Having been a keen admirer of Joe Bonamassa's guitar playing for several years, and having seen him live on countless occasions, I've decided to give his arena dates in September a miss. Having initially paid £20 odd a ticket to see him at smaller venues, gradually tickets for his shows rose to £40 and mid size venues. Last year I paid £50 for front row ticket at Echo Arena in Liverpool. For me £50 is the max I would pay for any show, bar something really really special.

A premium ticket at Manchester (including booking) this time was £83.75. I nearly choked on my weetabix. Granted there are 57 pound tickets for seats in the gods. But who wants to pay that much for one of them?

That said, I for one, don't think he will even sell three quarters of the Arena, let alone seats in the gods. Talk about a business model. How to fleece your fans in style.

I think you made the right decision Pete. Sometimes these people take us for mugs and besides, I HATE any sort of arena gig. It's not a gig, it's just an event with zero atmosphere. Give me a small intimate venue any day!