The question is moot. No one is going to be able to afford to pay for the gas (not after the ticket + surcharge/"handling fees") to drive from Sheboygan to Milwaukee to see Kris Kross reunited and then back home again. These arena shows only work in the biggest of cities. Second and third-tier cities get by based on people driving in from an avg. 50-100 mi radius to see the show.

No slight meant to any smaller cities; it happens in larger cities, too. I've driven to my share of shows at the Garden State (now PNC Bank) Arts Center, and once, I drove to Saratoga Springs, NY to see Rush.

Touring will just get more expensive with rising fuel costs, so don't expect ticket prices to fall. I think things are just going to get more intimate. Support your local, and all.

(Good article, btw. Well-rounded and researched.)

Kris Kross is reuniting? Finally, I pick the right day to wear my clothes backwards. 'Cause inside-out is wiggedy-wiggedy-wack.

Eideteker, I agree about the travel costs. For some reason, the only amphitheater here is 25 miles west of the city, almost in West Virgina, in an area where no one lives. There's no public transportation to get there so you have to drive and then they hit you up for a parking fee to park in a muddy dirt field.

Last concert I went to was at a dump outside Raleigh. The ticket with fees and everything was $17.83. I parked free on the street about 20 ft away from the entrance. The show was excellent. The band guys were around 30 so I hope & presume they'll still be round in 10 years. I realize this sort of experience is not exactly the focus of the article.

So we need arena shows anymore? I mean, I can't imagine going to one now. I have never seen Petty, and it would be cool to see his band, but the cost, and the hassle, would prevent me from going, even in my own town.

I have seen my share of arena shows, but maybe I am just getting too old for it.

I did go all the way to the damned Meadowlands back in March, so I admit the occasional big arena kind of show can have its attractions.