:-O Don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster :-O

Well, for those of you that don't know where the title phrase of this post comes from I tell You: It comes from the booklet of the Vertigo 2005 // U2 Live from Chicago DVD, which I received as a present in my birthday.

I like U2, and I liked the present. In fact I bought the ticket for the concert on my birthday, but I don't like the attitude the band had been taking in the last tour.

First, and noticed by all: they charge to some material from the band in their website. I know this is normal and many bands do it. But is just the tip of the iceberg. In my country, Chile they are charging prices that are much above what many people can afford to just listen and watch them live in concert. Here there is a list of prices. Just in case they take the site down, I take a couple of screen shots:

Just in case the prices are in Chilean Pesos using today exchange rate (528 Chilean pesos per one US. Dollar) the final price of the tickets (Precio final) would be:
Galeria (the cheapest location): US $ 36.72.
Cancha: US $ 65.49.
Pací­fico Lateral Sur: US $ 65.49.
Pací­fico Lateral: US $ 65.49.
Andes: US $ 109.78
Pací­fico Bajo: Norte y Sur: US $ 182.27
Pací­fico Alto: US $ 282.01
Pací­fico Medio Centro (the most expensive location) : US $ 350.15

I don't know how much live concerts cost in other countries in the world, but as an example Oasis charges 15.000 Chilean pesos (US $ 28.39) in every location or Carlos Santana which charges between 7.000 Chilean pesos in the cheapest location (US $ 13.25) and 40.000 (US $ 75.71) in the most expensive. And they are international and everybody knows them also.

They also created a 'new location' Pacífico Lateral Sur which is explicitly warned as: 'with limited view'. That location didn't exist when the first ticket where put on sale, but after in just one day they sold almost 75% of the tickets, they opened the 'new' location.

The main problem with U2 is their main singer and leader: Bono is the champion of the 'good causes' in the world (as an example look at this 'Band News' in the their website).

I was in the last concert in Chile and It was not as much expensive as is now. I can't remember the prices in detail, but they were not as high charged as they are now. In timennity the band initially had prohibited alcohol or cigarettes brands to sponsor the concert, but finally they agree to accept those brands in certain countries (including Chile) in order not to over-charge the ticket prices. Well, I don't know what happened in between but this time Coca-Cola is the main sponsor and the tickets are over priced (from my country point of view).

The funny thing is the last tour in Chile was based in the man as a consumer and a not so subtle criticism to consumerism. Well, with the Elevation tour in between, they forgot this stanza and now they are treating their fans as consumers and they try to convert them into compulsive consumers which make long rows in a sunny day just to get one ticket (or as just four, because you couldn't get more than that) which was what happened in Chile.

I don't know. I like the band, I like their music, but, I don't like their 'new' way of looking at 'me' just as a consumer and not as a music listener. I prefer the last.