Now that this year's Forecastle and the inaugural HullabaLou are behind us, how do you feel about the ticket prices?

I ask because I personally find them priced out of reach for the average Louisvillian, although that is certainly just my opinion.

Further, although I have advertised for Forecastle in years past, I didn't feel comfortable with doing the same this year due to the huge increase in ticket prices for that event.

So, what do you think?

Steve Magruder — LouHI Administrator and web programmer


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HullaBLEW was way too expensive. The marketing was terrible. There was never a complete, total list of all performers and times released to justify the price. Then, after ticket sales failed to reach the "low end" estimate, admission prices were dropped at the gate. An interesting side note: I know 12 people that went to HullaBLEW. None of them paid for a ticket, and said if they HAD paid, they would have been disappointed.

I have a feeling Forecastle can justify a higher ticket price.

I'm not sure what ticket prices for either were, but I definitely think Hullabalou as a whole was the result of someone grasping at straws with a mediocre lineup at best. I'm sure it was ridiculously overpriced.

Forecastle has (IMO) grown too big for its britches. It was INCREDIBLE as a regional show but once they moved into a bunch of big national acts (Widespread, Pumpkins) it lost its mojo and has reduced itself to the lowest common denominator... and its July... Holy Hotter than Hell outside.

I hadn't really heard about Hullablou until just before it happened., and when I herd the radio commercial saying Bon Jovi would be there I was jazzed, as I am a big fan of theirs. But when they said "General admission starts at just $75" my brain went "Jump off this train NOW!"

Have you hugged your penguin today?

Proud member of the "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy"

Check out the take on the my loueyville blog: "The HullabaLOU Elephant: Ticket Prices"

Snip:

Quote:

Charging $75 a day for tickets will, without a doubt, keep HullabaLOU from being a local cultural powerhouse. Your average Joe & Jane are not going to shell out $75 to "check it out." They're just not. $75 a day makes HullabaLOU an event that you plan in advance for, an event that makes you weigh the pros and cons of spending that kind of green. And the purpose of going to a music festival isn't to see one act— it's to sample from the buffet of offerings, see people you wouldn't normally see, discover new acts you'll come to love.

In my estimation, it just could be that the thinking of Churchill Downs management is that they wanted to create a national event like the Kentucky Derby. Per that line, they likely don't care so much if the locals can afford it or not. The event is for the elites from around the country to attend — the riff-raff just aren't welcome.

While they could have opted with much larger crowds with a lower ticket price, again in my estimation, they are looking for the national visuals, demonstrating a relatively upscale crowd. And that to me is unLouisvillian (or should be).

Moderately expensive overall, too expensive personally. Honestly though, top tier acts are charging as much for their one act only shows and even mid level bands are charging a good bit for tickets. So taking into account the number of acts at either, it's probably not as expensive as it could be.

As for advertising it, it didn't occur to me that Hullabalou wasn't advertised well because I'd known about it since they announced it. However I fall on the left-hand side of the curve as a music geek. My wife didn't have an idea about it until about a week, maybe two before.

Matman42 wrote:

Moderately expensive overall, too expensive personally. Honestly though, top tier acts are charging as much for their one act only shows and even mid level bands are charging a good bit for tickets. So taking into account the number of acts at either, it's probably not as expensive as it could be.

That is my view. The prices of all concerts have gone through the roof in the past 15 years. Gone are the days when you could see a national name for $20 — $25. When the Rolling Stones came to town, weren't the tickets around $60 to $75? I believe tickets for the Eagles are start at around $75 and go well over $100. So basically HullabaLou is just following a national trend. If people are willing to pay those prices, so be it. Similar to the high prices people paid to see Wicked.

stevemagruder wrote:

Check out the take on the my loueyville blog: "The HullabaLOU Elephant: Ticket Prices" Snip: Quote: Charging $75 a day for tickets will, without a doubt, keep HullabaLOU from being a local cultural powerhouse. Your average Joe & Jane are not going to shell out $75 to "check it out." They're just not. $75 a day makes HullabaLOU an event that you plan in advance for, an event that makes you weigh the pros and cons of spending that kind of green. And the purpose of going to a music festival isn't to see one act— it's to sample from the buffet of offerings, see people you wouldn't normally see, discover new acts you'll come to love. In my estimation, it just could be that the thinking of Churchill Downs management is that they wanted to create a national event like the Kentucky Derby. Per that line, they likely don't care so much if the locals can afford it or not. The event is for the elites from around the country to attend — the riff-raff just aren't welcome. While they could have opted with much larger crowds with a lower ticket price, again in my estimation, they are looking for the national visuals, demonstrating a relatively upscale crowd. And that to me is unLouisvillian (or should be).

Is HullabaLou produced by Churchill Downs or simply that ist he place that was rented out to hold the event? While the Eagles are playing at UofL's new stadium, I am pretty sure the Eagles management company is producing the concert, not UofL.

Now we find out today that Churchill Downs lost $5 million on HullabaLou.

They cite hot weather and lower concert ticket sales nationally. No mention of HullabaLou's high ticket prices.

Interesting that Churchill budgeted to lose 2 to 3 million in the first place. They must be confident that this will grow into something big if they are willing to lose that much money in it's first year.

I wonder if Churchill thinks more ticket sales alone will make the event profitable or if they will raise ticket prices? As I mentioned above, when you look at the outrageous amounts single bands are charging at their concerts, relatively speaking, the event was comparatively priced or maybe even a bargain when you consider the number of well known bands who played at the event. It is difficult for me to say, me personally speaking, I think the cost of many forms of entertainment (Pro Sports, theatrical acts, and music concerts specifically) has grown to insanity.

While I didn't go, based upon feedback I heard from people who did, they felt they got more than their money's worth. Maybe I will check it out next year, who knows?

The mention the heat was the biggest cause of lower ticket sales. I wonder if they will move the date to a cooler part of the year?