Who do you think you are?
Growing up in the 70s-80s we didn’t know it but our mom was psychic. When we were playing outside all day in the summer and would run in the house before the streetlights came on asking for something to eat or drink we were answered with- “Who do you think you are? The Madonna?” That was a drastically different time- parents were more lax, a little meaner and even needed daily reminders that would come on the TV every evening “It’s 10PM. Do you know where your children are?”
It was a time where you needed to wait to hear your favorite song on the radio, concert tickets (real paper tickets) were $10 and our parents were convinced the devil was talking to us through rock and roll (mostly backwards and muffled). Those $10 concert tickets would get you into the show, didn’t always include an assigned seat (1st come) and the artists never started on time. In fact, late starts were cool and part of the theater of a live concert.
Fast forward to the 2020’s and lots has changed- parents track their kids every move, music is on demand and concert ticket prices have increased into the $100-1000 range. Many venues have curfews on when a show must end and the expectation from concert goers is that the show starts close to the stated time. It’s a welcomed shift in the industry for most. There are still a few artists stuck in the 80s with their attitude. Unfortunately they are charging 2050 ticket prices.
The average ticket for the 2023-2024 Madonna World Tour is $501 USD. The tour has just launched and shes only performed a few shows so far but the experience so far is horrendous. In NY City and DC concertgoers arrived on time and experienced a venue where the temperature inside peaked at 90 degrees F and the shows started 2-3 hours late. I instantly thought of those sweat tents people pay thousands of dollars to visit in Arizona and occasionally a guest dies which is the ultimate “cleansing”. I also hear in my head a slightly modified question in my moms voice “Who do you think you are Madonna?”.
I love Madonna- great timeless music and an excellent stage show. All that could not get me to forgive the extreme pricing of the show tickets coupled with the extreme pompous bullshit she subjects her fans to. Yes, she is “The” Madonna but it is 2023 and the world has changed. I suspect as the tour grinds on her diva behaviour and outright disrespect for the audience will scar the later shows. I expect ticket demand to drop and resale availability to soar as fans reevaluate their cost and time investment. After all we are all “material girls living in a material world”.
A pic from a fan at 10:30 waiting for Madonna to start her show in DC last night. The temp inside is 90F!
