New Year bonus!


Happy Listening!

Paddy

[Paddy]

Celine Dion on TV3 (Ireland) now!


Paddy

[Paddy]

Just when I needed cheering up, "A New Day" has come!

Lovely flowers arrived this morning ........

AND (Sorry, Richard! ) .......

I managed to get 2 good tickets for Celine in Croke Park on 30th May!


Hi again - to anyone who might have missed me online.

'Should have been with Air France to Athens on Tuesday

but had to stay with the nice nurses instead .


Have I missed any other great news on site?


Regards,

Paddy