John Hiatt and The Jerry Douglas Band hit the road!


They have a new album out, and are making their way across the U.S.A. to perform it live. Tickets in my locale (Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon) are a modest $49.50 (plus $11 "booking fee"---what a racket!). Hiatt is a great live performer; I saw him a few times in L.A., once with the great Goners backing him, once as a member of Little Village, the supergroup composed of he, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Damn!), and The Jerry Douglas Band (whom I saw at the same Portland venue their last time through town) is composed of virtuoso-level musicians.

Jerry is one of my favorite living musicians, the dobro player heard on a LOT of Bluegrass and Country albums, and a member of Union Station, the band Alison Krauss employs (she and Jerry have a kid together). Along with Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives (currently the best band in the world, imo)---unfortunately sold out, THE shows of the year!
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I admit to being spoiled as a kid. I saw The Beatles for $4.50, and Cream, Hendrix, Albert King, The Kinks, Elton John, the doors, Procol Harum, The Electric Flag, Big Brother, The Beach Boys, and hundreds of others for $3.00-3.50. And The Airplane and Dead for free! Of course, that's back when milk was 25 cents a half-gallon, about the same each for a gallon of gas and a pack of cigs.

Shows in the clubs in L.A. (The Whiskey A Go Go, The Roxy, The Starwood, The Troubadour, The Palace) in the 80's and 90's was no more than around ten bucks, but they gotcha at the bar---about eight bucks for a shot of Johnny Walker Black, iirc. 
$50 bucks is about my max for a show. Too bad Tickethackster takes money that should go to the band. Otherwise I support bands through vinyl purchases.
That's about it for me too, Steve. Iris Dement at The Aladdin Theater last year was $40, drinks $10, I think. Music and alcohol go hand-in-hand. ;-)