Henley Calls Out Kid Rock, Defends Prices

Don Henley defended the price tag of the Eagles' concert tickets. Henley, who's currently in the midst of the band's 40th anniversary tour, spoke to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and called out Kid Rock, who's been charging around $20 per ticket after calling out older stars for over charging fans to the point of them being priced out of attending concerts. Henley explained that being a top act means that some critics expect you to apologize for reaping the benefits of success, saying, "We've grown a little weary of the myth about us breaking the $100 ticket barrier. . . I've always found it interesting that the norm in any other business, be it corporations, sports teams, movies, etc., is that the people who excel, the ones who stick around the longest and accomplish something good, the ones who have a track record, are paid more for their services. Call it rank, tenure, seniority, or whatever you want -- that's the way the world works. So, why should the music business be any different?"

He went on to address the situation that Kid Rock is trying to rectify by deliberately undercharging for his concerts: "Is Mr. Rock implying that our job is easy or that we don't work as hard as anybody else? Is he saying, like many of our fathers did, that this isn't a real job? It costs a fortune to tour, these days; we have 100 people out here on this tour. We create jobs, not just here on the road, but in management, accounting, law, electronics -- the list goes on and on. If Mr. Rock wants to charge 20 bucks per ticket, good for him. He's a relative newcomer, so maybe that's appropriate. But after 42 years, eight Grammys, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and over 120 million records sold, we think we're worth more than 20 bucks, and hundreds of thousands of our fans seem to agree."

The Eagles tour dates (subject to change):
September 4 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena At Seattle Center
September 6, 7 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
September 9 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Palace
September 11, 12 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
September 14 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
September 16 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
September 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
September 20 - Chicago, IL - United Center
September 21 - Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
October 4 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
October 5 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
October 7 - Wichita, KS - Intrust Bank Arena
October 9 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
October 11, 12 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
October 14 - Memphis, TN - FedExForum
October 16 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
October 18 - Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
October 19 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
October 21 - Moline, IL - I Wireless Center
October 23 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
October 24 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
November 4 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
November 6 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
November 8, 9, 11 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden Arena
November 13 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena
November 15 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
November 16 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
November 18 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
November 20 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Times Forum
November 22 - Miami, FL - AmericanAirlines Arena
November 23 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center
January 15, 17, 18 - Inglewood, CA - The Forum