The Eagles have just announced a Summer 2010 Tour and are booked for Nationals Park on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.  The Eagles will be joined in concert by The Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban in what is currently an eight city stadium tour of the east coast and mid-west.     All three bands will be touring together for the first time.  The announcement appeared on the bands’ respective web sites on March 16, 2010. Tour dates are listed below. 

 Fans interested in purchasing tickets may visit the official web site of The Eagles by  double clicking this hyperlink.

The Eagles - Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit - will perform hits from their more than 35-year career, such as "Hotel California," "Desperado," "Life In The Fast Lane," " Ly’in Eyes" "Take It To The Limit," "One Of These Nights," "Heartache Tonight," and more.  The album “The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975” is the top selling album of all time at over twenty nine million copies sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Aussie Keith Urban has had eleven # 1 country and/or pop singles including "Days Go By," "Sweet Thing," Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me," "You'll Think of Me," "Better Life," as well as Billboard's Country Song of the Decade, "Somebody Like You".
 

Touring for the first time in four years, The Dixie Chicks - Martie Maguire, Emily Robison and lead singer Natalie Maines - will perform songs from all four of their albums including smash hits, "Wide Open Spaces," "Goodbye Earl," and "Not Ready to Make Nice".
 

Controversy on Two Fronts
 

The Summer Tour 2010 of three of the most commercially successful bands in country music history does not come without controversy on two separate fronts.  To the discomfort of many of their fans, The Dixie Chicks have a well documented history of expressing inflammatory political opinion from the stage.  The commentary’s actual merits or lack thereof aside, many fans were put off by statements from Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines made within the context of a country music event.  These same fans had spent their hard earned cash to hear great music, not to attend a political rally. 

The second controversy is far more serious and involves how tickets to high profile shows are priced and distributed.  Ticket pricing and service charges by LiveNation and TicketMaster  have brought to light and are part of the larger issue of how major music stars are represented and promoted by major artist management groups with ownership and affiliate relationships with concert promoters like LiveNation.  

The Federal Trade Commission’s recently approved merger of Live Nation and Ticket Master has created a monopoly that John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil would be proud of.  In spite of recently announced “All-in” ticketing, which may streamline ticket buying, fans fortunate enough to actually get tickets to high profile shows like this will continue to pay exorbitant ticket prices.  Services charges once itemized are now simply added in to the bottom line cost of tickets.  Clear Channel Communications directly owns some nine hundred radio stations including WMZQ and WPOC.  Clear Channel’s   principals have major ownership stakes in LiveNation and Ticketmaster, and have long sought to vertically integrate nearly all aspects of the music industry. The latest FTC ruling has only strengthened a monopoly now enjoyed by these principals, at the expense of loyal fans. Principal owners of Clear Channel Communications also have ownership stakes in an artist management firm (SFX Sports Group), a radio advertising company (Katz Media), and a company that owns and produces live theatre (Clear Channel Entertainment).

Independent record labels and independent artists, unaffiliated with Clear Channel, LiveNation and other large media companies, have simply been denied access to concert venues, airwaves, and other methods of ticket distribution that were once free, fair and accessible.  These ownership tie-ins across many parts of the music industry coupled with Clear Channel’s policy of the exclusion of independent record labels from air play raises serious legal questions.

Lack of Oversight From Federal Agencies and The United States Congress

Issues involving possible restraint of trade and violation of federal anti-trust law have somehow been overlooked by federal regulators at the FTC, the FCC and the United States Congress.  This is a major consumer issue that hurts music fans now and in the future; now by forcing higher prices, and in the future by limiting the number of new artists and new material from mainstream airwaves, venues and other platforms.

Make no mistake, stadium and arena tours have become very big business.  Executives at LiveNation and Clear Channel Communications, and at other major promoters and venues have played hardball with independent artists,  independent record labels, and the concert going public.  The end result is ever increasing ticket pricing, a concentration of the best musical talent in very few hands, and the lack of new talent able to develop and rise up in what is a brutal, winner take all business.

Perhaps this is an issue that  Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Manes would see fit to get behind;  just  not at a Chicks concert,  please.  For more information including links on this important topic, the reader may refer to  Francis Harry Gosman: An American original published by this writer on December 5, 2009.

Tour Dates
June-8 *Toronto, ON Rogers Centre
June-10 East Rutherford, NJ New Meadowlands Stadium
June-12 Boston, MA Gillette Stadium
June-14 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Ball Park
June-15 Washington, DC Nationals Park
June-19 Chicago, IL Soldier Field
June-22 *Winnipeg, MB Canad Inns
June-24 *St. Louis, MO Busch Stadium

*Keith Urban is not appearing at these concerts.
posted March 16, 2010.

stevestegman@verizon.net