Why Did Stone Temple Pilots Cancel Their Lubbock Show?
It's easy to look at two things in a group and identify it as a trend, but that may not be the case.
We've had two concerts cancel over the last couple months: Jack White and Stone Temple Pilots. It's easy to get your head down if you're a fan of either, but I think it's important to look more at the big picture. Let's start looking at some general stuff, then the individual bands.
People are still going to rock concerts. There are bigger and better shows out there than ever before, we're just not the size of the market that gets these giant shows. Those giant shows suck up all the big talent and happen on the weekend. If we're very, very lucky, we pick up a mid-card or lower level band from those shows. Let's keep in mind that there's a reason that band wasn't headlining in the first place.
After the "type" of band thing, you have to look at the economics. When are they playing and how much are tickets? A lot of people can't go to a concert on a weeknight; they have a job or kids or other conflicts. Just booking a fall show on Friday in Texas is a bad idea because of high school football. Saturdays during football season aren't much better.
So let's start with the fresh cancellation. Stone Temple Pilots were booked on a Wednesday night during fair week. I can tell you as someone who has been around for over three decades, it's near suicide to book anything up against the South Plains Fair. People are going to the fair. They might do something else, but the answer has traditionally been NO.
Next, there's the band. It looked like STP would be revitalized with a couple decent singles off the new album, but those have come and gone. Let's also not forget that their last booked appearance was canceled, with the original singer (he was flaky by then, but still).
How about Jack White?
White sold out the big club by the interstate, and was then booked outdoors at a much larger venue. He sold out somewhere around 800 to 1,000 tickets, then was booked at a place that holds at least 6,000. His people got annoyed because it was the one show that didn't say "sell-out" next to it. People knew that that show wasn't going to sell-out, so they were in no hurry to get tickets to that, either.
Okay, so what about other shows on the docket? Robert Plant is smack dab in the middle of fair week, but it looks like it will go on as planned. I think enough people realize that this is probably a "last chance" opportunity. I also think Papa Roach will pick up after the fair shutters for the year.
There very much is cause for optimism in all of this. You'd think I might say 'Metallica,' because to the best of my knowledge that show is down to single seats. But the answer is even more unlikely; that answer is Hinder.
The demand for tickets for Hinder, a band with a replacement singer, is insane. We're nearly out of 5,000 tickets. People want to rock, but people want to go to the fair. The Hinder show lets them do both.
Yeah, live shows are trending down, but that's across the board. Let's not forget that Blake Shelton is on TV three nights a week, has a hit single every other day, and even he didn't sell out the United Supermarkets Arena. RIght now, people are just distracted with other things.
So at the end of the day, if you want shows to happen, it's best to buy tickets in advance, but that's all on you. I don't think anyone should get upset about it or read too much about it. If the right show is booked on the right night at the right price, it will be successful -- and that's all there is to it.