Credit crunch conks Counting Crows
Jim Carroll
Those 138 readers (sorry, just did a recount, 27 readers) who were looking forward to seeing Counting Crows (or, more likely, support act The Hold Steady) in Dublin’s 02 and Belfast’s Odyssey in December now have a free date on their dance card because the band’s entire European tour has been 86′d.
The reason? Well, promoters MCD originally claimed it was down to “unexpected personal and work commitments”. But it now appears that the band are blaming the cancellations on the global financial shizzle. For real.
Here’s the business news from Adam Crow
“I just wanted to write a quick note to everyone about the change in our European tour. It happened for a few reasons. I’m sure everyone’s painfully aware of how hard it is for anyone to afford to spend money on anything right now but the fact that every currency in the world is acting a yo-yo at the moment also means that it’s very difficult for anyone, bands and promoters alike, to make a deal because no one has any way of knowing if cutting a deal in Australian Dollars or ours or the Euro or the Pound is going to turn out to be a be a good thing or bankrupt you. It makes international tours tough to figure out.
We just decided that it made more sense to move things to May when, hopefully, things will have settled down a bit. It also seemed like it might be an easier time for people to be able to afford to spend their hard-earned money on something like a concert. The only shame is that we weren’t actually struggling to sell tkts the way we thought we might. Wembley sold over 10,000 seats almost immediately.
Still, we thought about it and this just seemed like the best thing to do for everyone. We’re really sorry to disappoint those of you hoping for shows this winter. We will, however, see you in the Spring!”
The band’s Irish gigs have been rescheduled for May 7 (Belfast) and 8 (Dublin). Interesting that they cite the ticket tally for the London show – wonder how many tickets they had sold for the Irish shows before they yanked them? Anyone with TM manifests to the comments field as fast as your little legs can carry you.
Will the “credit crunch” take over from “unforseen circumstances” as the prefered excuse for under-performing bands and promoters in 2009?
so there is an upside to the credit crunch
What I love is his confidence that it will be all OK by May – Crowman obviously knows something the rest of us don’t.
Counting Crows. The band for every bore who went to the USA on a J1 for the summer during the mid nineties. Only people who truly despise music could possibly like them.
@3
So Counting Crows were the Jack Johnsons of the Nineties?
I wonder if, considering that they’ve already got a slew of dates booked from the first couple of weeks booked in the UK for December if The Hold Steady will fit an Irish trip in.
The band for every bore who went to the USA on a J1 for the summer during the mid nineties.
Better then the kids who came back listening to Limp Bizkit when I was in colege.
ah listen to yous… do you not prefer this (which is likely only a half lie) to the usual closed mouth made-up reasons we get for show cancellations?… there’s no winning…
No sign of the credit crunch at Herbie Hancock last night. The place was stuffed with queues out the door going on about 45 minutes into the gig.
Any word on whether The Hold Steady will still be coming? Maybe to a smaller venue
Ah Jim I’d love to divulge but I’d probably get my source sacked if it went public!
Angry at the world Brock? I presume you have no guilty pleasures in your music collection? I listen to tons of different music styles and acts (inc CC) and I’m not dead yet. Bit of a generalisation there my friend.
CC have always been a big draw to these shores so I find it unlikely that they were having any strife with ticket sales.
In a funny way, I think the admission that it was for financial reasons is more a reflection of the honestly and rapport that Adam Duritz has cultivated with his fanbase since day one.
Using a business model that would make White Hinderland proud, Duritz has always listened to his supporters (and detractors), was one of the first acts to use blogs and the web to get closer to his fans, promoted other artists where he can(he was an early supporter of Ryan Adams and Ben Folds) and tried to give something back to the scene. All stuff that would be commended if it was Fleet Foxes, MGMT, whatever.
While it might be cooler to have the right haircut and drainpipe jeans, move with the current scene and it’s movers & shakers, it is still the music BUSINESS. The majority of acts can only continue to function as long as they continue to make money.
He has been honest enough with his fanbase to say that it just makes no financial sense for them to come over at this time. What’s wrong with that?
I will admit that it is 99.9% likely we will begin to hear this reason becoming the byword excuse for poor sales in the weeks/months to come but I don’t see any reason to dispute it at this time.
I was only going to this gig to see The Hold Steady.
I see this gig being cancelled completely before May citing some other reason – band illness – recording issues etc.
It could be transfered to a smaller venue though – Maybe Whelans!
somehow i think they have oversaturated ireland over the last few yeas and probably only half sold the 02.
just saw born ruffians whelans gig has been cancelled was going to go this were great earlier in the year when they played with caribou
zimmerframemosher – I’m fairly sure CCs played Whelan’s back in the day. Or am I think of the Crash Test Dummies?
derek – I think Born Ruffians are still playing Dublin later this month at the Ambassador as support to Foals. They pulled all their UK/European dates due to, uhm, stuff.
‘So Counting Crows were the Jack Johnsons of the Nineties?’
‘The band for every bore who went to the USA on a J1 for the summer during the mid nineties.’
‘Better then the kids who came back listening to Limp Bizkit when I was in colege’
It the figgers that came back from their J1 and fell in love with Corona’s San Diego song because they could ‘relate’ that gets on my tits.
heard a funny story about counting crows at the weekend.
they were playin dublin a good while back and had a gig in galway the next night. apparently they were doing a green thing so decided they were going to get the train to galway and booked a carriage.
showed up at hueston anyway and train was more or less full no carriage set aside for the band and crew.
tour manager asks duty manager what the story is and he says he doesnt know anything about it says he cant do anything for them. manager doing the dont you know who the counting crows are?
duty manager no never heard of them.
so eventually tour manager goes do you watch friends?
duty manager i do yeah why?
thats jennifer anniston over there.(she was going out with singer at the time)
duty manager says i will see if i can sort something out.
comes back its sorted lads ye can have the dining car.
so the band crew and jennifer travelled to galway in the dining car.
was a friend of the tour manager who is from cork told me the story
Haha. Funny story. Very possibly true. He was actually seeing Courtney Cox at the time ’cause I saw them in Galway and there were more people screaming at her.