Supply and demand?

(I know, I'll get to the Spin thing I promised shortly. I did phone home and fertilize the yard, so I'm catching up.)

To get a sense of how out of whack concert pricing has become these days, take a look at the listings for the Birchmere, a hip venue in the D.C. area.

Colin Hay, whose solo career has received a well-deserved boost from Scrubs, is an affordable $19.50. The bluegrass folks who embrace the venue are in the reasonable $20-25 range.

The doublebill of Pure Prairie League and Poco is $35. That's stretching things a bit, but those band undoubtedly have a few fans. Of course, Pure Prairie League ran through personnel in a hurry during their heyday, and I can't tell from Poco's Web site who exactly claims to be a band member these days.

"Norman Brown's Summer Storm 2005" is $49.50, but hey, they have Peabo. (Personally, I'd pay to see Peabo and Poco. Check that -- I'd pay for the T-shirt.)

"An Acoustic Evening With Liz Phair," on the other hand, is only $20. Little wonder they've added a second date. (And if I were single, I'd consider it very flattering to get a second date with Liz.) One day, I'll rant in defense of Liz Phair's recent "selling out," but I'd imagine these evenings will focus on older stuff that should sound pretty good in this setting. I'd love to hear Polyester Bride.

I have no idea what Bea Arthur does that's worth $55, but what the heck.

But America for $55? No. They have another of those Web sites that cleverly hide who's in the "band" and who's not.

But the worst offender here? Clearly -- Creedence Clearwater Revisited. For $75, I'd better see John Fogerty walk out on stage, and we know that ain't happening.