During an interview with NPR, Bill Kreutzmann was asked about the exorbitant scalper tickets. Prices on secondary markets were running upwards of one million dollars for a time, and three-day passes are still listed for insanely high prices.
Kreutzmann’s initial response was disappointment, even speculating what the late great Jerry Garcia would say about the situation. “That’s sad, that’s all I can say. It’s just so sad… This is what Jerry would say – music isn’t worth it. There’s no band in the world that’s worth that much.”
Later on, Kreutzmann was asked why people would consider paying that much. “I would guess because they would be thinking it’s the last time we’re going to play or ever be seen together. It’s like stamp collecting – you gotta have that stamp!” The ‘Fare Thee Well’ concerts are certainly a thoroughly coveted stamp.
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Kreutzmann concluded the brief segment by talking about what he’ll do to ensure those folks get their money’s worth. “You know what you do? You play your damnedest best, give them ten times what they paid. That’s all you can do. They’ll get a really good Bill Kreutzmann, I guarantee ya.”
Of course, that’s no surprise. Lately it seems like everyone is getting a really good Bill Kreutzmann, as the drummer has been joining The Disco Biscuits, touring with Billy & The Kids, performing with Voodoo Dead in New Orleans, and even sitting in with his favorite current drummer, Adam Deitch.
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You can listen to the interview below:
Here’s another segment of the interview, where Kreutzmann talks about Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia (in promotion of his recently-released memoir):
[Via NPR]