JOHN CORABI Says A Lot Of Fans Aren't Buying Concert Tickets In Advance Like They Used To

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, former MÖTLEY CRÜE and current THE DEAD DAISIES frontman John Corabi was asked if he thinks fans are more excited now for live music because it was taken away from us for so long during the pandemic. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, yes and no. The funny thing is, even my solo shows, even in Europe, just throughout the world, it's been kind of hit-or-miss. It's either incredibly packed or it's just a little 'eh.' I still think we're still being inundated with new versions of Covid and all the shit that's going on in the news. I think you're finding that some people got very complacent and comfortable just sitting on their couch, and they're, like, 'Fuck it. I don't even wanna go out anymore. Who cares?'"

He continued: "I think, to a degree, some of these companies, which will remain nameless, that were doing the bigger concerts — one that comes to mind is, for example, the MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD, POISON, Joan Jett extravaganza that was out there. That concert kept getting postponed for the better part of two years, and a lot of the fans were complaining, because Live Nation, for example, had some little stipulation, when you bought a ticket in advance, once Covid hit, you had a small window to request a refund for the tickets, and if you didn't do it, then they had the right to hold on to your money and just postpone indefinitely. So a lot of fans, I'm kind of seeing that the fans aren't apt to buy tickets in advance like they used to do. They're waiting till the last minute and just walking up to the door and buying tickets at the door.

"Another example: I just did a show. I was on tour with WINGER and Tom Keifer, doing a solo acoustic thing. And we just did a bunch of shows. And it was crazy. I had some friends here in Nashville that were, like, 'Oh, I'm going to come and see you at the Ryman [Auditorium].' And they went to buy a ticket in advance and the face value of the tickets were 50 bucks, but with the handling fees and the Ticketmaster fees and all these other fees that they tacked on, the ticket actually wound up being something like 125 or 130 dollars. So there was 70 dollars of fees on a fifty-dollar ticket. And, oddly enough, a couple of my friends waited till the last minute and they bought a ticket at the door for 50 bucks. So there's just this complete disconnect in it. I can't put my finger on it."

Corabi added: "I don't know what's going on, but it's really kind of… The whole thing, it's kind of disheartening — not so much for me, but I just sit there sometimes and I think about new bands that are trying to cut their teeth, and I just sit there and I go, 'I have no idea how these guys are gonna make ends meet.' It's just changed. There's no radio support for older classic, I guess classic bands like, for example, THE DEAD DAISIES, new music that THE DEAD DAISIES do or POISON or a lot of these bands that we all grew up listening to, because we've all been kind of swept under the rug with each new fad that comes. The thing prior to it gets swept under a rug and it's, like, you're never to be heard from again And then the new bands, I know when I was growing up in Philadelphia, a lot of your radio stations would do a local music hour, and if the band got an overwhelming response from the listeners, then they added them to the playlist. And now you don't have that, you don't have magazines, you don't have MTV, and it's kind of puzzling. I'm just sitting there going, 'I don't know where the music industry is going, but it's a little scary.'"

This past May, it was announced that Corabi had officially rejoined THE DEAD DAISIES. The band's current lineup is rounded out by founder/guitarist David Lowy, along with guitarist Doug Aldrich, drummer Brian Tichy and bassist Michael Devin, the latter of whom is playing with THE DEAD DAISIES for the first time.

Corabi joined THE DEAD DAISIES in early 2015 and remained in the group until January 2019, during which time he recorded three studio albums with the band: "Revolución" (2015),"Make Some Noise" (2016) and "Burn It Down" (2018). In the summer of 2019, THE DEAD DAISES announced that they were being joined by legendary DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, who appeared on the band's last two studio albums, 2021's "Holy Ground" and 2022's "Radiance".

Corabi joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in 1992 as the replacement for original singer Vince Neil. With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top 10 placing on the album chart. When Neil returned to the fold in 1997, Corabi was left on his own and formed UNION with Bruce Kulick.