I love the Rolling Stones. I’ve seen them perform live three times, and of the many bands I’ve enjoyed, their three concerts ranked first, second, and third in my book. You read a lot lately that this current tour could be their last, and that it will certainly gross hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m sure that’s true, just as it’s true of Madonna when she tours, and would be true if U2 were touring this year. If ticket prices average several hundred dollars, then an act only has to round up a million or so patrons to guarantee huge grosses.
And yet I also recall reading—several times over the past dozen years or so—that ABBA has been offered the staggering sum of $1 BILLION dollars to reunite for a tour. That’s a lot of zeroes. And you know what? You can’t believe everything you read these days, but I’ll bet it’s true. I say that because I believe an ABBA reunion tour would be worth it—at least in the sense that the promoters would see a hefty return on their investment. I believe an ABBA tour would dwarf anything out there in any year they choose. A real “event.” The pent-up demand from younger fans alone would guarantee success. Throw in the grannies and those of us who never saw them on tour in the 70’s and, well, let’s just say money would flow like a river. Can you imagine the lines to buy T-shirts?
And yet, the reunion tour that would beat ALL reunion tours, the one that would set records so high that not even the combined efforts of the next ten groups could match it, can never be. Continue reading “Beatles vs. ABBA vs. Rolling Stones”