i found this interesting article on the don't look back series on the msnbc website, and it's not often you see Sonic Youth and sales in the same paragraph
excerpt
So far, Sonic Youth has found the most success in branching out with the full-album tour concept. Based on Billboard Boxscore data for a 2007 two-night stand in Berkeley, California, and a show in Brooklyn, the band grossed $496,791 in ticket sales, with two selling out in venues with 5,000-plus capacity. Compare that with the band's 2006 outing: 11 shows that grossed $315,305, according to Boxscore.
Part of that disparity can be chalked up to the limited nature of the "Daydream Nation" shows, ensuring that demand would be higher than supply.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25999113/