[bside123]

I recently attended a Carlos Santana concert in St. Louis at the Fox Theater. The show was excellent, but very quickly my attention got diverted to the money politics. As I have not attended very many "big" gigs with "name bands" in years, I am wondering if the "rip off" issues around ticket pricing and promotional packaging is common. The letter below clearly explains the dilemma. I've written to the Santana people to try to get some answers. Have others had this kind of experience? What's been your reaction? 

Dear Santana Friends: Greetings!

I am writing regarding some concerns I have about ticket packaging and pricing for a recent Santana Concert I attended in St. Louis at the Fox Theater on September 6, 2011.

I ordered 4 tickets online via MetroTix on June 29, 2011 for the September 6, 2011 show: Confirmation Number xxxxxxx-FOX11:xxxxx-xxxxx/xxxxxxx, Account Number: xxxxxxx. As this was a birthday celebration, I wanted good seats, so I purchased the "Silver Hot Ticket Package." Online, these tickets amounted to $180 a piece, which totals $720.

My concern and confusion started the night of the concert, when I realized that the face value of the tickets for the VIP section was only $80! As a matter of fact, $80 tax included is printed right on the ticket. I began wondering... just what the other $100 per ticket premium would provide. When our party asked for information at the Fox Theater, the two answers we got were: 1) "We don't know. We don't have anything to do with that?" 2) "You'll be getting something in the mail in a few weeks." When we went on to inquire, "What's coming in the mail?" The answer was, "We don't know, we don't handle that."

Okay... yesterday our promotional package arrived from ETIX via FedEx. In it was: 1) 4 color postcards that say, "Santana Sound Of Collective Consciousness 2011" 2) 4 Purple Laminated Paper Guitars, and 3) 4 Black Nylon Lanyards (presumably for attaching the paper guitars). So, I called ETIX and asked, "What's up with the merchandise?" and they replied, "Sorry, we only send out what we're provided. We don't have anything to do with the promotions, the tickets or the merchandise. We only mail out materials. Sorry we don't know anything else."

Please help me understand what's happening here. I spent well over $700 in ticket prices for 4 tickets. The concert was fine, as I would expect from Santana, but it seems that the money issues are off. What is supposed to be included in a $180 ticket price? As I want to first give you the benefit of the doubt, there must be some mistake. Did I actually pay $100 premium ($400 total) for good seats and some laminated color, print materials? If so, this is really excessive.

I find the issue particularly magnified by Carlos Santana's own comments of the evening which included tributes to the Black Panthers, Other Revolutionaries and famous musicians... that were all part of the cultural, racial and working class struggle. Even your color concert card promotes, "Collective Consciousness" and boasts two prominent "OM" symbols to highlight the fact.

$720 is a lot of money to see a rock 'n roll, musical show. Please help me to understand the benefits, as well as the great disparity in the ticket prices. I really do not want to feel that I was ripped off by the big "music business" and especially not by Carlos Santana.

Thank you in advance for your concern and your answers.

[Thump553]

I'm guessing the extra junk was included to get around local ticket scalping laws.  Live and learn.

Personally I still get PO's at all the extra charges for handling, etc.-especially when often times you print the tickets off yourself.

<-- rarely goes to big money concerts anymore (outside of festivals)

PS-I've seen Santana a couple of times over the years and I don't remember him ever uttering even one word in his shows.

[bside123]

Oh.. to be fair to the excellent performance, here's the AC link to my posting about the concert:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=9086.880

[Thump553]

Hey, Michael Franti is one of my "newer" favorites so that must have been a great show.

[bside123]

Live and learn.

PS-I've seen Santana a couple of times over the years and I don't remember him ever uttering even one word in his shows.

Yep... Live and Learn, and it looks like this might be a classic case. Four of us bit the bullet for the high prices... hadn't seen Santana before... birthday party... yada yada, but the package promotions promised a bunch of "perks." Whatever... we'll see if the Santana organization even answers.

But when it came to Santana's performance persona... he was very vocal. Rappin' about social justice, evolution, love & light, higher realms, spiritual realizations, and he shouted props to the Black Panthers, Miles Davis (on 7 levels no less), Chuck Berry and extolled the virtues of legalizing Marijuana (which he recited about 20 names for grass in both English and Spanish to the screaming crowd). All very entertaining.

[decal]

Welcome to the corporate world. This is not a new phenomenal, its been happening for years.

[lonewolfny42]

But when it came to Santana's performance persona... he was very vocal. Rappin' about social justice, evolution, love & light, higher realms, spiritual realizations, and he shouted props to the Black Panthers, Miles Davis (on 7 levels no less), Chuck Berry and extolled the virtues of legalizing Marijuana (which he recited about 20 names for grass in both English and Spanish to the screaming crowd). All very entertaining.

Santana speaks....BOK Center - Tulsa, OK 09/07/11

[rockadanny]

Lessoned learned? Spending Money 101 - Never pay money without knowing up front what you are getting, regardless of the seller. There is only one person in the world looking out for your money's best/fairest use - you.

[rollo]

  For me going to a concert is for listening to the music. Not hearing Political babble from the performer. Just not the place. As far as the ticket price IMO you were ripped off, sorry.
  Get a refund and buy some reissued  Santana LPs or CDs to enjoy anytime you want.

charles
SMA
   

[Mikeinsacramento]

  For me going to a concert is for listening to the music. Not hearing Political babble from the performer. Just not the place. As far as the ticket price IMO you were ripped off, sorry.
  Get a refund and buy some reissued  Santana LPs or CDs to enjoy anytime you want.

charles
SMA
 

I agree 100%.  I watched the Tulsa link, and that would cause me to walk out.  I'm not interested in listening to that crap.

[ArthurDent]

A shame bside. Hope you hear something in the way of an explanation, and better yet receive something of actual value for the sizeable added expense. Hope it was a Happy Birthday in any case. 

[Rclark]

This is what happens when "you" download all your music without paying for it. Congratulations, you just paid $150 for your ticket.