Paul McCartney Rock Star Birmingham NIA 13th April 2003
What does Sir James Paul McCartney MBE MPL think of his fans?
Well, as a life-long paid-up member to the McCartney 'empire' I should like to think that throughout the years there has been a kind of mutual respect. You know, ' you keep producing the goods and I'll pay the rent'.
However, my recent experience of a McCartney concert has left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Lets look at the sheer cost of being a fan at a Paul McCartney concert in 2003:
Ticket - £45 (compulsory)
Booking fee - £4.50 (compulsory)
Parking - £5.00 (compulsory)
Concert programme - £15.00
'Cheap' souvenir T-shirt - £23.00
Total, excluding transport costs £ 97.50 each x 2 = £195.00
When booking the tickets for the Birmingham NIA one assumed that a map would be provided showing the seating arrangement for the evening. Unfortunately this was not the case and one was left simply hoping that £45 plus booking fee was enough to buy a decent view of the stage. There wasn't even a mention of a restricted view, something that one has come to expect as a courtesy from any venue.
Well, we got a perfect view of the stage. What a beautiful and well-manufactured stage it was. Big too. Oh yes, our view of the stage was without doubt one for the stage aficionado. The all American stage crew seemed rather jolly at their work around the stage too. (No 'Brummie' accents back there then Sir Paul).
This would have been perfect had we paid to admire the contemporary construction and quality of said stage. But we hadn't. The idea of attending said event was to be able to see what was going on on the stage. Well my £45 paid for me to view the arse and back of my hero for the best part of two and a half hours. It felt as if I was being fed crumbs from a table. I ought to be grateful to be there at all. But hey, maybe this was the deal, after all the new live album has a picture of Sir Paul's back. I was even in a position to follow the words of songs along with the maestro from a well-placed computer prompt at his feet. All in all, had I known of the additional seating area's at both sides of the well-dressed stage that had been set aside for the 'great-herded-stupid', then I would have asked for a refund or at the very least a reduction on the ticket price and an apology.
The booking fee is fair enough. This is a huge arena with huge maintenance costs, so no grumble there.
However, it cost £5 to park our car for the time it takes to watch a concert, and the equivalent of three days parking should one also choose to buy a concert 'souvenir' programme at £15.00. Well, this has to be a coup in terms of return on publishing costs. £15.00 for a glossy booklet? Suddenly I was beginning to feel a tad gullible. It's as if the cruise liner had just moored at a small Greek fishing village and all the locals had been running around amending the prices upward in order that the ensuing throng of tourists are well and truly shafted. I felt part of a captive audience, but even my wallet had to stay closed this time to the cheapest of souvenir T-shirt on offer at £23.00.
So this is the 'toppermost of the poppermost'. You tell me: what does Sir James Paul McCartney MBE MPL think of his loyal fans? I'll probably never know, after all he's much too common to talk to the likes of me.
