I have soooo much to blog about, I feel like we haven't "talked" forever. Prepare yourselves, this could be a blog a day week and for that I apologize! :)
When I started this here blog it was intended to be purely for entertainment and to document the crazy happenings that take place on a daily basis 'round here. I never intended to use it as a platform for my MANY soapboxes but this time I'm MAD and I'm gonna tell you about it.
What has my knickers in a such a knot you might ask? I'll tell you what...Kenny Chesney. You see, Kenny and I go way way back as in I've loved his music since I turned over my "country" leaf many moons ago. I buy all of his albums on the day of their release and and go to see him in concert any chance I get. So you can imagine my excitement when a few months ago it was announced that he was coming right here to Wells Fargo Arena in May. My friend Annette (who WAS the biggest Kenny fan ever) and I were SOOO excited as we didn't get to see him last year and were having withdrawals. He puts on a fantastic show and always has some great acts with him. Our excitement was quickly extinguished this week when ticket prices were released....$99 base price BEFORE fees for the good seats which is where we must always sit when attending a concert. OH UH UH Kenny! I think all that sand and ocean water has gone to your head. Now here's what has us so upset. Mr. Chesney has been on record in recent months stating that he realizes times are tough but that he still wants people to come out to his shows and have a good time. To me that means "hey we know times are tough we're going to do what we can to make sure you can still afford to come see us and have a good time so you can forget about your troubles for a few hours WITHOUT selling your firstborn." Apparently I am mistaken. But Mr. Chesney has another thing coming if he thinks that his loyal fans, such as myself, are going to forgive his arrogance and buy a ticket anyway. I'm loyal but not a sucker. We attend a lot of concerts and sometimes they aren't cheap. It's understandable that the bigger the act the higher price you pay. In fact, the last time we saw Kenny I believe with fees and everything our tickets were about $80 a piece. So what's $20 more bucks right? WRONG. It's the whole principle of the matter. You don't go around saying things like "you know times are tough, blah, blah, blah" and then RAISE ticket prices. Especially when your peers are lowering their ticket prices and are putting on just as good a show if not better than yours. Umm hello you're NOT Elvis!
So I've done what I always do when I get passionate or angry about something, I write a letter. (See To Whom It May Concern post for proof.) Here is the letter that I am mailing to Kenny's management company as well as his home address outside of Nashville. Oh yeah I have it and am not afraid to use it. We sent a Christmas card there one year but this time there's nothing Merry about it.
Dear Mr. Chesney,
I have been a fan of yours for a very long time. Not only do I appreciate your music but I respect the reputation you've built for yourself in this business. However, I do need to let you know of my disappointment regarding your recent actions.
We have been awaiting your concert stop in our city, Des Moines, IA since your last visit in May of 2007. We were thrilled to hear that you had us on your 2009 tour schedule for May 7th, 2009. We started the party planning immediately, we were pumped! Especially after we read this quote from you regarding your upcoming tour:
"You watch the news and you listen to people talk,’ says the man from Luttrell, Tennessee, ‘and you realize people are very concerned about every dollar they spend.There is no more disposable cash or mad money - and I’d like to think the people who’ve been coming to our shows know two things: I know how hard every dollar is earned and I want to live up to that - and for however long we get to share with the fans, I intend to make it the best night of their summer.
‘When people come to see me, I want them to forget their problems, forget this economy, forget whatever it is for the night. I can’t solve the problems, but I can give people a really good time To me, if you can feel better for a few hours, break the worry, well, that’s a pretty big deal in times like these."
OK so we thought, tickets will be about the same as last time if not a LITTLE cheaper since he obviously realizes times are tough. Imagine our surprise when ticket prices were announced in Des Moines, IA the other day and the good seats that we paid $75 for 2 years ago are now $99. Not cool Kenny, not cool. It's the whole principle of the matter. You seem to have forgotten where you came from and who it is that made you who you are today. It's the people like us who may or may not still have jobs after all the layoffs, or just got their pay cut, or are having to pinch pennies wherever they can to get by. As much as we love your music Kenny we will NOT be attending your show on May 7th. It's not so much about the extra $25 per ticket we could do it if we wanted. It's more about that you aren't the Kenny you used to be if you're more concerned about making the almighty dollar than you are about getting to perform for your fans. And that saddens us greatly. I understand that your shows are major productions and have lots of cool technology and special effects but guess what so does Brad Paisley! And for what we would pay for ONE of your tickets we can buy 2 to his show. And may I remind you that we come to your shows to see YOU perform your songs that we love NOT to see how big your video screens are or how fabulous your stage is.
I'm sure this is falling on deaf ears as I am one among millions. But I refuse to sit by and watch you go from a good ol' country boy to an arrogant, greedy, self absorbed star without saying my piece. So I've said it, take it or leave it. I wish I could say I'll be seeing you in May but I won't. I can't bring myself to condone your actions by buying a ticket. I hope to see you next year when you've come back to your senses. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Prairie Princess
P.S. I hope your next album is an improvement from your last one, "Lucky Old Sun". We all rushed out to buy it when it was released and sadly I haven't listened to it since that day. Not a fan at all. It kinda makes me want to stab a pencil in my eardrum. Maybe not that bad, but pretty darn close.
So Kenny if you're reading this and I'm sure you are, call me. We can work it out, you just need to get a grip on reality and I'm just the one to help you come back. Oh and also, don't ever EVER let anyone take your picture without some kind of a hat on. Turtles are only cool at Sea World.
When I started this here blog it was intended to be purely for entertainment and to document the crazy happenings that take place on a daily basis 'round here. I never intended to use it as a platform for my MANY soapboxes but this time I'm MAD and I'm gonna tell you about it.
What has my knickers in a such a knot you might ask? I'll tell you what...Kenny Chesney. You see, Kenny and I go way way back as in I've loved his music since I turned over my "country" leaf many moons ago. I buy all of his albums on the day of their release and and go to see him in concert any chance I get. So you can imagine my excitement when a few months ago it was announced that he was coming right here to Wells Fargo Arena in May. My friend Annette (who WAS the biggest Kenny fan ever) and I were SOOO excited as we didn't get to see him last year and were having withdrawals. He puts on a fantastic show and always has some great acts with him. Our excitement was quickly extinguished this week when ticket prices were released....$99 base price BEFORE fees for the good seats which is where we must always sit when attending a concert. OH UH UH Kenny! I think all that sand and ocean water has gone to your head. Now here's what has us so upset. Mr. Chesney has been on record in recent months stating that he realizes times are tough but that he still wants people to come out to his shows and have a good time. To me that means "hey we know times are tough we're going to do what we can to make sure you can still afford to come see us and have a good time so you can forget about your troubles for a few hours WITHOUT selling your firstborn." Apparently I am mistaken. But Mr. Chesney has another thing coming if he thinks that his loyal fans, such as myself, are going to forgive his arrogance and buy a ticket anyway. I'm loyal but not a sucker. We attend a lot of concerts and sometimes they aren't cheap. It's understandable that the bigger the act the higher price you pay. In fact, the last time we saw Kenny I believe with fees and everything our tickets were about $80 a piece. So what's $20 more bucks right? WRONG. It's the whole principle of the matter. You don't go around saying things like "you know times are tough, blah, blah, blah" and then RAISE ticket prices. Especially when your peers are lowering their ticket prices and are putting on just as good a show if not better than yours. Umm hello you're NOT Elvis!
So I've done what I always do when I get passionate or angry about something, I write a letter. (See To Whom It May Concern post for proof.) Here is the letter that I am mailing to Kenny's management company as well as his home address outside of Nashville. Oh yeah I have it and am not afraid to use it. We sent a Christmas card there one year but this time there's nothing Merry about it.
Dear Mr. Chesney,
I have been a fan of yours for a very long time. Not only do I appreciate your music but I respect the reputation you've built for yourself in this business. However, I do need to let you know of my disappointment regarding your recent actions.
We have been awaiting your concert stop in our city, Des Moines, IA since your last visit in May of 2007. We were thrilled to hear that you had us on your 2009 tour schedule for May 7th, 2009. We started the party planning immediately, we were pumped! Especially after we read this quote from you regarding your upcoming tour:
"You watch the news and you listen to people talk,’ says the man from Luttrell, Tennessee, ‘and you realize people are very concerned about every dollar they spend.There is no more disposable cash or mad money - and I’d like to think the people who’ve been coming to our shows know two things: I know how hard every dollar is earned and I want to live up to that - and for however long we get to share with the fans, I intend to make it the best night of their summer.
‘When people come to see me, I want them to forget their problems, forget this economy, forget whatever it is for the night. I can’t solve the problems, but I can give people a really good time To me, if you can feel better for a few hours, break the worry, well, that’s a pretty big deal in times like these."
OK so we thought, tickets will be about the same as last time if not a LITTLE cheaper since he obviously realizes times are tough. Imagine our surprise when ticket prices were announced in Des Moines, IA the other day and the good seats that we paid $75 for 2 years ago are now $99. Not cool Kenny, not cool. It's the whole principle of the matter. You seem to have forgotten where you came from and who it is that made you who you are today. It's the people like us who may or may not still have jobs after all the layoffs, or just got their pay cut, or are having to pinch pennies wherever they can to get by. As much as we love your music Kenny we will NOT be attending your show on May 7th. It's not so much about the extra $25 per ticket we could do it if we wanted. It's more about that you aren't the Kenny you used to be if you're more concerned about making the almighty dollar than you are about getting to perform for your fans. And that saddens us greatly. I understand that your shows are major productions and have lots of cool technology and special effects but guess what so does Brad Paisley! And for what we would pay for ONE of your tickets we can buy 2 to his show. And may I remind you that we come to your shows to see YOU perform your songs that we love NOT to see how big your video screens are or how fabulous your stage is.
I'm sure this is falling on deaf ears as I am one among millions. But I refuse to sit by and watch you go from a good ol' country boy to an arrogant, greedy, self absorbed star without saying my piece. So I've said it, take it or leave it. I wish I could say I'll be seeing you in May but I won't. I can't bring myself to condone your actions by buying a ticket. I hope to see you next year when you've come back to your senses. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Prairie Princess
P.S. I hope your next album is an improvement from your last one, "Lucky Old Sun". We all rushed out to buy it when it was released and sadly I haven't listened to it since that day. Not a fan at all. It kinda makes me want to stab a pencil in my eardrum. Maybe not that bad, but pretty darn close.
So Kenny if you're reading this and I'm sure you are, call me. We can work it out, you just need to get a grip on reality and I'm just the one to help you come back. Oh and also, don't ever EVER let anyone take your picture without some kind of a hat on. Turtles are only cool at Sea World.
. See, am I wrong? I don't think so.
And here's what Kenny will be missing at this year's concert. Taken at the last Kenny concert we attended.
And to my readers: Do you think they'll let me blog from jail after Kenny turns me in for fan harassment? Huh I wonder......
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