S09.E04: Live Entertainment

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic: Live Entertainment 

Also: Ukraine; Florida Parental Rights in Education Bill; a.k.a., Don't Say Gay; Jim Kramer presents grounds for divorce (the Baconator)

Original air date 2022.03.13

[scarynikki12]

Bravo Ollie on ripping the Don't Say Gay bill and its sponsors apart. What's the point of being a dead eyed bird who ruins days if you can't speak up?

My dad enjoys a Baconator but he never makes it sound creepy like Kramer does. I can only assume his wife doesn't watch and doesn't know how he sounds when he talks about her.

Ok, Justin Bieber falling through a hole in the stage is the funniest thing I've seen in years. The fan who shared that video deserves free tickets for life.

Fucking Ticketmaster. I never knew that only a small percentage of tickets were released for general sale but I had assumed that ticket brokers were buying them up so at least that was right. 

Of course Ollie bought the Mickey Mouse potato and of course it's in a display case. The day the show stops buying delightfully silly things is the day it ends.

[Annber03]

So Jim, does your wife love the Baconater? You didn't seem clear enough on that. 

Regarding the "Don't Say 'Gay'" bill and other anti-LGBTQA+ legislation being passed or considered...recently, here in Iowa, the state House decided to pass legislation barring transgender girls from playing sports in K-12 and college. It's working its way through the state Senate now.

Also recently? A few kids were shot at a school down in Des Moines. One died, the other two were critically injured. Not a single peep from the state legislators about tackling that issue. Nothing. 

But hey, priorities, right?

Also, DeSantis, stop throwing your little temper tantrum and sit down. You know exactly what this bill's all about, quit trying to act cute about it. It's absolutely absurd that people are giving parents the right to sue schools because they're too fragile to deal with the fact that their children might learn that the world is diverse, or that our country hasn't been good to minorities in the past (and still mistreats them now), or things of that sort. And these same people had the nerve to go around calling us the sensitive snowflakes? 

I also liked John calling BS on that Disney guy being all, "You don't always know how people will vote when you donate to them." Yeah, if, by some chance, you genuinely don't know where someone you want to donate to stands on an issue? That's why you do research. There's this thing called the internet, every candidate who runs for office has places where you can read up on their stances on the issues and their voting records and so on. And you know guys like him donate a LOT of money, too, so yeah, if I'm going to donate a huge chunk of change to someone, you better believe I'm going to know exactly where that money is going. 

Anywho, yeah, I hope that bill fails and fails hard, and I hope there's other ways and means to try and stop the other similar bills out there being passed, or overriding them, 'cause this is absolutely insane. Like I noted above, there's actual legitimate dangers to our country to focus on. Maybe try spending time and energy on those issues instead of catering to homophobic/transphobic nonsense. 

As for Ticketmaster, it's been ages since I've bought a ticket for any show, myself, but I've heard about some of the crap that Ticketmaster and other companies get by with. Stopping these mergers between big companies in general would also be a good step to try and cut down on some of the power these organizations amass as well. Certainly would help make it a lot easier for artists and users to fight a company, too. 

[ahisma]

Well, dang, I actually thought Drew Barrymore would show up as one of John’s celebrity cameos, making his $0 tickets a real deal.

The $50 potato is one of John’s less expensive HBO $ investments and, admittedly, pretty cute.

Ron DeSantis gets off on being a real jerk, in addition to having Wrong Opinions. The way he bullied the kids wearing masks last week and the way he hectored the reporter about reading the bill this week shows him to be a thoroughly unpleasant person. 

I’m terrified for Ukraine, after that biological weapon accusation.

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, ahisma said:

Ron DeSantis gets off on being a real jerk, in addition to having Wrong Opinions. The way he bullied the kids wearing masks last week and the way he hectored the reporter about reading the bill this week shows him to be a thoroughly unpleasant person. 

When he was telling the kids to stop wearing masks because it was all just "political theater", all I could think was, "That's an awfully rich description, coming from you." 

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

My dad enjoys a Baconator but he never makes it sound creepy like Kramer does. I can only assume his wife doesn't watch and doesn't know how he sounds when he talks about her.

Nothing like jokes belittling the little lady. Hey Kramer, why don't you tell us what YOU eat at Wendy's?

Quote

Fucking Ticketmaster. I never knew that only a small percentage of tickets were released for general sale but I had assumed that ticket brokers were buying them up so at least that was right. 

I didn't know the percentage was THAT small, but I assumed many were reserved for VIPs, radio giveaways, and corporate do's. 

I hate sounding so naive, but why do people have to be so greedy? Ticketmaster and brokers and all the rest are just one group from thousands, millions. Russian oligarchs hoarding their money while people in Russia starve. AMERICAN oligarchs, like Bezos, who buy super-yachts instead of paying their employees a decent wage or allowing them to unionize. Oil companies and countless other companies who rake in the profits raising prices for consumers instead of cutting us some slack. It all makes me sick.

 

11 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Also, DeSantis, stop throwing your little temper tantrum and sit down.

Playing to the base. Trump showed his mentees that belittling those who disagree with you earns big points with your acolytes. Owning the libs and all that.

Quote

It's absolutely absurd that people are giving parents the right to sue schools because they're too fragile to deal with the fact that their children might learn that the world is diverse, or that our country hasn't been good to minorities in the past (and still mistreats them now), or things of that sort. And these same people had the nerve to go around calling us the sensitive snowflakes? 

Amen. It's all about accepting change and taking off the blinders. The world was never like Mayberry. It just seemed that way. 

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I also liked John calling BS on that Disney guy being all, "You don't always know how people will vote when you donate to them." Yeah, if, by some chance, you genuinely don't know where someone you want to donate to stands on an issue? That's why you do research. 

Why would you even donate money to a candidate in the first place if you don't know where they stand on the issues?

[swanpride]

Why does Disney donate at all if not in order to influence politics one way or another? 

Also, it is not like Disney didn't take a stance on other bills in the past - see Atlanta. 

 

Regarding the tickets: Wow, the US has to do really everything on next level, right? 

[Wilbur Whateley]

44 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Why would you even donate money to a candidate in the first place if you don't know where they stand on the issues?

Oh they know where they stand on the only issue they care about: getting their business tax breaks and other goodies.  The rest is just virtue-signaling to the naive in the public to keep them buying their products.

[swanpride]

Pretty much. 

There is btw one downside to Tickets which are bound to specific persons: It makes it difficult to do a last minute "I have a ticket too much does anyone want it" exchange in front of the venue. But I guess it is still preferable over people getting duped...and I don't just talk about the price, but also the danger of someone selling a fake ticket. 

[paigow]

4 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Amen. It's all about accepting change and taking off the blinders. The world was never like Mayberry. It just seemed that way. 

MAMA = Make America Mayberry Again

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Amen. It's all about accepting change and taking off the blinders. The world was never like Mayberry. It just seemed that way. 

Exactly. 

My sister caught this episode as well, and she made another good point: straight kids are lucky if they get any sort of decent sex education of any sort, no matter how tame and age-appropriate it may be, in schools as it is. Schools have already, by and large, never really addressed or acknowledged anything relating to LGBTQA+ people and the issues and topics that are important to them in general. So basically, this stupid legislation is another example of politicians creating a "solution" for a problem that doesn't even exist (see also: their voting restrictions in response to what they claim is "widespread voter fraud"). It's another example of them being terrified of losing even a shred of their power and control and letting anyone who isn't like them get basic human, equal rights. 

[Lois Sandborne]

8 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I hate sounding so naive, but why do people have to be so greedy? Ticketmaster and brokers and all the rest are just one group from thousands, millions.

You and me both. I thought about greed and self-sacrifice. Ticketmaster and Live Nation both had so much money, and so much of the market before they joined forces. Why bother? I know the answer, but really. And respect to Pearl Jam for at least trying to buck the system, but I can't help wondering what would've happened if they had actually made that statement. Or maybe if a few top artists just played the ski resorts for a little while. I know they make most of their money on touring, but if you know your tour is bleeding your fans dry? Anyway. I'm naive too.

I'm also a hip, happening milennial, so I've had my share of run-ins with the worst iteration of ticket purchasing over the years. I knew a little bit about the monopoly aspect, the bespoke tickets, and the resale market nightmare. But I did not know the scale of everything, especially the ridiculous amounts of money involved, until John laid it all out. A few of my friends just had to launch a full-scale operation to get tickets for Anita Baker's Las Vegas show (all of them on the site waiting in advance, on mobile and laptop; five people trying and still only one got a purchase through before it sold out in 20 minutes). Thinking about all of this going on behind the scenes makes me offended on their behalf.

I'm glad they tackled De Santis's tantrum, and the stupid distinction they want to draw between "discussion" and "instruction." The sweet kindergarten teacher had it absolutely right.  None of these book-banning nightmares are going to think twice about that if they feel their little darling heard a word they don't like. They're going to go for the jugular, just as the law allows.

 

[Annber03]

I also liked when John showed that clip of that guy going on about the "gay agenda" and the "infestation of homosexuals" and whatnot, and pointed out how he was sitting right next to a photo of Reagan, with a quote about the importance of having a limited government. I'd love it if someone could ask the politicians who support these kinds of bills how this legislation squares with their supposed love of and support for limited government interference. Not that you'd get a decent answer from them, mind - they'd likely just fume like DeSantis did -  but it would be good to confront them about that contradiction in their stance anyway. 

[Lantern7]

I don't have much to say on this episode. I don't really think about Ticketmaster and other agencies because I don't get out that often where I need to think about them. Ron DeSantis is a horrible person whether he believes in what he's selling, and Disney should feel shame for backing far-right candidates. I know, Disney is a vast corporate entity, but it's still dishearteningly.

23 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

Ok, Justin Bieber falling through a hole in the stage is the funniest thing I've seen in years. The fan who shared that video deserves free tickets for life.

I was watching the episode this morning on my iPad. Justin didn't see the hole? And he just dropped into it?

Way back in the day, I used to attend talk show tapings, so I got a kick out of John talking about his show being free. It was a a pain in the butt at times, but I always considered it an adventure.

I don't think I've had a Baconator. I'm not into cheese. Kramer seemed too into his wife eating those.

7 hours ago, paigow said:

MAMA = Make America Mayberry Again

One benefit: no words for the national anthem. Just whistling.

[andromeda331]

7 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I also liked when John showed that clip of that guy going on about the "gay agenda" and the "infestation of homosexuals" and whatnot, and pointed out how he was sitting right next to a photo of Reagan, with a quote about the importance of having a limited government. I'd love it if someone could ask the politicians who support these kinds of bills how this legislation squares with their supposed love of and support for limited government interference. Not that you'd get a decent answer from them, mind - they'd likely just fume like DeSantis did -  but it would be good to confront them about that contradiction in their stance anyway. 

No but it is fun watching them fume. It's so easy. I'd like to know why they are so obsessed with who other people have sex with. Or why they kids are so fragile snowflakes that gay people freak them out. I imagine most of those kids when they finally learn about gays are going to be like "Wait that's it? Men with men and women with women? What's the big deal?" Ditto for trans and etc. 

 

[Annber03]

8 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

No but it is fun watching them fume. It's so easy. I'd like to know why they are so obsessed with who other people have sex with. Or why they kids are so fragile snowflakes that gay people freak them out. I imagine most of those kids when they finally learn about gays are going to be like "Wait that's it? Men with men and women with women? What's the big deal?" Ditto for trans and etc. 

Right? All they're doing by making a big fuss is making kids even more curious about these topics and issues, not less. As always tends to be the case whenever adults try and tell kids they can't do/watch/listen to/read/etc. something. You'd think people would learn by now that the more forbidden something is, the more enticing it becomes, and the more intrigued people are about it. 

I had a very similar reaction as a kid when I first learned about the concept of homosexuality and other similar orientations and such. I was just like, "Oh. Okay." And that was it. Course, it helped that my parents were progressive in regards to those issues and topics as well, but still. 

And regarding the bolded, YES. Seriously, I guarantee I don't think about that sort of thing anywhere near as often as the people trying to pass these laws seem to. Same with the people who are getting weirdly fixated on others' genitalia when trying to pass these anti-transgender laws. 

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Justin didn't see the hole? And he just dropped into it?

Right? That hole wasn't exactly tiny. Maybe the stage lights obscured him or he was so into his song/thought he was farther back that he wasn't paying as close of attention? He's certainly not the first artist who's faceplanted or fallen off of a stage, after all, so...

Meant to say before, too, that I really loved John's commentary on that "KIds Bop" song, and the kid who was so happy about his percentage XD. I did not realize "Kids Bop" was still a thing, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it is :p!

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Way back in the day, I used to attend talk show tapings, so I got a kick out of John talking about his show being free. It was a a pain in the butt at times, but I always considered it an adventure.

Me too. We lived in SoCal and had a friend who worked for NBC. We attended a taping of The Hollywood Squares, The Tonight Show, The Phyllis Diller Show, and probably others I can't recall. My big takeaway was how small the sets were in person.

 

6 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I'd like to know why they are so obsessed with who other people have sex with. Or why they kids are so fragile snowflakes that gay people freak them out. I imagine most of those kids when they finally learn about gays are going to be like "Wait that's it? Men with men and women with women? What's the big deal?" Ditto for trans and etc. 

My assumption: They think sexual identity is a choice. If homosexuality and transgender is presented as normal, then their kids might decide to become gay or change sex. Many people view this as a sin, as going against God. They don't want their kids to go to Hell. I wonder if some religious people see all sins as equal, so being homosexual is the same as being a murderer. Other people are simply uncomfortable with or antagonistic toward anything that is different from their worldview or bubble. Homosexuality, etc., is a challenge to their belief system, a way of saying, Hey you're wrong in what you've been thinking all these years.

 

[izabella]

8 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

No but it is fun watching them fume. It's so easy. I'd like to know why they are so obsessed with who other people have sex with. Or why they kids are so fragile snowflakes that gay people freak them out. I imagine most of those kids when they finally learn about gays are going to be like "Wait that's it? Men with men and women with women? What's the big deal?" Ditto for trans and etc.

That's what DeSantis, the legislature, and others making these laws are afraid of.  They don't want kids to be thinking, hey, my teacher is gay and it's no big deal, or my friend is gay and so what?  They want to teach them to think gay is something taboo and shameful and should be shunned.

And then there's this:

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

My assumption: They think sexual identity is a choice. If homosexuality and transgender is presented as normal, then their kids might decide to become gay or change sex. Many people view this as a sin, as going against God. They don't want their kids to go to Hell. I wonder if some religious people see all sins as equal, so being homosexual is the same as being a murderer. Other people are simply uncomfortable with or antagonistic toward anything that is different from their worldview or bubble. Homosexuality, etc., is a challenge to their belief system, a way of saying, Hey you're wrong in what you've been thinking all these years.

Yup, they think their kids will learn it's ok to be gay or trans and choose it because they learn about it and aren't told it's BAD and SHAMEFUL.  Same for any sex ed - they think knowledge will encourage them to have sex.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, izabella said:

Same for any sex ed - they think knowledge will encourage them to have sex.

Conveniently ignoring, of course, all the statistics that show that areas with a lack of sex education also have some of the highest teen pregnancy rates. 

[Hanahope]

Ticketmaster is one reason i used to love going to the Universal Amphitheater back in the 90s, because they sold a large number of the seats on site, so all you had to do was show up when they went on sale.  for big acts, they did the wrist-band random draw thing, but at least you knew that it was actual people/fans buying most of the tickets.

also, for some venues, businesses will have previously bought season tickets.  mostly they do it for sporting events, but they get the concert tickets too.  so those businesses will either give the tickets to clients, allow employees to buy them, or they'll try to resell them too.

and places like stub hub, et al, charge fees on both sides.  if a person sells a ticket, they charge both the seller and the buyer a fee.  John didn't even get into that.

and so many places charge these fees, its ridiculous.  my daughter goes to all star cheerleading competitions and the choice for parents is to pay a $10 or more "service fee" to buy the ticket ahead of time on line with a credit card, or pay just the face value for the ticket in cash, after standing in a long line at the venue on the day of the competition.  the long line is, of course, because people hate paying service fees.

but yeah, the best way sometimes to get concert tickets is to join the artist's official fan club.  they usually then email you a link and/or code to buy "early bird" tickets.  i've had most of my luck that way.

other subjects:

Gee, what Zelinsky says about Russia very much sounded like things that occurred here in the US.

Disney is very disappointing and the heat needs to stay on high.

DeSantis sucks and "the media" needs to push back on his gaslighting.

That Beiber clip was absolutely hilarious.

I can't believe no one has told  Kramer's wife

 

 

[izabella]

32 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

That Beiber clip was absolutely hilarious.

I kept rewinding to see it again.  And then in slo-mo.  Then slo-mo backwards.

Why was that hole there??!

[smittykins]

On 3/15/2022 at 11:08 AM, peeayebee said:

I wonder if some religious people see all sins as equal, so being homosexual is the same as being a murderer.

There’s a definite segment of conservative Protestantism that believe sin is sin is sin; to use Josh Duggar as an example, his molesting his sisters and downloading CSAM is seen as no worse than people having consensual premarital sex.

[lasu]

On 3/14/2022 at 9:04 PM, Lois Sandborne said:

And respect to Pearl Jam for at least trying to buck the system, but I can't help wondering what would've happened if they had actually made that statement. Or maybe if a few top artists just played the ski resorts for a little while. I know they make most of their money on touring, but if you know your tour is bleeding your fans dry? Anyway. I'm naive too.

It's even worse for Pearl Jam.  They really did try.  I think they did a full year of these bullshit venues and selling tickets themselves while they brought an anti-trust lawsuit against Ticketmaster.  They lost their anti-trust lawsuit...because they sold their own tickets, proving Ticketmaster wasn't a monopoly.  How's that for a kick in the shin?

[IvySpice]

Yes, Pearl Jam did everything they could. They were one of the biggest bands in the world in 1995, and the only top-shelf arena they played was Soldier Field in Chicago, which at the time was the only space of its kind with no exclusive deal with Ticketmaster. (I was 20, I was there, and it was AMAZING.)

[Hanahope]

and now PJ is back to having to use TM, and its back to the shows "selling out" in seconds (even pre-sale for "fans only"), with tickets showing up on scalper sites minutes later for 3-5 times the price.

 

[Welshman in Ca]

On 4/3/2022 at 7:43 AM, Hanahope said:

and now PJ is back to having to use TM, and its back to the shows "selling out" in seconds (even pre-sale for "fans only"), with tickets showing up on scalper sites minutes later for 3-5 times the price.

 

 

I remember in 86 having to go into Cardiff from where I lived to buy a ticket & travel package to see Queen at Wembley stadium from the record store. Just one of many tickets I bought for bands back in the 70s, 80s & 90s. Sometimes tickets would sell out before I could get there but at least I knew they had been on sale at said establishment.

Nowadays & generally since the internet became so pervasive I don't even bother trying.

[JustHereForFood]

3 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

 

I remember in 86 having to go into Cardiff from where I lived to buy a ticket & travel package to see Queen at Wembley stadium from the record store. Just one of many tickets I bought for bands back in the 70s, 80s & 90s. Sometimes tickets would sell out before I could get there but at least I knew they had been on sale at said establishment.

Nowadays & generally since the internet became so pervasive I don't even bother trying.

Offtopic, but I envy you seeing Queen at Wembley. I wasn't born yet, but it's the first thing I would ask for if I had access to a time machine.

[andromeda331]

On 4/4/2022 at 3:06 PM, JustHereForFood said:

Offtopic, but I envy you seeing Queen at Wembley. I wasn't born yet, but it's the first thing I would ask for if I had access to a time machine.

That would be amazing to see.

[Kel Varnsen]

John's talk about tickets kind of bugged me, because I really think the only way for ticket resellers to go away is for artists price tickets based on what the market will bear. But they won't because that would be bad press for them. But if news outlets pick up a story about how resale tickets are going for 10x face value that is good for their business. I listened to a great podcast called The Ongoing History of New Music which said how because of that a lot of artists don't really care about resellers. Plus I have been a Pearl Jam Fan Club member since the mid-90's and while it has scored me some amazing seats, a lot of times demand is super high and the process for getting tickets can be a pain in the ass. And actually as they have let TM handle more and more of the selling of fan club seats, the actual process of getting tickets has gotten a lot less annoying. So sure the service fees might suck, but it also sucks to be on the computer hitting F5 for hours trying to get a page to load with the add to cart button. So maybe there is value in some of those fees.

The only other way I have ever seen for an artist to keep prices down is to just play more shows. I hate country music, but Garth Brooks came to my city years ago and some friends of my wife went. It was crazy how every time a show would sell out he would just add another show.

As for ticketmaster fees, the NHL arena in my city used to use their own ticket selling service. And maybe not too surprising their service charges were pretty much inline with what Ticketmaster would charge.

Edited June 28, 2022 by Kel Varnsen