What has happened to concert ticket prices?!?

The kings of rock ‘n’ roll are going to grace their court of Cleveland fans this June. The Rolling Stones released ticket prices Valentine’s Day with prices purportedly starting at $50. Those tickets must be for fans who are within earshot of the performance but nowhere within the stadium.

My search showed section 500s at approximately $250 per ticket. Tickets in the middle mezzanine are going to set you back $400 a ticket.

If you decide to cash in your 401k, then tickets lower or closer to the convulsing lead singer will easily go into the thousands.

The days of not being able to get satisfaction have long disappeared for the band. The current three-year tour has grossed $415 million for the band. The mantra of “we would be nothing without our fans” apparently has changed to “we wouldn’t be multi-millionaires without our fans.”

There is a pathetic footnote to not only this tour but the band who you would think would rather give EVERYONE one last chance to see their rock icons than set concert tour revenue records. Fat chance.

The band has virtually toured non-stop for the past 10 years. The panic of leaving even a dollar on the table for 70-yearold millionaires has driven the band to sing on every continent but Antarctica.

If walrus tusk and blubber could be exchanged for Benjamins, they would have donned parkas for another paycheck. At this point, they have more money in their Ferrari ash trays than I’ve got in my savings account.

Time may no longer be on their side but I’d like to keep the landlord off my hide.

Giving him a $70 concert Tshirt in lieu of rent isn’t going to cut it.

I pulled out some of my ticket stubs from concerts that I attended in the early ’80s and the average price for A-list bands was $14 a ticket.

Where has the music industry gone over the past 35 years? More so, where has the appreciation for the factory worker, fast food employee and administrative assistant fan base gone?

Don’t say that the ticket agency or your sponsor dictates the prices. If you can demand that no brown M&Ms be included in Green Room treats, you sure as hell have the clout to set ticket prices; especially if you’re the Stones.

I won’t be spending the night together with Mick and company because I have priorities that include philanthropic acts for those unable to afford basic needs, and not for a foursome whose conspicuous consumption includes Dom Perignon and caviar.

It is a sad epilogue for a band whose final act could have included a financial thank you to 50 years of support and loyalty.

The Rolling Stones won’t be getting my hard-earned bones. Dennis Hickey

Willoughby