It's a Matter of Principle

Celine Dion's astounding kitchen!

Yesterday I was reading a few of my favorite blogs and came upon a wonderful post on Celine Dion and her amazing home on Jasper Island in Florida. She has those two beautiful little babies born in November and a bigger boy who must be thrilled to no long be an only child. She appears to have a devoted husband too, what a great family. I was happy to see their home on Julia's blog, Hooked On Houses. It has some amazing features like a tree house that has a slide down into the man made river on their property.

Ariel view of Celine's home

I am a fan of Celine's. I think I discovered her rather late compared to most people when I listened to her beautiful album, Miracle last year. Of course I had known of her, heard her music long before that, but the album really changed my fan status. I was really touched by her talent and the beautiful lyrics describing the joys of motherhood so eloquently. I thought Jim and I would go and see her in her new show in Las Vegas this spring.

Seeing the post, I was reminded I better start looking for some tickets. I was absolutely blown away with the fact that 2 mediocre tickets on a week night will cost nearly $600.00. Hello! Call me a person who leads a sheltered, uninformed life...but, really? To get a seat in the orchestra circle is over $1300.00 for two. I'm stunned....almost speechless.

How long can that show be, 90 minutes? I think I'll look up the highlights of the show on the Internet and continue to enjoy her beautiful voice on iTunes. Or maybe I'll buy last year's DVD for sale on Amazon for under $15.00. But one thing is for certain, we will not be crossing the threshold of the concert venue at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas any time soon.

I don't blame her for this, nor do I begrudge her that gorgeous (albeit a little over the top) home. We live in a country that thrives on capitalism, it you can earn it, good for you! She is incredibly talented, she works very hard and she is entitled to be the huge success she is. Even if you are blessed with this God given talent, it takes a tremendous amount of work and effort to succeed. A lot of people can sing beautifully but there is only one Celine Dion.

But I do question how our society, in this economic recession can fill that huge concert hall every single night to capacity for months on end. As an example, I looked up tickets for our anniversary... a week night, June 15th, SOLD OUT blinked and flashed across my screen.

It brought back memories of an article I had read recently that can be found here about the Rising Cost of Entertainment. This article is found in AAA's Via magazine and is written by Steve Rushin. Here is a sampling of it's contents:

"As a father of four, I may as well stuff all my cash in a confetti cannon and fire it into the air on arrival at the next ballpark, theme park, or movie theater my family visits, simply to expedite the inevitable process by which my wallet is drained of every last dollar for the sake of entertainment. When did family fun become so expensive?

VIA’s analysis of ticket prices at major theme parks between 1965 and 2011 shows an increase of more than 2,200 percent—and that even figures in the AAA discount, which has become a saving grace for card-carrying families. By comparison, since 1965 the price of gasoline has gone up 658 percent and milk is up 371 percent. Even before setting foot in most theme parks, the modern parent can feel taken for a ride. And theme parks seem a bargain next to ballparks. Watching a game played by the Boston Red Sox, the Major League Baseball team nearest to my home in New England, cost a family of four an average of $335 for tickets, parking, food, drinks, and merchandise in 2010."

I think we can safely add the cost of live concerts to Steve's list. For me it is a matter of money AND principle. I just cannot see spending that kind of money for something like a concert no matter how much I enjoy a person's talent. I am a fan, but not an idolater. There is no entertainer that is worth that kind of money to me.

So I am staging my own little personal protest against this sort of thing. I seem to remember this same sort of dilemma over a much less expensive James Taylor concert last year. I guess our concert days may be over.

If more people just quit paying the price, even if they can afford it...things might change. Who knows? Going to the concert would not empty our bank account but it would make me feel a party to something I just cannot condone. I think we feel a lot happier when our principles govern our actions .....even if we don't get all the goodies.