Amaryll, While it is time for this thread to die, I feel terribly misunderstood, so here is my last contribution (I hope)
Andrea, Fred, Andy, Paul, Margie, Ross, Bill, Maggie all work in jobs as you described, have 2-3 weeks off per year. I have a company writing travel guides and I accept that I have a little more freedom as far as hours, but not as far as finances. Deb is the same, more freedom for hours, but not for finances. I don't recall any of us calling in sick all the time, or pushing our luck with our jobs.
In the last 10-12 years, not one of us that I have mentioned have ever paid last minute expensive airfares, and only on rare occasions have any of us paid way over the face for tickets. We all plan ahead for the shows, and save for them during the non touring times such as now when there are no shows.
We go to many of the shows in out of the way places, If you have been on this list for a while, you will remember that I write a lot of concert reviews to the list, and often they are coming from places like Greensboro, or Buttplug, Indiana, this keeps the costs down, it makes good tickets easier to get. If the 30-50 shows that we all went to were all in NY or LA, then it may cost a fortune, but a flight to Greensboro may be 60 dollars, a ticket maybe the same and 4 of us share a room for about 15 dollars each. We will also do the shows in blocks, this way one airfare will cover us for about 5 shows in a row.
The tour these days seem to last for about 3 years, and to spread out the shows in little bursts doesnt end up being all that expensive. You may have 9 weeks of vacation during the tour, and that 9 weeks if you wanted to spend it doing tours (which I am sure is insane) would afford you plenty of shows.
Due to the fact that after years of going to shows, we know some of the band members pretty well, and this ocasionally helps when we can't find a ticket.
I will agree with you on the hardship of having kids for this situation, but a lot of the people on the tours have them also, they just make a vacation out of the parts of the tour they choose. The family comes along, although doesn't all go to the show.
In no way was I being insulting, I am just trying to tell you that it is a lot easier than most people think it is. For example, last night I spent ages trying to get more HOF tickets, and if my hunch is right, I just secured entry for another 3 people.
I wouldn't want to be the only one of us that makes it to that show, I am not an elitist, I want to share the fun, but people seem to be coming at this from a really negative way
Jeremy
