New tour!!

[Not a Specialist]

Is IM:

a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues are
finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on reading,
chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not have
to bother with the United States?

thanks!

?

[AgentAlbert]

Post by Not a Specialist
a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues are
finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on reading,
chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not have to
bother with the United States?
thanks!

e) avoiding the weak dollar.

[Not a Specialist]

Post by AgentAlbert

Post by Not a Specialist
a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues
are finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on
reading, chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not
have to bother with the United States?
thanks!

e) avoiding the weak dollar.

f) Agentalbert reads this group

g) weak dollar, yes

[Simmo]

Post by Not a Specialist
g) weak dollar, yes

The US dollar is worth more than the Australian dollar.

[AgentAlbert]

Post by Simmo

Post by Not a Specialist
g) weak dollar, yes

The US dollar is worth more than the Australian dollar.

Yes, but not to the extent it has been in recent years. All foreign currencies
in developed nations have increased in value relative to the dollar over the
last few years. We even hit parity with the "loonie" at one point last year. The
point is that touring across the states and raking in millions of dollars
doesn't result in as much of a gain once converted back to their home currency.

[t***@juno.com]

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:22:00 -0600, "AgentAlbert"

Post by AgentAlbert

Post by Simmo

Post by Not a Specialist
g) weak dollar, yes

The US dollar is worth more than the Australian dollar.

Yes, but not to the extent it has been in recent years. All foreign currencies
in developed nations have increased in value relative to the dollar over the
last few years. We even hit parity with the "loonie" at one point last year. The
point is that touring across the states and raking in millions of dollars
doesn't result in as much of a gain once converted back to their home currency.

Millions of dollars is still millions of dollars. Of course IM is no
where near as popular as they were in the 80's in the US now.

Tom

[Simmo]

Post by AgentAlbert

Post by Simmo

Post by Not a Specialist
g) weak dollar, yes

The US dollar is worth more than the Australian dollar.

Yes, but not to the extent it has been in recent years. All foreign currencies
in developed nations have increased in value relative to the dollar over the
last few years. We even hit parity with the "loonie" at one point last year. The
point is that touring across the states and raking in millions of dollars
doesn't result in as much of a gain once converted back to their home currency.

"Millions of US dollars" is still more than "millions of AUS dollars".

Plus instead of there being 5 major cities like in Australia there are
dozens of them.

They've got something against doing a full US tour, presumably it would
be sluggish ticket sales, but I can't imagine them not doing well if
they mounted a full tour.

[trevor ylisaari]

Post by Simmo

Post by AgentAlbert

Post by Simmo

Post by Not a Specialist
g) weak dollar, yes

The US dollar is worth more than the Australian dollar.

Yes, but not to the extent it has been in recent years. All foreign currencies
in developed nations have increased in value relative to the dollar over the
last few years. We even hit parity with the "loonie" at one point last year. The
point is that touring across the states and raking in millions of dollars
doesn't result in as much of a gain once converted back to their home currency.

"Millions of US dollars" is still more than "millions of AUS dollars".
Plus instead of there being 5 major cities like in Australia there are
dozens of them.
They've got something against doing a full US tour, presumably it would
be sluggish ticket sales, but I can't imagine them not doing well if
they mounted a full tour.

I can understand some of their reasons.
They can get more bang for their time playing places like the Nordic
countries which sell out and go wild for them.
They won't ever do a full tour over here in the US again. They don't want to
spend that kind of time on the road any more. They are older and have other
things they want to do with their time. They don't 'need' the money or the
exposure, so why do all the work of a full tour to half sold stadiums.
Especially when they can stay closer to home. Sell out every night they
play, and still fly back home for a couple days rest in between.

Now, just because I understand the reasons, doesn't mean that I like the
results.
I am pissed that they haven't come to Cleveland since 2003. They played
there on every US tour until the DOD tour. And they have forgotten us ever
since.
They think that NY and LA are America now.
And sadly, I can't afford the time and the costs to travel 400 miles to go
see them on the rare dates they play here in the east.

--

--------
Trevor Ylisaari

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by Not a Specialist
a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues
are finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on reading,
chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not
have to bother with the United States?

I very much doubt you`ll see a full on tour for this. Even in Europe we`re
only getting one gig per country...the UK is getting one date in London,
Germany is getting one date in Hamburg etc. It`s a festival / arena tour and
I`d be surprised if it gets more than a handful of gigs stateside.

[White Spirit]

Post by Ian Salsbury

Post by Not a Specialist
a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues
are finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on reading,
chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not
have to bother with the United States?

I very much doubt you`ll see a full on tour for this. Even in Europe we`re
only getting one gig per country...the UK is getting one date in London,
Germany is getting one date in Hamburg etc. It`s a festival / arena tour and
I`d be surprised if it gets more than a handful of gigs stateside.

It does seem ironic to hear Americans complaining about touring
schedules. In the UK, we often get fucked over. On a couple of tours,
Maiden didn't even play in England and people had to go to France if
they wanted to see them.

Then there's Ozzfest. We're lucky if we get an Ozzfest every three or
four years. Black Sabbath reunion? Didn't happen here.

The simple truth is that economics controls music and we're lucky to
have get what get, wherever we are - even if comparatively little.

I also get pissed off about the price of Maiden t-shirts. Twenty
bastard quid for a t-shirt, and no discount for buying from the official
website.

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by Ian Salsbury
I very much doubt you`ll see a full on tour for this. Even in Europe
we`re only getting one gig per country...the UK is getting one date in
London, Germany is getting one date in Hamburg etc. It`s a festival /
arena tour and I`d be surprised if it gets more than a handful of gigs
stateside.

It does seem ironic to hear Americans complaining about touring schedules.
In the UK, we often get fucked over. On a couple of tours, Maiden didn't
even play in England and people had to go to France if they wanted to see
them.

Only time I can remember that happening was on the original reunion tour in
`99. Maiden have played the UK on every album tour that I`m aware of and on
the Early Days tour.

Then there's Ozzfest. We're lucky if we get an Ozzfest every three or
four years. Black Sabbath reunion? Didn't happen here.

I`m quite glad we don`t get an Ozzfest here to be honest, Europe has far
better festivals. Wacken, Dynamo, Monsters of Rock, Rock AM Ring,
Bloodstock, Gods of Metal...all have far better bands. We *did* get a
Sabbath reunion tour, the Reunion album was recorded in Birmingham!

The simple truth is that economics controls music and we're lucky to have
get what get, wherever we are - even if comparatively little.
I also get pissed off about the price of Maiden t-shirts. Twenty bastard
quid for a t-shirt, and no discount for buying from the official website.

Yeah, most bands are the same though. Maiden`s merchandise at gigs is waaaay
over-priced...that football shirt thing they do in West Ham colours is about
£50!!

[White Spirit]

Post by Ian Salsbury

It does seem ironic to hear Americans complaining about touring schedules.
In the UK, we often get fucked over. On a couple of tours, Maiden didn't
even play in England and people had to go to France if they wanted to see
them.

Only time I can remember that happening was on the original reunion tour in
`99. Maiden have played the UK on every album tour that I`m aware of and on
the Early Days tour.

I thought the Virtual XI tour was France only? I could be mistaken.

Post by Ian Salsbury

Then there's Ozzfest. We're lucky if we get an Ozzfest every three or
four years. Black Sabbath reunion? Didn't happen here.

I`m quite glad we don`t get an Ozzfest here to be honest, Europe has far
better festivals.

Heheh. That's a fair point.

Post by Ian Salsbury
Wacken, Dynamo, Monsters of Rock, Rock AM Ring,
Bloodstock, Gods of Metal...all have far better bands.

Some of those have a lot of death metal and black metal. I got pissed
off with death metal and black metal concerts and stopped going.

Post by Ian Salsbury
We *did* get a
Sabbath reunion tour, the Reunion album was recorded in Birmingham!

America got the tour first, though :)

Post by Ian Salsbury

I also get pissed off about the price of Maiden t-shirts. Twenty bastard
quid for a t-shirt, and no discount for buying from the official website.

Yeah, most bands are the same though. Maiden`s merchandise at gigs is waaaay
over-priced...that football shirt thing they do in West Ham colours is about
£50!!

I'd have thought Maiden would do something about it though, assuming
they're in a position to. A band I used to be in printed a load of
t-shirts and the profit margine was extremely good. A band who prints
in bulk will have much lower costs and at £20 per t-shirt the profit
margin is enormous.

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by White Spirit
I thought the Virtual XI tour was France only? I could be mistaken.

No, it was a worldwide tour, they played about 7 dates or so in the UK...at
notably smaller venues than they had before or since with Dickinson. Must
admit, I never saw any Maiden gigs with Blaze.

Post by White Spirit

Wacken, Dynamo, Monsters of Rock, Rock AM Ring, Bloodstock, Gods of
Metal...all have far better bands.

Some of those have a lot of death metal and black metal. I got pissed off
with death metal and black metal concerts and stopped going.

I almost always go to Wacken. I`m a fan of black and death metal but there`s
so much there to be honest, if you`re only interested in trad/power sort of
metal that`s all you need to see.

Post by White Spirit

Yeah, most bands are the same though. Maiden`s merchandise at gigs is
waaaay over-priced...that football shirt thing they do in West Ham
colours is about £50!!

I'd have thought Maiden would do something about it though, assuming
they're in a position to. A band I used to be in printed a load of
t-shirts and the profit margine was extremely good. A band who prints in
bulk will have much lower costs and at £20 per t-shirt the profit margin
is enormous.

Virtually every band I see charges £17-20 for a shirt...generally the bigger
the band the dearer the merchandise.

[t***@juno.com]

On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:02:44 -0000, "Ian Salsbury"

Post by Ian Salsbury

Post by White Spirit
Some of those have a lot of death metal and black metal. I got pissed off
with death metal and black metal concerts and stopped going.

I almost always go to Wacken. I`m a fan of black and death metal but there`s
so much there to be honest, if you`re only interested in trad/power sort of
metal that`s all you need to see.

All one has to do is go look at the confirmed bands for this year to
see it's quite a wide spread across genres.

Post by Ian Salsbury
Virtually every band I see charges £17-20 for a shirt...generally the bigger
the band the dearer the merchandise.

I believe one of the last times I went to a concert, they wanted $25
for a t-shirt. Thanks, but no thanks. It's been so long ago, I imagine
they cost a lot more today.

Tom

[John]

Post by t***@juno.com
I believe one of the last times I went to a concert, they wanted $25
for a t-shirt. Thanks, but no thanks. It's been so long ago, I imagine
they cost a lot more today.
Tom

I used to buy a shirt at pretty much every concert I went to. The
cheapest I've ever seen them is $20 CDN, which was in 1992 for a
GnR/Metallica shirt. They've gone up since then - some of mine were $25,
others $30, $35, or even $40. I think I might have spent $45 on one, but
I don't think I've spent more than that. Still, that's a ridiculous
price for a tshirt.

I probably have around 60 or 70 of these shirts lying around. Maybe even
more. Almost all of them are worn out, and it's a bit sickening to think
of the amount of money they cost me.

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by t***@juno.com
I believe one of the last times I went to a concert, they wanted $25
for a t-shirt. Thanks, but no thanks. It's been so long ago, I imagine
they cost a lot more today.
Tom

I used to buy a shirt at pretty much every concert I went to. The cheapest
I've ever seen them is $20 CDN, which was in 1992 for a GnR/Metallica
shirt. They've gone up since then - some of mine were $25, others $30,
$35, or even $40. I think I might have spent $45 on one, but I don't think
I've spent more than that. Still, that's a ridiculous price for a tshirt.
I probably have around 60 or 70 of these shirts lying around. Maybe even
more. Almost all of them are worn out, and it's a bit sickening to think
of the amount of money they cost me.

I used to buy shirts back in the 80`s all the time, nowadays it`s quite
rare. I only really wear metal shirts at gigs/festivals. I did buy a
Helloween one at the London gig the other day though...too much beer and a
good gig will still see me part with my cash!

[t***@juno.com]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:18:28 -0000, "Ian Salsbury"

Post by Ian Salsbury

I used to buy a shirt at pretty much every concert I went to. The cheapest
I've ever seen them is $20 CDN, which was in 1992 for a GnR/Metallica
shirt. They've gone up since then - some of mine were $25, others $30,
$35, or even $40. I think I might have spent $45 on one, but I don't think
I've spent more than that. Still, that's a ridiculous price for a tshirt.
I probably have around 60 or 70 of these shirts lying around. Maybe even
more. Almost all of them are worn out, and it's a bit sickening to think
of the amount of money they cost me.

The shirt's just aren't a good deal. I know the band has to sell
them to actually make any money, but at a more reasonable price, maybe
they'd sell alot more?

Post by Ian Salsbury
I used to buy shirts back in the 80`s all the time, nowadays it`s quite
rare. I only really wear metal shirts at gigs/festivals. I did buy a
Helloween one at the London gig the other day though...too much beer and a
good gig will still see me part with my cash!

Of the few bands I've actually seen live, Helloween are one.
It was a tour with Anthrax, Helloween and Exodus.

Tom

[Simmo]

Post by t***@juno.com
The shirt's just aren't a good deal. I know the band has to sell
them to actually make any money, but at a more reasonable price, maybe
they'd sell alot more?

Possibly.

Don't forget the venue typically takes 20% of all merchandise takings.

[t***@juno.com]

Post by Simmo

Post by t***@juno.com
The shirt's just aren't a good deal. I know the band has to sell
them to actually make any money, but at a more reasonable price, maybe
they'd sell alot more?

Possibly.
Don't forget the venue typically takes 20% of all merchandise takings.

This I did not know.

Tom

[trevor ylisaari]

Post by t***@juno.com

Post by Simmo

Post by t***@juno.com
The shirt's just aren't a good deal. I know the band has to sell
them to actually make any money, but at a more reasonable price, maybe
they'd sell alot more?

Possibly.
Don't forget the venue typically takes 20% of all merchandise takings.

This I did not know.
Tom

Oh yeah.
The venue gets their cut.
The recording label gets their cut.
Then the band gets theirs.

--

--------
Trevor Ylisaari

[Anders]

Post by John
I probably have around 60 or 70 of these shirts lying around. Maybe even
more. Almost all of them are worn out, and it's a bit sickening to think
of the amount of money they cost me.

Some of them are quite rare and some people actually collect those things!
If theyŽre not too worn out you can sell them on ebay. IŽve seen tons of
different metal T-shirts sold on ebay - at high prices...even though theyŽre
worn out...

-Anders

[trevor ylisaari]

Post by John

Post by t***@juno.com
I believe one of the last times I went to a concert, they wanted $25
for a t-shirt. Thanks, but no thanks. It's been so long ago, I imagine
they cost a lot more today.
Tom

I used to buy a shirt at pretty much every concert I went to. The
cheapest I've ever seen them is $20 CDN, which was in 1992 for a
GnR/Metallica shirt. They've gone up since then - some of mine were $25,
others $30, $35, or even $40. I think I might have spent $45 on one, but
I don't think I've spent more than that. Still, that's a ridiculous
price for a tshirt.
I probably have around 60 or 70 of these shirts lying around. Maybe even
more. Almost all of them are worn out, and it's a bit sickening to think
of the amount of money they cost me.

I know the Maiden shirts I have bought at concerts have held up extremely
well over the years.
I still have (and occasionally wear) my first one from '83.
My other 80's shirts have been retired as they have been worn and washed so
many times you can almost see through the material now. Though the printing
on them is still nice and clear.
All the shirts I have bought since 2000 are holding up nice.
No stretching, or fading yet.
So, while they may cost a bit to buy, you do get your moneys worth out of
them.
They last a lot longer than the shirts I normally get from regular stores.
They usually wear out in about 5 years or so for me.

--

--------
Trevor Ylisaari

[White Spirit]

Post by Ian Salsbury
I almost always go to Wacken. I`m a fan of black and death metal but there`s
so much there to be honest, if you`re only interested in trad/power sort of
metal that`s all you need to see.

Yeah, I ought to go to Wacken. I still like death and black metal, it's
just the behaviour of some of the fans at concerts that irritated me.

Post by Ian Salsbury
Virtually every band I see charges £17-20 for a shirt...generally the bigger
the band the dearer the merchandise.

When I went to see Bolt Thrower, they were something like £7. I think
the last Cannibal Corpse t-shirt I bought wasn't much more either.
Excellent quality as well.

[I***@webtv.net]

Then there's Ozzfest. We're lucky if we get an
Ozzfest every three or four years. Black
Sabbath reunion? Didn't happen here.

No Black Sabbath reunion in the UK???
Then how did they record a live album at Birmingham NEC in Dec. '97???
Tom (the other one)

[Yama]

Ian Salsbury <***@salsbury42.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
: I very much doubt you`ll see a full on tour for this. Even in Europe we`re
: only getting one gig per country...the UK is getting one date in London,
: Germany is getting one date in Hamburg etc. It`s a festival / arena tour and
: I`d be surprised if it gets more than a handful of gigs stateside.

Several European countries have two dates - France, Sweden, Finland, Norway...
It all depends from demand.

Australia has SIX dates. Whoa. I guess they're making up for all those wasted
years.

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by Yama
: I very much doubt you`ll see a full on tour for this. Even in Europe we`re
: only getting one gig per country...the UK is getting one date in London,
: Germany is getting one date in Hamburg etc. It`s a festival / arena tour and
: I`d be surprised if it gets more than a handful of gigs stateside.
Several European countries have two dates - France, Sweden, Finland, Norway...
It all depends from demand.

Fair enough - it`s still not a major tour though, 2 dates in France isn`t a
great deal. They could certainly play more than one gig in the UK, the
Twickenham gig is 50,000 capacity and standing sold out in a couple of
hours! Germany is pretty much Europe`s metal capital as well, one date isn`t
a lot.

Post by Yama
Australia has SIX dates. Whoa. I guess they're making up for all those wasted
years.

I guess if they`re going all that way they`d just as well play a hatful. I`d
imagine the demand was great there seeing as they haven`t been for so long.

[Glenn]

Whoops incorrect quote attribution on my last post, apologies...

Post by Ian Salsbury
I guess if they`re going all that way they`d just as well play a hatful. I`d
imagine the demand was great there seeing as they haven`t been for so long.

In Melbourne and Sydney they are playing at big places and the first
shows sold out pretty darn quick, so the demand is certainly there!

[White Spirit]

Post by Ian Salsbury
Fair enough - it`s still not a major tour though, 2 dates in France isn`t a
great deal. They could certainly play more than one gig in the UK, the
Twickenham gig is 50,000 capacity and standing sold out in a couple of
hours!

More like a couple of minutes. I couldn't find anything standing at
9:05 on the morning they went on sale. I had to go for seated tickets.

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by Ian Salsbury
Fair enough - it`s still not a major tour though, 2 dates in France isn`t
a great deal. They could certainly play more than one gig in the UK, the
Twickenham gig is 50,000 capacity and standing sold out in a couple of
hours!

More like a couple of minutes. I couldn't find anything standing at 9:05
on the morning they went on sale. I had to go for seated tickets.

Wow, I didn`t realise they sold that fast. I logged on in the evening to try
and get a ticket, no chance! I bought one from an ebay tout, don`t really
like to do it but neither did I want to sit down for a Maiden gig!

[White Spirit]

Post by Ian Salsbury
Wow, I didn`t realise they sold that fast. I logged on in the evening to try
and get a ticket, no chance! I bought one from an ebay tout, don`t really
like to do it but neither did I want to sit down for a Maiden gig!

I saw standing tickets available from a Hungarian site but I hadn't
heard of it before and didn't want the potential hassle. I really
dislike touts and don't want to encourage them but if I could get a
ticket at a non-ripoff price to see Maiden I'd probably do it :) I know
someone who got a standing ticket for the last Earls Court concert about
half an hour before Maiden were due to play for the same price I paid
for my seated one (which was pretty much all the way at the back...)

[Ian Salsbury]

Post by Ian Salsbury
Wow, I didn`t realise they sold that fast. I logged on in the evening to
try and get a ticket, no chance! I bought one from an ebay tout, don`t
really like to do it but neither did I want to sit down for a Maiden gig!

I saw standing tickets available from a Hungarian site but I hadn't heard
of it before and didn't want the potential hassle. I really dislike touts
and don't want to encourage them but if I could get a ticket at a
non-ripoff price to see Maiden I'd probably do it :) I know someone who
got a standing ticket for the last Earls Court concert about half an hour
before Maiden were due to play for the same price I paid for my seated one
(which was pretty much all the way at the back...)

Tickets were £50 plus booking/postage fee ( which came to about £58 ) and I
paid £69.99 from the tout...so it wasn`t too bad. I don`t like using touts
either - it pisses me off when a gig sells out and then, 5 minutes later,
loads of tickets appear on ebay. But what can you do? Supply and demand, I
*really* wanted to go to this gig, would have been severely pissed off to
miss it ( first gig I ever went to was from the World Slavery tour, this
will be a wonderful blast of nostalgia! ).

[Tidman]

( first gig I ever went to was from the World Slavery tour, this will be a
wonderful blast of nostalgia! ).

Ditto dat! Can't fawkin wait!!

Tidman

[Glenn]

Post by Yama
Australia has SIX dates. Whoa. I guess they're making up for all those wasted
years.

Damn right! Since 1992, the mo'fo's.
All is forgiven... almost ;-)

Glenn

[Picasso]

Post by Not a Specialist
a) Waiting to announce the full dates of a full US tour, once all venues
are finalized, in a 1984 Powerslave type of retro way?
b) Completely bypassing the US after two big US dates?
c) Taking 3 months off in the middle of their tour to catch up on
reading, chondritin, heart rates and earplug re-fitting?
d) Selling out enough shows in west/east Europe to call it good to not
have to bother with the United States?
thanks!
?

are they done releasing dates? Shoudl i just bite the bullet and quit
waiting for more canadian dates, and travel 16 hours?

[Tidman]

Post by Picasso
are they done releasing dates? Shoudl i just bite the bullet and quit
waiting for more canadian dates, and travel 16 hours?

Pic - hold tight - there is supposed to be a north american tour in
May/June. If that happens I'm sure they will play Quebec or Montreal (Hell,
with our new extended runway, they might play the Aitken Center). If they
play for Quebec City, then you know they will play harder there than they do
for any other crowd, because they just love those crazy french fans more
than any others! And if they don't do NA, then I'm up for a road trip!

There's only one 'Um!

Tidman

[Picasso]

Post by Tidman

Post by Picasso
are they done releasing dates? Shoudl i just bite the bullet and quit
waiting for more canadian dates, and travel 16 hours?

Pic - hold tight - there is supposed to be a north american tour in
May/June. If that happens I'm sure they will play Quebec or Montreal (Hell,
with our new extended runway, they might play the Aitken Center). If they
play for Quebec City, then you know they will play harder there than they do
for any other crowd, because they just love those crazy french fans more
than any others! And if they don't do NA, then I'm up for a road trip!
There's only one 'Um!
Tidman

well if you need someone to go with i'll hop in... haha