By Lindsay Martin and Abby DeMarsh, June 2011

GALWAY– Lately going to concerts seems to be a very common thing to do. With summer here, more concerts are coming to the area. People are becoming more excited to see their favorite artists and to hang out with friends.

But unfortunately, ticket prices are increasing while ticket sales are decreasing. Statistics from today say that ticket prices are 7% higher then what they used to be in 2000. More recently from 2008, there has been a 43% increase in ticket prices. Since the music industry wasn’t making that much money, concert organizers decided to raise prices so musicians can make more of a profit. Ticket prices also depend on who the performer is (popularity of has a lot to do with ticket prices) and where the concert is. This makes concerts more of a luxury then what they used to be.

See the difference?

Company of Thieves-Northern Lights $12

Katy Perry- Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale NY) $99-269

Not all artists follow the expensive ticket trend. Some are booking smaller venues, charging cheaper prices, and providing group ticket deals. These deals and cheaper prices are more appealing to people, especially with the state of the economy.

What do people look for when they go to a concert? Some say seeing their favorite band/artist, the theatrical part of the show, being with friends, the loud music, etc. There’s many reasons why. When people go to a concert, they tend to forget about their surroundings and their problems, and just enjoy themselves. What they expect is something entertaining, enjoyable, and loud.

We asked some Galway students and staff what concerts they are looking forward to this summer…

Katie Pitts and Brandi Wood: “Country Fest”

Angelina Valente: “Summer Night Out”

Ashley Jones “Hollywood Undead”

Mr. Snow: “Chris Young”

Erica Chase: “Country Fest”

Here are some concerts coming to the area this summer:

7-9-11         Country Fest featuring Miranda Lambert, Sunny Sweeney, &   more $35-45

7-16-11        Keith Urban-Times Union Center $28-78

7-22-11       Hollywood Undead-Northern Lights $20 adv. /$23 day of show

7-31-11        Summer Night Out featuring Goo Goo Dolls- SPAC $27-69

8-9-11          Maroon 5, Train, Gavin DeGraw-SPAC $20-95

Check back this summer for reviews on concerts and much more!

Here’s a review of the recent Snoop Dogg concert at Northern Lights by Lindsay Martin…

What were you doing on May 28th? Well in case you missed it, Rapper Snoop Dogg came to Northern Lights and performed a great show!

Calvin Cordozar Broadus aka Snoop Dogg was born in 1971 and grew up in West L.A. Snoop was discovered by Dr. Dre in 1992, and he was  featured on Dr. Dre’s album “The Chronic” In 1993, Snoop released his first album “Doggystyle” selling almost a million copies in its first week and debuting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. From then on, Snoop has been very successful in the music industry coming out with numerous hits and working with various artists. 

Snoop says he has a “smooth laidback delivery” with  melodic rhymes and keeps his raps simple. I think that’s one of many reasons why he is so successful, and it’s also a reason why I like him so much. 

Some artists Snoop’s worked with:

Dr. Dre 

Pharrell

The Pussycat Dolls

R.Kelly

Katy Perry

T.Pain

Notable songs:

Who Am I?- “Doggystyle”

“Ain’t No Fun”- Doggystyle

“Gin and Juice”- Doggystyle

“Nuttin But a “G” Thang”- The Chronic (Dr. Dre’s album but Snoop Dogg was featured on it… became a huge hit)

“Drop it Like It’s Hot”-Single

“Boom”-Single 

 So for all you people that missed his show on the 28th, I feel bad for you. It was a lot of fun! At first I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’ve never been to a rap concert before. The doors opened up way after it was scheduled… I can’t remember what time. Anyway, the first group to go on was DJ Playground and he also had a drummer perform with him. DJ Playground played all kinds of rap music, and the drummer played the drum beats to the song. I enjoyed the mash up of rap and real drums and it kept me entertained.

After that… there were so many rap groups I lost count. (I think I counted literally 3 hours of opening acts.) They all sounded the same but they were fun to listen to and watch because they were either good looking or had a lot of bass in their songs which seemed to make Northern Lights rattle and shake. BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

Finally Snoop Dogg came on. He was amazing! He rapped all these hits in a row and it was like one big party. He got the entire crowd into his music, told some jokes, and took some time to remember influential rappers Notorious B.I.G and Tupac. There was never a dull or boring moment with Snoop Dogg. I literally enjoyed every single song he did and had so much fun! What really surprised me the most was how good he sounded. Nowadays whenever I hear a rapper live they just sound terrible and nothing like the record or single they have on the radio. Snoop was the total opposite. He pretty much sounded exactly like his records, which I loved because I wasn’t listening to some garbage voice. 

I had such a great time and I’m so happy I went. I’m not sure if there’s a major difference between rock concerts and rap concerts… other than the music being performed. At the Snoop Dogg concert everything was a lot more relax and chill… hint hint if you get what I mean… and there were only a couple little fights but it was nothing major. At rock concerts… you never know what you’re gonna see or expect. 

Next time Snoop Dogg comes to the area I suggest you go… even if you’re not a big rap fan. You might like it!