IS IT TRUE November 8, 2012
IS IT TRUE that Disney On Ice World of Fantasy show is scheduled at the Ford Center on March 28, 29, 30, and 31st of March, 2012?…the concert featuring classic rock and roll entertainers Journey, Loverboy, and Pat Benatar has been cancelled at the Ford Center?…this same tour played in Louisville’s Freedom Hall in August to a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000 people?…by keeping Freedom Hall in operation Louisville is able to have classic rock concerts at classic rock ticket prices and seldom find themselves in a position of having to cancel concerts due to low ticket sales?…that finding uses for Freedom Hall have not been particularly difficult for Louisville but Evansville didn’t even give Roberts Stadium a creative chance to find new uses?…Louisville’s YUM Center along with Evansville’s shiny new Ford Center are partners in absorbing financial losses and passing them on to the populace in spite of good attendance at most events?
IS IT TRUE that the Wall Street Journal has on its front page today a county by county map of the United States showing each county as red (republican) or blue (democrat) to show how each county voted in the presidential election?…this map adds some clarity as to how the country is ideologically divided when compared to the state color maps that we are all familiar with from watching the election returns?…what becomes clear is that the ideological division in the country are strongly between urban areas and rural areas with the exception of some counties that are overwhelmingly populated by African Americans or Latinos?…that the red state of Texas had a few pockets of blue?…that Dallas, Austin, and a string of counties on the border with Mexico all voted for President Obama with the rest of the state painted red?…Democrat dominated California does not look so blue on a county by county map?…the highly populated coast with the exception of Orange County are all blue but the inland areas are pretty red?…our neighbor state of Illinois is a Republican state with one big Democrat run city named Chicago that nullifies the will of the rest of the state by a large amount?…what is really clear is if the election results were broken down into urban counties that President Obama would have gotten his landslide?…if this was a rural election Mitt Romney would have won an overwhelming majority?…it is possible to drive from one coast of America to the other and never pass through a county that went for the President?…it is not possible travel across the country and stay in Obama country?…that starting from either coast there are only two possibilities to get even 2 states deep before facing a red county in every direction?
IS IT TRUE that the stock market dropped over 300 points (2.3%) yesterday while the American dollar fell against 16 other non-banana republic currencies?…this came on the heels of not only the American election results but some news releases from Europe stating continued failures of bailout programs?…the other driving factor is the so called “fiscal cliff†that is looming at the end of the year if Congress and the President do not find a compromise to avoid the malaise that happens when the fiscal time bomb that was conveniently set for 6 weeks after the election during the last compromise in 2010 before the House of Representatives was taken over by Republicans?…this fiscal cliff is a golden opportunity for President Obama to bring out that guy from 2008 we got to know as candidate Obama that seemed able to do anything and put him to work on solving this problem?…this is no time for the politics of class warfare to dominate the President’s agenda or for the Republicans in Congress to obstruct logical solutions put on the table by the President and the Democrats?…if these folks can’t settle on a real tangible solution to avoid the fiscal cliff then we are headed for one horrible four years when it comes to the economy?…if President Obama gets his way on soaking the folks in the top tax bracket (and we suspect he will) that the additional taxes collected per year will only amount to 2% of the federal budget or 7 days of government spending?…it will become easily apparent that raising the top marginal tax rates is all about the politics of class warfare and not about a real solution to the fiscal crisis?
IS IT TRUE that both Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Americas two largest defense contractors responded to the election results quickly and decisively by announcing layoffs and cut backs of well over a Billion dollars each?…the fiscal cliff is driving the stock selloff too as the tax on capital gains is scheduled to roughly triple on January 1st?…we invite you to imagine you are faced with a scenario of having an investment of a stock or small business that will be subject to the having the tax laws changed in the middle of the game and that you have say $10 Million in gains?…if you sell before the end of the year you get to keep $8.5 Million but if you wait till next year you only get to keep $5.5 Million?…under that scenario and there are many such scenarios out there this is the last chance to sell and keep your earned income for at least 6 years and maybe longer?…a similar situation exists with inheritance taxes that are set to increase from 35% to 55%?…a two generational inheritance tax of a Million bucks above the exclusion will result in a Million dollars (taxes already paid on this by the person that earned it) seeing $550,000 taken by the government on their passing and another $247,500 taken when it passes to their grandchildren a few years later?…that hard earned Million bucks will have turned into $202,500 in two passes through the inheritance confiscation laws?…tax laws like this devalue everything they touch and provide a disincentive to earn?…anyone who thinks it is fair for $1 Million in hard earned after tax dollars to be taxed down to $202,500 going from granny to the grandkids would have been more at home in the now fractured and dissolved USSR?
IS IT TRUE we hope the Congress and the President both recognize the error of their ways and find a way to avoid this “fiscal cliff†that is truly a destroyer of value and ambition?…the campaign is over and it is now time to govern?…that campaign promises cloaked in “soak the rich†rhetoric will solve no problems, will make more problems, and are no way to govern?…as the protesters of the 60’s used to chant, “the whole world is watching†and there are only 7 weeks to find a solution?…we hope the bunch of you prove yourselves worthy?
When comparing the reasons they contrive for urban voters favoring Obama and rural voters favoring Romney, FOX commentators all spewed the radical right talking points related to “the kind of people who live in rural concentrations depend on the government for things.” Hey, farmers don’t depend on government programs?
Exactly! That’s why they were voting for Romney instead of Gary Johnson. Farmer’s wouldn’t have to depend on government programs, they have been duped into believing they couldn’t live without them.
Regardless, the story of rural areas isn’t all about farmers. Actual farmers and the people they employ are small in number. The modern mechanized farm doesn’t support many jobs. I think there are a few different reasons for this demographic difference between urban and rural political leanings.
The first reason is just marketing. Democrats tend to market their brand of collectivism in urban areas, while Republicans tend to market their brand of pseudo-individualism in rural ones. The reasons for this have to do with the kinds of special interests they cater to and simply because this is where they find their more fertile ground for their respective messages. Republicans cater to WASPs, the oil, mining and energy sectors, religious types, and large scale farmers; Democrats cater to labor unions, blacks, and anyone wanting bigger government. Since birds of a feather flock together, this is just the way it works out.
People in rural areas see fewer of the social ills that come from large concentrations of population, i.e. waste management, homelessness, urban blight, etc., and they tend to come from a moral tradition of self-reliance and picking oneself up by one’s bootstraps. If something is wrong, the constraints of population means it will likely have to be YOU who fixes it.
The social forces among small groups are more powerful, more amplified. In places where everybody knows everybody, people are held more to account for their actions, often for the rest of their lives. Urbanization lends itself to a level of anonymity of the individual, an alienation from the impact of one’s choices upon other individuals. Collectivism is ripe for growth in such fertile soil.
People who live in small towns and rural areas are more susceptible to influence from religiosity than people in urban areas, whose religion is more of a token badge than a relevant way of life.
Excellent analysis.
Obama to the rescue?????????????????????
Geez… the concert was POSTPONED, not cancelled! The lead singer is on required medical rest. Has nothing to do with “low ticket sales”.
You guys have GOT to give this Ford/Roberts crap a break… you’re supposed to be a “watchdog”… a lead singer in a band having a throat condition hardly seems to qualify. Come on, CCO, stick to what you do best!
Please don’t confuse them with facts.
Whether the assessment of this one show is correct or not, the wider criticism stands.
The Ford Center is losing money while the paid-for Stadium is in line for demolition. Something is fundamentally wrong with that, and the minute the voting public forgets what’s been done, we will let the culprits, i.e. the Administration and the Council members who approved the budgets that include demolition funding, off the hook.
It pays to keep reminding people now and then how they’ve been screwed.
I completely agree with your point about the paid-for-stadium as well as the CCO’s comparing it to Louiville’s Freedom Hall, but there are enough facts that can be used for criticism. We don’t need to pile on with non-facts about a cancelled show when it has really be postponed due to illness.
True enough. That does muddy the waters of the real debate.
Looks like the same lineup did a greatly acclaimed show in Columbus just last night.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/07/journey_pat_benatar_loverboy.html
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121108/ENT/311089999/1009
“Concert postponed
The Journey 2012 Tour concert with Journey, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, and Loverboy, which was scheduled for Sunday at Memorial Coliseum, has been postponed and will be rescheduled, Memorial Coliseum announced this morning.
The local concert is one of five tour stops being rescheduled because Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda has been diagnosed with severe laryngeal and esophageal inflammation and is under doctor’s orders not to perform for the next week, the news release said.
Tickets for postponed concerts will be honored for the new concerts, which will be rescheduled for January and February, the news release said. Refunds can be obtained at point of ticket purchase.
Along with the Fort Wayne concert, the postponements affect shows Nov. 8 in Evansville; Nov. 10 in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nov. 13 in Moline, Ill.; and Nov. 14 in Sioux City, Iowa.
The tour currently is scheduled to resume Nov. 16 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.”
The review of the concert from last night indicates Journey was splitting vocal duties. This seems to jive.
I’m sure a press release was sent to the Ford Center Mgt. They should have forwarded that release on to the CCO. My guess is they didn’t. I’m sure the C&P got it though.
That is true. We did not get any direct press release. What we got was from a mole which is why we published it 12 hours before the official notification went out. Ford Center could save themselves much grief by just putting us on their distribution list. Heck, the CCO was first to announce the Bob Segar act to open the Ford Center last year. Everyone else’s press release was embargoed so Mayor Weinzapfel could make the announcement. The MOLE however told us with no embargo and we preempted the whole bunch of them.
It would not surprise me if Ford Center ticket sales were anemic though considering the number of times these same artists have toured this area in the last few years.
What’s interesting to me is the number of big shows that still skip Evansville even with this supposed savior facility in place. I still had to go to Louisville to see Roger Waters perform the Wall even though the Ford Center supposedly should have been able to accommodate the large scale show. The Red Hot Chili Peppers aren’t coming here.
It would seem to me Evansville simply built beyond its means. It is undeniable the Ford Center is a nice facility. It should be with the amount of money we spent on it. The problem is, it seems to be a facility that is out of place in a City like Evansville. The kinds of acts that could ever make full use of it do not and will not come here to this market.
Of the top 20 concert tours of 2012, almost none have made it or plan on making it to Evansville:
http://music.yahoo.com/news/top-20-concert-tours-pollstar-214845584.html
TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS
1. (1) Madonna; $5,128,536; $165.55.
2. (2) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $3,604,151; $93.70.
3. (3) Justin Bieber; $1,128,212; $75.97.
4. (4) “Gigantes Tour” / Marc Anthony / Marco Antonio Solis / Chayanne; $1,042,502; $106.99.
5. (5) Enrique Iglesias / Jennifer Lopez; $991,539; $80.02.
6. (New) Cirque du Soleil — “Dralion”; $804,328; $58.66.
7. (6) Red Hot Chili Peppers; $767,663; $53.85.
8. (7) Jason Aldean; $722,585; $39.06.
9. (8) “Honda Civic Tour” / Linkin Park; $702,819; $49.66.
10. (9) Zac Brown Band; $662,822; $41.92.
11. (10) Brad Paisley; $602,014; $41.50.
12. (11) Rascal Flatts; $531,599; $38.77.
13. (12) Journey; $496,188; $57.68.
14. (13) Def Leppard / Poison; $496,116; $63.15.
15. (14) Carrie Underwood; $488,173; $59.43.
16. (16) Mumford & Sons; $415,747; $45.39.
17. (15) Wiz Khalifa / Mac Miller; $382,070; $31.55.
18. (19) Il Divo; $337,349; $88.79.
19. (21) “American Idols Live”; $321,380; $56.41.
20. (20) Sugarland; $320,863; $51.88.
Of those who have made it or plan on making it, almost ALL have at one time played the same sort of show in Roberts Stadium in the past. At least one – Jason Aldean – played Roberts Stadium, but has yet to play the Ford Center.
Another interesting note… Of the 2011 top concert tours, Evansville did manage to attract Bob Dylan, but he played Roberts Stadium.
I am a firm believer that alot of the acts mentioned cannot fit in the venue here. The arena is not big enough to house the biggest acts of the year. If they did decide to give it a try ticket prices would be hugely increased to make up the difference. Before someone mentions, “Elton John was here” please remember that this is not a concert that teenagers run to their parents begging for tickets. These older acts are great but they do not always sell out. Yes, they do in some areas but the always a sell out acts just can’t do it here. Size matters folks!
Can someone please explain to me the obsession with “shows” or “events”? Don’t laugh. This is a serious question. I have asked this question quite often when discussing the reasons for spending $$$$$$$ to build the Ford Center. Honestly how many times a year do each of you attend a show or event or game or whatever at the Ford Center? It is honestly at the very bottom of my list of things to do. In fact I have never been in the place. (Went to a program at the centre this week and my ears are still hurting. If I hadn’t been with friends, I would have left at the start of the show.) Please enlighten
Don’t forget the wunnerful Lucas Oil Stadium is also sucking in our state tax dollars to help make the payments. The Consolidated City of Indianapolis leaned on the legislature to help them out by giving them tax dollars from ALL counties in the state! Yep! Everyone owns a little piece of Lucas Oil Stadium. Do you think Gov. elect Pence will help Evansville out when the bills come due and the convoluted financing plans that Weinzapfel came up with won’t do the job? I don’t think the TIF’s are meeting expectations and Aztar business is down. Too bad WeinSAPple didn’t think about tapping the profits Roberts could have produced to subsidize the Fraud Arena. Where is that REAL innovative thinking when we need it?
I remember well when Lucas was being built and financed. What a racket! The CIB will never recover and there are only a smattering of people in all the counties of Indiana that “benefit” from the existence of that stadium. Such is the magic of propaganda. Lobbying at its best folks.
On another track, I was appalled by the article in the C&P about Pence and Daniels acting like spoiled children regarding the election of Glenda Ritz over Tony Bennett. They stated that they would stomp on anything she tried to change and would go so far as to make her position appointed rather than elected so that they could control the state education system with an iron hand. Would like to see something about this in the CCO. This really smacks of poor public policy to remove a person from office who received the majority of the public vote, in fact a larger majority than Mr. Pence.
It is probably really difficult to find scheduling time for the top 20 concerts when you have the Temptations that have played at Victory Theatre and Hoosiers Lounge! Love the ‘original’ groups music but they are not an arena level act.
Jason Aldean announced a tour stop here in Evansville. I read that on CCO November 6th. One top twenty concert booking and two cancellations in the first year. Honeymoon is over I guess.
Kenny Chesney also played Roberts Stadium’s last show in 2011. He was #1 in 2011.
Is it true that Obama won re-election no matter how u spend it. It’s over, Obama wins by landslide in electoral vote…
Spend being the operative term. Did you mean spin?
Now you comment, Joe. Not a word yet on the example of POOR PUBLIC POLICY noted above in regard to the Pence/Ritz threats.
I am not aware of what you are referring to.
Article in the C&P regarding Daniels and Pence stating that they will not let newly elected Glenda Ritz make any changes to the education policies etc that now exist that Tony Bennett initiated or apparently do anything else. They were very upset that Bennett was defeated and went so far as to say that they would make Ritz position appointive rather than elective and take over the department themselves. This when Ritz won the majority of votes throughout Indiana, in fact a larger majority than Pence. Look up the article (which was pulled pretty fast from the C&P site) by using search name “Daniels and Pence”. I was floored and flabbergasted. Talk about Murdock being “my way or the highway.” Pence has him beat hands down on this one.
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