Sting and Dostoevsky at Carnegie Hall

The recent Sting & Goldman Sachs concert at Carnegie Hall kicked off with ticket sales hitting the market a month ago. If you had checked the seating chart on www.carnegiehall.org back then, you would have seen a layout showing which sections still had vacancies. While the side seating blocks were only about half full, the center sections were all marked with a blunt: "sold out."
Fearing the tickets would vanish into thin air, I rushed over to the city immediately to secure my own seats. They were decent enough, I suppose, but for $233, they weren't nearly good enough.
Fast forward a month—just a few days before I sat down to write this—and the reason behind that "sold out" status became crystal clear. They weren't actually out of center seats; they simply refused to release them until the side sections were cleared out. It’s a calculated move that leaves the true enthusiasts, those who actually care about the music, stuck with mediocre views because once you buy a ticket, there's no turning back. Meanwhile, the folks who just want to show up for the hype will be treated to the absolute best seats in the house.
Bravo, Carnegie Hall! Once again, you've managed to outmaneuver those of us who actually value music and art, all in the pursuit of a little extra profit...

I freaking cannot believe this...😲

What a bunch of absolute clowns 🙏 good grief 🤣🙏

hollowfox682 said:The recent Sting & Goldman Sachs concert at Carnegie Hall kicked off ticket sales a full month ago. If you were looking to
.....
Kudos, Carnegie Hall! Once again, you've managed to outmaneuver those of us who actually value music and art, all in the pursuit of your own bottom line...

To ensure this piece doesn't lose its edge, I should mention the original headline was "chaos in Carnegie Hall," though the admins saw fit to censor me.

thanks

Given who's performing, I'd say that title works just fine.

hollowfox682 said:To make sure this post doesn't lose its edge—I should probably mention the original title was "chaos in Carnegie Hall"—but the admins censored me.

thanks

I didn't just hand you a pass because I'm feeling generous. You might want to pull yourself together a bit.

gentlepuma20 said:You didn't get the bike immediately just because I was feeling generous. Get a grip.

But it's also because the post itself is actually decent... 😉.... isn't it?

hollowfox682 said:but also because the post itself is solid... 😉... right??

Wow, I’ve somehow stumbled onto a news site like CNN... I honestly can't fathom why this was even created 🙄... but I can tell you one thing, I'm certainly not an forum dweller (this marks my first four posts, and quite likely my absolute LAST), nor am I fuming (I'm more just profoundly disappointed)...

$233 Is that really how it ends?????? And just like that, I was ready to head out... oh, my dear Sting, I guess I'll catch you another time...

Donna Kern79 said:$233And that’s how I was planning to leave... oh, my dear Sting, I’ll catch you some other time.....

Tickets ranged from $167 up to $700. The $500 ones are obviously sold out, but there are still plenty left at $200 if anyone finds those affordable enough...

Adam Moore said:I mean, given who's actually performing, I guess that title works fine enough.

🙏

Give me a break, I actually heard Dostoevsky playing with ZF. It was a total disaster. It felt like they were trying to perform two completely different pieces at the exact same time. He was fumbling around with the lute while every fifth note sounded completely off. If he sounds like that when he's playing with Sting, we're in serious trouble...

At the end of the day, the prices are just way too high.
No way in hell.

I’m heading out now... there are still plenty of tickets available if you want some, and they aren't the ones from $167 that already sold out...

$700 for some pretentious, overhyped jerk who’s an absolute eyesore. Honestly, we need a tax on garbage like this... 🙂

Megan Rodriguez44 said:Paying $700 for some pretentious, overhyped hack? It’s an absolute eyesore; honestly, we should probably just implement a luxury tax on pure garbage at this point... 🙂

I suppose there's a grain of truth in what you're saying, but I find myself wondering which quiet, unassuming, or modest musician you actually respect. Even if you were to dig one up, there's no guarantee you'd be uncovering their true character... and even then, it doesn't mean you'll end up listening to much music. At the end of the day, musicians are just people, after all; they don't have to be anything more significant than your neighbor, a friend, or just some random passerby on the street...

As for Sting, he is widely recognized as a talented musician, and his contribution to the art form is undeniably substantial. I suspect those paying such exorbitant amounts for this concert are doing so for the music itself, rather than specifically for his persona....
It's a mistake to conflate a performer's personality or their business dealings with the actual music or one's personal taste...

And as for why the prices are so astronomical, it's simply the law of supply and demand—one of the many charms of capitalism, which remains a massive global headache... but again, that has absolutely nothing to do with the music.

hollowfox682 said:Well, some of what you've said holds water, but I’m genuinely curious—which quiet, unassuming, and modest musician do you actually hold in high regard? Even if you were to dig one up, there is absolutely no guarantee regarding their true character... and even then, it doesn't mean you'll find yourself listening to much of their catalog. At the end of the day, musicians are just people first; they don't have to be anything more significant than your neighbor, a friend, or just some random passerby on the street...

As for Sting, he is widely recognized as a talented musician, and his contribution to the craft is undeniably substantial. I suspect those paying a premium for this concert are investing in the music itself rather than simply his presence....
One shouldn't conflate a person's private traits or their standing in show business with the quality of their music or their artistic taste...
.....

A little update for you all... it was frankly incredible. The man is a legend, yet he strikes me as a completely ordinary guy... just with a bit of a swagger xD. He’s quite the character, and the musical arrangements were superb. The seats weren't half bad either, though in the grand scheme of things, that hardly matters..
Those who could afford it but chose to stay skeptical ended up missing a massive event here in the States...
P.S. For the nostalgia seekers out there: about 50% of the set (including four fake endings to the performance, lol) felt like it belonged to John Dowland (I think it was reminiscent of that entire Labyrinth album), while the other half was all him—The Police era, his solo rock and jazz explorations, and some blues to close things out😉...
There is plenty more to recount, but I'll save that for another time...

hollowfox682 said:p.s. for the nostalgia crowd: about half of it (counting those 4 fake endings lol) was by John Dowland—I think that was a total labyrinth of an album—and the other half was his (The Police, his solo rock and jazz stuff, and some blues at the end😉)...

It wasn't just his, though. They played all sorts of things, everything from Elgar to The Beatles (and honestly, their version of "In My Life" was the absolute peak of the set—what a killer arrangement).

Arthur Garcia59 said:It wasn't limited to just one composer. The repertoire spanned everything from Elgar to The Beatles (personally, I thought their arrangement of "In My Life" was a absolute high point—truly masterful execution).

Is this the specific arrangement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFBophgJNjc&fmt=18
?

Thomas Fowler84 said:Was this specific arrangement used before?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFBophgJNjc&fmt=18
?

Yeah. It’s gorgeous. I didn't think anyone actually uploaded this to YouTube, so I wasn't even looking for it. It's killer.

My biggest gripe with the show, though? Edin doesn't say a single word. Total waste of time.