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[Professor H]

As far as Kid Rock is concerned, everybody belongs in the cheap seats.

In a bold move that will raise eyebrows across the concert industry, Rock is announcing a $20 price tag for seats in every section on his upcoming summer tour, including shows Aug. 9-11 at DTE Energy Music Theatre.

The Detroit star has partnered with Walmart to sell tickets for $20 flat, although seats purchased through Ticketmaster will have standard additional fees — a $5 service charge and $3 parking fee in the case of the DTE shows.

“No hidden fees, no gimmicks,” Rock says of the 27-city tour, which will kick off June 28 in Bristow, Va. Tickets for the three DTE shows will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

ZZ Top will open shows on part of the tour, including DTE. Uncle Kracker is an opener on all dates except DTE, and will be joined in the tour's early stretch by Kool & the Gang.

With the hope that low prices will spur high sales volume, Rock and tour promoter Live Nation are also working with venues to configure value deals for concessions and merchandise, including $20 T-shirts.

Rock is billing it all as a fan-first crusade that will aim to thwart scalping, including a paperless ticket system for some seats. The first two rows at each show will be reserved for concertgoers randomly chosen that night for upgrades.

Rock has publicly blasted ticket scalping at his shows, including premium seats resold by some of his own fan club members.

In this morning’s tour announcement, Rock says he’s stepping out on a limb.

“If this works we’re going to play to packed houses of fans who appreciate what we’re doing. If it doesn’t, might be a long summer,” his statement reads. “But someone has to go out there and fight these high prices out there and change things up.”

While every seating section will include $20 tickets, not every seat will be $20: Up to 1,000 tickets from each show will be sold through Live Nation’s online Platinum Ticket brand, which uses a “dynamic pricing” system modeled on the airline and hotel industries. The system was introduced in 2011 to compete with resellers such as StubHub amid an industry-wide sales decline.

Rock has long played up a commitment to reasonable prices for a fan base that includes a substantial blue-collar demographic. Tickets for his 2010 run at DTE were $33-$55, while his Comerica Park shows a year later were $30-$99.

But the $20 across-the-board ticket is still an eye-catching tactic in an industry that continues to reckon with a rocky economy and growing competition for leisure dollars.

Rock and Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino will appear Friday on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live” to discuss the strategy.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130408/ENT04/130408008/Kid-Rock-announces-Detroit-concert-dates-rolls-dice-with-new-pricing-scheme

[Frenchfry]

Kid Rock 'embarrassed' to be a Republican
http://www.examiner.com/article/kid-rock-embarrassed-to-be-a-republican

[Monroe Native]

Kid Rock 'embarrassed' to be a Republican
http://www.examiner.com/article/kid-rock-embarrassed-to-be-a-republican

Wow Fry.  You and this reporter took that out of context. 

Of course we really don't know the context because the only word in quotations was "embarrassed" so we have not idea what he was saying he is embarrassed about.

Then if you read the article he identifies on most issues as a Libertarian or Republican - but disagrees on paperless tickets.

You and this reporter need to learn how not to slant things so fair minded people can understand what the subject is actually talking about.

What a joke.

[Frenchfry]

Wow Fry.  You and this reporter took that out of context. 

Of course we really don't know the context because the only word in quotations was "embarrassed" so we have not idea what he was saying he is embarrassed about.

Then if you read the article he identifies on most issues as a Libertarian or Republican - but disagrees on paperless tickets.

You and this reporter need to learn how not to slant things so fair minded people can understand what the subject is actually talking about.

What a joke.

Fair minded? I created "Obama: The most polarizing moderate ever"...which I consider critical of "my side"...and you've done nothing but create baseless partisan attacks against the Dems...but I'll not argue with you...you're just not worth it.

The rock star who’s ‘embarrassed to be a Republican’

President Obama had a slew of celebrities in his corner for the 2012 election, including Bruce Springsteen, Jay Z & Beyonce, and George Clooney.

For Mitt Romney, the list of celebrity endorsements was far shorter and arguably less glamorous: Clint Eastwood, Meatloaf, Kid Rock.

Now one of Romney’s supporters is no longer proud of his political leanings. In a recent interview, Kid Rock told Rolling Stone magazine he’s “embarrassed to be a Republican.”

The issue that’s bothering him? Economic fairness. “Athletes and musicians make astronomical amounts of money,” Rock told Rolling Stone. “People get paid $100 million to throw a baseball! Shouldn’t we all take less and pass some of that money onto others? Think about firefighters, teachers and policemen. We should celebrate people that are intellectually smart and trying to make this world a better place.”

Rock has decided to take control of his latest tour and drastically lower ticket prices to make them affordable. “We’re all so overpaid. It’s ridiculous. People stopped going to concerts because they can’t afford them. The Rolling Stones are charging $650 per ticket! That just makes me speechless,” he said. Unfortunately, Rock won’t have the freedom to dole out his tickets on his own terms everywhere he performs–because some states have outlawed paperless ticketing–and he blames Republicans for that.

“That’s one of the times I’m f****** embarrassed to be a Republican,” he said. “It’s  f****** Republican lawmakers passing those laws.”

Rock also told the magazine he’s pro-choice and supports marriage equality, adding that at times he thinks of himself as more of a Libertarian than a Republican.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/11/the-rock-star-whos-embarrassed-to-be-a-republican/

=========================

Kid Rock On Republicans: 'I'm F--king Embarrassed'

Kid Rock made waves by supporting Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, but that doesn't mean he always toes the party line. In an new interview with Rolling Stone, the rocker says one point in particular had him foaming at the mouth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/kid-rock-republican-embarrassed_n_3061345.html

[Monroe Native]

Hey - I agree with Kid Rock.

Some of us are not so brainwashed as to think EVERYTHING a party or candidate does is right.

That doesn't change the fact the first article you cited ran a very deceptive headliner.

[Frenchfry]

Hey - I agree with Kid Rock.

Some of us are not so brainwashed as to think EVERYTHING a party or candidate does is right.

That doesn't change the fact the first article you cited ran a very deceptive headliner.

All the stories said the same thing! You're complete waste of time. C-YA!