Spanish Promoters Let Fans Pay What They Want For Live Show

Concerts are a way for music lovers to show their appreciation of a hard-working band and for musicians to make more money in the depreciative music industry.

However as demand for music shows surges, ticket prices have escalated considerably, and now fans can’t always afford to see all the bands they love. So Spanish promoters Caravana de Emerxencia are disrupting the Live Nation/Ticketmaster empire by putting on a concert where attendees decide the price of the ticket when they leave.

High ticket prices can sometimes leave fans disgruntled when a concert doesn’t meet their expectations, so could this new enterprise provide a model for future events? Bands such as Radiohead have already used the pay-what-you-want model for an album release. Could we see this consumer-led approach spread across the rest of the music industry?

Sometimes Sunny San Francisco Can Be a Cold, Cold Place

Longtime readers of this blog may recall I’ve had some highs and lows at the GLAAD Media Awards. Last year, Denys got to meet his girl crush, Dianna Agron. The year prior, however, Kim “I Take Myself Way Too Seriously” Cattrall scolded me on the red carpet for asking for her blowjob tips. You win some, you lose some…

This year, I’ve been so busy planning the photo stations at the GLAAD Awards after-parties in all 3 cities, that I was only going to attend the awards in San Francisco to make sure the photo station did not catch on fire.

Then I found out that Kyle Richards was going to make an appearance!

Not only that! But she was going to be auctioned off for a one-on-one!

Even though I have a usual scorn for reality TV, I’ve been obsessed with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since the first dinner party from hell. How can I not be bananas over the show? Just check out the chilly promo trailer below with all the ice queens in glam action.

And as it turns out, the new Queerty editor (and Ryan Murphy’s ex) Jeremy Kinser needs a gallivant SF reporter to cover the event and interview the celebrities on the red carpet.

I mean, what else was I going to be doing on a Saturday night?

Yes, I’m going to have to sit through the long ass dinner.

At least there’s an open bar…

But Denys is going to get all awkward and starstruck next to all those celebrities…

And in front of all them A-gays, I will have to act like an adult…

Get all dressed up for the occasion…

Mingle, mingle, kiss, kiss…

And it’s been such a long time since I’ve attended a social event of this magnitude. But I think…

Although it’s going to be hard to keep my cool.

Then I think: do I even have what it takes anymore?

Maybe I just shouldn’t drink…

Wait a minute! What’s with all this fucking complaining?! You know how many people would like to have the opportunity?

Just show up and do your goddamn job!

Remember, if you’re not at the table, then you’re probably on the menu. So take your seat!

Be yourself and everything will be fine.

Just think: What Would Kyle Richards Do?

GIFs: RealityTVGifs

Virgin Airlines Should Give Its Passengers Access to More Mile-High Galleries, Not One Flight Stands

When Virgin America announced last week a new in-flight feature that helps passengers buy and send drinks to anyone in the cabin, the world cringed at the sleazy possibilities. I’m not so offended by the fact that Richard Branson and Co. were so upfront about their passengers becoming bedfellows upon arriving at the terminal. After all how exciting is it to have a sexy stranger help you with your luggage and share a cab?

The thing is: there are enough resources for single people wanting to meet. And we red-blooded humans have a knack at finding ways of getting laid.

I am more a fan of Virgin Atlantic’s short-lived in-flight art gallery that was introduced earlier this year. In February, first class passengers traveling from London to New York had the chance to view British artist Ben Eine’s iconic typography and purchase the works duty-free for upwards of £15,000. Think of it as SkyMall reimagined as a boutique storefront for the artsy in-crowd.

Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Gallery in the Air’ will continue to partner with different artists although a second collaboration has yet to be announced.

Video: SFMOMA Expansion Set to Become the Country’s Largest Modern Art Space

When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art first announced plans to double in size in April 2009, the city shuttered at the thought of metal shards gashing up the downtown landscape. Well, urban planning traditionalists can breath for now – and soon in the museum’s new rooftop plaza. What is set to become the largest building dedicated to modern art in the country, will also blend nicely with the existing Mario Botta design.

In 2011, SFMOMA gave the first visual tease of what the 235,000-square-foot expansion is set to look like, and earlier this year more official renderings surfaced. The plan is to extend the existing building from Howard north to Minna with an open-air 18-foot-wide “pedestrian promenade,” a street-level gallery enclosed in glass on three sides and an elevated public plaza 195-feet above the ground.

Although the block-long project may sound drastic, the photos reveal the modest approach taken by Swedish firm Snøhetta, selected last year to design the new wing. Fortunately, Snøhetta knows better than to create a blocky, anchor-like eye soar in the city. If there’s one thing San Francisco residents are passionate about, it’s their skyline. Snøhetta is also the design firm behind the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center site.

“We’re trying to minimize the mass of the building as much as possible. Every facade of the addition has to relate to the urban condition in a unique way,” Craig Dykers, principal architect at Snøhetta, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

This is not just a size complex for the SFMOMA. The museum is in serious need of exhibition floor space ever since acquiring Gap founder Don Fisher’s massive collection, which he loaned to the museum for the next 100 years.

Never ones to “Trump” their neighbors, the museum is also paying for the relocation of Fire House 1 on Howard to make way for the promenade. The replacement fire station will be a “state-of-the-art facility that will enhance emergency response time,” according to a press release. It will be constructed nearby on Folsom at a cost of $10 million, the museum’s gift to the city.

Perhaps the most controversial thing about the expansion is the addition of a new entrance on the east side that will align with the promenade and the new Transbay Transit Center being built two blocks away.

“Offering the public a choice when they approach a building is more powerful than saying, ‘Here is the (one) door,’” Dykers said.

But visitors will have to wait a couple of years before being confronted with that choice. The SFMOMA will close for expansion this summer and will re-open in 2016.

Glamping with the Stars: Coachella’s Super Exclusive On-Site Luxury VIP Safari-Style Campsite

When most people think of camping at Coachella, they often think of a setting up a polyester tent in the dusty parking lot, next to car exhausts and porter potties. But did you know that camping in the California desert festival doesn’t have to be such a pain.  The glamping (glamorous + camping) trend has its perks at Coachella.

Guests don’t have to go through experiencing a heat stroke in order to see some of their favorite bands. For $6,500, Coachella-goers can stay in an air-conditioned, fully-furnished Shikar-style safari tent. In addition to the comfort of luxury, these VIP accommodations feature private check-in to the festival, golf cart shuttle to the stages and back, exclusive access to restrooms and showers, breakfast and late night snacks, on-site concierge, security, private pool, spa massages, electrical outlets and the chance to bump into musicians at the backstage Artist Village. Or at the very least, Vanessa Hudgens at one of the nearby yurts, used for VIP lounges and after-parties.

Other music festivals are also bringing this sophisticated camping experience. Sasquatch in Washington now offers terrace camping upgrade featuring shuttle service to the Gorge, concierge service and complimentary morning coffee. V Festival in the UK offer similar accommodations, including hot showers and access to a beauty room complete with hairdryers.