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NEWS > BUSINESS > OVERWEIGHT CONCERT-GOERS THREATEN TO END CAREERS OF OLDER SINGERS
OVERWEIGHT CONCERT-GOERS THREATEN TO END CAREERS OF OLDER SINGERS
September 24 2009
Birmingham, UK – The obesity epidemic that has been sweeping across the United States has finally taken hold in the United Kingdom. With ever growing waistlines across the country the country’s public health care system and long term financial 
stability is coming under ever greater threat. With similar trends occurring across the country many are fearing that they will shortly be suffering the same concerns being felt throughout the United States as many of their residents start to grow to unhealthy proportions.
It isn’t just the medical system or employers that are feeling the pinch from the ever growing waistlines. Entertainers are also starting to feel the pinch as evidenced by the announcement from the owners of Birmingham’s LG Arena that they are embarking on a revamp of their arena that will add one inch to all of its 14,000 seats in order to accommodate the growing size of patrons. Such a squeeze is being felt across the United Kingdom as many other arenas are considering similar action. Some owners though are not actively jumping on board with expansion plans and instead are considering limiting performers at their venues to those with a decidedly younger audience.
“It’s a simple issue of mathematics. It is very expensive to adjust these seats and it ultimately ends up reducing the number of people we are able to fit inside the arena. If those losses are made up in some other way then simply put they aren’t worth implementing. We would like to accommodate everyone but finances doesn’t necessarily allow for that,” said Gareth King for the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. “True the heavier folks eat a little more but generally not enough to accommodate the lost people both from a food standpoint and front end ticket sales standpoint. We will watch how it works out with the LG but as it stands right now we are not seriously considering such an option.”
The NIA however is considering prohibiting certain artists from performing, principally those that cater to an over-forty crowd, the group most likely to be significantly overweight. Instead, younger acts will be booked allowing them to fit more into the arenas. Both facilities are owned by the some company.
“Traditionally arenas prefer the older crowd because of the advantages of having reduced security. Of course, with such obese people you would have to bring in other types of emergency personnel so those savings might be negligible. This is going to become a major issue across the western world and many artists are going to have trouble making a living if the trend continues,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “The only possible solution would be to get a better split on merchandise sales. The ultra large shirts sell for significantly more so if arenas are able to recoup some of their costs there they might be willing to support older acts. No matter what happens it’s going to get tougher on older artists and they are going to have to adapt to the new reality.”
Bands with aging fan-bases, specifically Bon Jovi, have been embarking on a national tour across the United States to help encourage healthy eating and exercise, something they believe will have the added affect of preserving their fan’s lives for much longer.
“Obesity has a number of negative issues associated with it and though most people realize that they do little or even nothing to reverse the trend in their own lives. They avoid exercise, eat poorly, and promise themselves they will get to it tomorrow. The threat of not seeing Hall and Oates or Tom Jones might just spur them in way that the threat of heart disease and early death has not been able to do,” continued Green. “Of course seeing those artists will likely cause them to reminisce and remember how good life was, which of course will put them into the cycle eating and self-reproachment that caused them to get fat in the first place, causing the whole thing to start again.”
Overweight music fans also tend to not join in on moshing which requires no seating and thus is a major source of revenue for arena owners.
William Ashford, Business Correspondent
NEWS > BUSINESS > OVERWEIGHT CONCERT-GOERS THREATEN TO END CAREERS OF OLDER SINGERS
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