http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/01/10/fans-already-lodging-complaints-even-...Fans already lodging complaints, even before Rolling Stones announce 50th anniversary tour
Rallying around a cry for smaller venues, lower ticket prices and a revamped set list, a group calling itself the Rolling Stones Liberation Front has lodged a series of demands — even before the group announces plans for an expected 50th anniversary tour in 2012.
The protesters argue that “it is unacceptable to charge up to $350 for a single ticket,” saying “a band needing to charge $85-$100 for upper balcony seats is a band no longer in touch with their fan base.” The Rolling Stones Liberation Front suggests a ticket price of no more than $30 — including service charges.
Too, they argue that “the time has passed for gargantuan mega-arena spectaculars,” calling for a concert-length presentation similar to the B-stage set up in the middle of the venue at the end of 1994’s Voodoo Lounge Tour, which could provide a more intimate experience.
The group would also like to liberate the Rolling Stones from a setlist that, they say, hews to “the same 30 songs for every tour,” saying: “We refuse to sit through another airing of the played-out hits.” Among the favorites that these protesters would like to see offed: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Start Me Up,” “Sympathy For The Devil.”
Other demands include the elimination of the horn section, backup singers and opening acts, as well. No word on the number of card-carrying affiliates of the new Rolling Stones Liberation Front, but members reportedly are “threatening non-violent, disruptive action” if their concerns are not addressed: “Now, it’s time The Rolling Stones give back or we will push back,” the group says in its mission statement. “Why give them more of our money and then settle for the usual? We won’t.”