#Whaddup for November 20, 2022

Good morning, kiddios. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend and staying warm (or cool, as needed).

Just a reminder: No Saturday Night Karaoke this coming weekend (11/26). Instead, I'm gonna enjoy four (hopefully) peaceful days, maybe put up Christmas decorations (after trying to kitten-proof them), and waste a *lot* of time doing a whole bunch of nothing- oh, and rooting for Tech to win. We'll be back on Saturday, December 3rd to get you into the holiday spirit (or something like that).

In the meantime, allow me to say I hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving day (for those of you in the US), and a good week (for those of you who aren't). Oh, and if you're one of the folks who just has to go out shopping ASAP Friday (or Thursday), this reminder: The people stuck working are dealing with crazy crowds, heavy traffic, and they only had (maybe) one day off. Don't add to their stress by being a giant asshat.

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Last night- while busy-bizzy-bizay- was the kind of night we generally like: 

• Busy (did I mention busy?), which always seems to makes the time to go faster (hey, who doesn't want work to go by quick?). I was especially surprised (and happy) with that, because it definitely wasn't looking like that was going to be the case when things kicked off at 9:30. Thankfully, things got jumping pretty quick.
• High energy (despite my early fuck-up of not paying attention to the battery on the laptop almost being dead and things shutting down in the middle of the song. Apologies to Doug, who's always gracious and accepting of my brand of stupid).
• Some truly outstanding singers. This is always a plus. That's not to say I don't appreciate everyone's efforts- but (let's be honest) we aren't exactly pros (and I lead the way in fucking up what I think are great songs with my vocal noise-making)- so it's always a pleasant surprise when someone comes in and wows us.
• The return of some friends who we hadn't seen in a while- 'cuz they have important life stuff to do! (Great to see you folks again.)

All in all, it was a successful evening thanks to all of you- the folks who come out to share your night with us. Thank you to each and every one of you. We look forward to you joining us again. 

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There's been a lot of buzz (not the good kind) about Ticketmaster's fucking up sales for Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift's upcoming tours. Swift was quoted as saying she was "pissed" about the snafu with the site- which caused website outages and missed tickets for fans. Springsteen, whose sales on the site have gone more smoothly, has upset many fans with his embracing of their "dynamic pricing" model, which adjusts ticket prices for events based on demand.

Springsteen told Rolling Stone "ticket buying has gotten very confusing, not just for the fans, but for the artists also," but defended the prices the site has been charging (up to $5000 per ticket for some shows), saying a "ticket broker or someone is going to be taking that money. I’m going, 'Hey, why shouldn’t that money go to the guys that are going to be up there sweating three hours a night for it?'" 

Springsteen also called the prices "totally affordable", clarifying (?) that "(they're) in that affordable range. We have those tickets that are going to go for that [higher] price somewhere anyway. It created an opportunity for that to occur. And so at that point, we went for it."

He said he knew the decision to let tickets be sold that way by the outlet "was unpopular with some fans" but "I’m old. I take a lot of things in stride. You don’t like to be criticized. You certainly don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices. It’s the last thing you prefer to be. But that’s how it went. You have to own the decisions you have made and go out and just continue to do your best. And that was my take on it. I think if folks come to the show, they’re going to have a good time... if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back."

I don't know about you, but that seems a rather cavalier attitude for a guy who's built a career on being the voice of the blue collar guy. And how many of that particular brand of fan is gonna shell out five fucking out grand for a ticket to a three hour show? For that kind of money, I think I'm gonna wanna at least sit in on a set.

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For those of you interested, Elton John's final US performance of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour tonight at Dodger Stadium will be available on Disney+ beginning at 11:00pm Eastern (as in, live). Kiki Dee and Dua Lipa are among the guest artists you can expect to see.

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Florence Welch says she's "so sorry" and "can’t wait to be back" after telling fans on social media that Florence + the Machine has been forced to postpone its upcoming tour after she broke her foot.

After their 02 Arena show Friday night, Welch posted on her social media pages Saturday morning that it was discovered "after an X-ray I was dancing on a broken foot (Friday). It is not in my nature to postpone a show, and certainly not a U.K. tour, but I’m in pain and as dancers know, dancing on an injury is not a good idea. And [I] have been told not to perform to avoid further damage."

"Please hang on to your tickets," Welch continued. "We are working our hardest to reschedule these dates for next year and we will let you know as soon as possible. I’m heartbroken as the Dance Fever tour has been my favorite show we have ever put on. The communion with you. Your beautiful faces shining. I love you so much, and I’m so sorry to anyone who is disappointed. My heart is aching. I can’t wait to be back on my feet and back in your arms."

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Birthdays today include: Paco Ibáñez (88); Dick Smothers (83); Norman Greenbaum (80);  Veronica Hamel (79); Joe Walsh (75); Richard Masur (74); Bo Derek (66); Jim Brown of UB40 (65); Sean Young (63); Ming-Na Wen (59); Beastie Boy Mike D (57); Sen Dog of Cypress Hill (57); Dierks Bentley (47); Future (39); Oliver Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon (36). #MusicalBirthdays