The Smiths turned down $5 million reunion offer
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060317/...m/morrissey_dc

While a part of me agrees with the decision, they are one of my favorite bands and I would have loved to see them perform live.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The number of people I would have had to slay in order to obtain said ticket would have been astronomical. We're talking genocide proportions here.

Which is ironic considering Morrissey's anti-meat sentiment.

Could you imagine the amount of people that would be there JUST for The Smith's and Madonna this year? I think Coachella would be doing a little too much in one year. The regulars would surely be pissed.

I'd pay well into the three figures to see The Smiths. I'd play at least double that to avoid seeing Madonna. :D

I've paid 3 figures 6 times to see Madonna.

As far as I'm concerned, they have that one good song. ;)

I had a chance to see the Smiths in 1986 and passed it up to see the Cure a week later.

I've been kicking myself ever since. Any chance at all to correct this would surely have bankrupted me.

Just curious...why did they break up?

IIRC, it was Johnny Marr's decision.

Apparentely, there's also been a number of legal actions brought my Mike Joyce (drummer) against Morrissey. I'm pretty sure that animosity as well as Morrissey's reluctance to address the past too much would have been the main reasons why this didn't take place...yet.

Five million? I would have turned that down too. That's a pittance for something like this. Wasn't ABBA offered a billion dollars to reunite? I know they aren't the same, but five million is like beer money for some bands.

And I was thinking, "Five million for one concert?" How many people does Coachella draw? A quarter-million? That means an extra $20 for tickets for every attendee. Or, to look at it another way, if tickets are $85 per day, that's an extra 59,000 attendees. I know there are a lot of Smiths fanatics, but that seems a bit steep. Even if you assume they're gonna buy the DVD and food, it still seems like a big step-up in attendance.

I agree, though, there's a certain amount of "fixed costs" in reuniting (practicing so you don't sound like crap, etc.) -- you'd get a lot more money by doing a short tour...

Morrissey's time was being increasingly spent trolling for 17 year olds in Soho, so they decided to call it quits.

God, I love that man. ;)

$5m? Pshaw. Lorne Michaels overed the Beatles $3 GRAND.

Then I think you need to listen to some more of their music! ;) Their music set sounds and trends that are still being felt in the music business today.

I'm not big on the idea of a one-show reunion for The Smiths. Morrissey is making some great music on his own now, and I'm not sure that Marr would ever be up for them to reunite. Besides...there was a messy lawsuit with a few of the old bandmates over royalties a few years ago.

I read at www.nme.com that Moz said he was up for it (for the musical pleasure and not for the cash), but that Marr wasn't interested.

OK, I didn't understand that it was for one show only. That's a lot better, but still not enough to get a group together that doesn't want to get together (obviously).

Correct. ABBA themsleves have confirmed more than once that they were offered 1 Billion $US but it was for 100 shows in a year. Still more than The Smiths were offered for one show.

Both Joyce and Rourke sued Morrissey/Marr for unpaid royalties but Rourke settled so there is some chance there but Joyce took it all the way to court and won. Morrissey wishes "nothing but the very worst for that man" so a full reunion is unlikely. $$ alone are not going to wing it.

I thought he was asexual.

$5 million for one show? I'm sure they're not that well off to turn that down and turning it down cause they're not getting along is so childish. Earth to The Smiths, there's a whole generation who has never heard of you before, and we're not that young.

In the article I read it said the audience applauded when he announced he said no. I'm sorry, but I can't believe he'd turn down $5 million for one concert and I don't look at his decision as some great artistic statement. Guess there really is some serious animosity. With Morrissey and Marr being as active as ever it would be so easy for them to get it together for one show.

I haven't seen Morrissey in concert and am considering doing that if he comes through Atlanta for the new album. Does he ever do Smiths songs? It wouldn't bother me if he didn't since he's got so many great solo tunes.

I saw Morrissey in Minneapolis back in around 1999 or 2000, and he played a few Smiths songs, including Shoplifters of the World Unite. The crowd went nuts, and Moz didn't seem shy about giving them what they wanted. But as you mentioned...he definitely has enough of his own songs to keep any audience happy.

That's probably the time I saw him as well.

:lol:

Morrissey has a HUGE Hispanic following in California. He can sell out the Hollywood Bowl instantly. A show like this would attract these fans as well as thousands of fans from England and all over Europe who would pay almost anything to see them.

My brother-in-law from Guatemala is going to fly up to Atlanta to see Morrissey if he plays live here. And he's never visited us in four years... takes Morrissey to drag his butt up here.

That's crazy, Each performance would have to generate $10 million just to break even on the initial cost alone.