debates like the one that has raged recently - the topic being ticket prices - always turn out into attacks of one person or another, one "camp" or another. it makes it so hard to be a member of this page - it really does. objectivity and criticism never seem have a home here. more times than not, i get the impression that you are supposed to be a good little flag waver, forget about the police and bow at the ankles whenever sting turns a corner. i cannot do it, i will never do it. i have too much vested in this man - too much time spent listening to his music, too much money spent buying his records and seeing him in concert - to just go happily along when i am unhappy with his product or performance. when great, i will say so; when not so great, i'll point that out too. agreed, ticket prices are out of hand in the usa. they have been for some time. artists, concert promoters, brokers, ticketmaster - they are all to blame for this. all are selfish, all take their respective selfishness out on you and me in their constant attempt to get every drop of blood from the stone. that point made, some artists fight the good fight against this trend, offering low ticket prices at every venue, be it on in new york or idaho. pearl jam and radiohead come to mind. i saw radiohead in madison sqaure garden last month, had tickets just off the floor section. the price? $49.50. granted, the obvious argument is madison square garden is MUCH bigger than the beacon theater, so radiohead can afford this lower price (more tickets to be sold). but i counter with this: radiohead is the biggest band in the world right now, i would argue that they are a more important act than sting. yet they keep prices low. i also saw them in the summer of 2001 play an outdoor locale for the whopping price of $20. they were the biggest band in the world in 2001 also. if they chose to, they could charge just as much as the stones and mccartney. and they'd get it. are we to believe that sting doesn't know that ticket prices are out of hand, that he has no idea what brokers do, the "charges" that ticketmaster ring up? does he not care, thinking that 'well, everyone else is does it, so i am too'? a blinds-eye appears to be turned. it is a damn shame. you spend a lifetime supporting an artist and you never get a break, esp. from the ones that can afford to give you one - and sting is one of those artists. but back to the never-ending theme: what each one of us needs to ask ourselves is this: is this page a place for open debate/discussion on sting and the police OR is it a place for sting fans to gather and reap unyielding, unconditional praise on him? i hope it is the former but, more and more, it seems that it may be the latter... rich __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree