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Concert Ticket Prices - Not a Rant - Just an Observation

I’m not a major concert-goer. I do look for new bands playing small venues and I enjoy those. Some of these are as low as $15. Some as high as $50. I recently saw Marcus King at a tiny venue. Tickets were $90.

I haven’t seen a band in a large venue in ages. 

I recently ’discovered’ a band that I was blown away by. Came across them on YouTube. They’re called The Red Clay Strays. They are relatively new from a recognition standpoint. I figured I’d look up their tour dates and maybe find a concert in a small-ish venue.

Well, my first surprise is that this band has already hit the big time. I ’discovered’ them a year too late. They are already playing civic arena sized venues almost exclusively.

I figured that since they’re coming to a couple of cities near me I’d go to a show. That’s when I got my second surprise. They’re ticket prices are in the $350-500 range. Yes, there are some for around $175 but most of those are single seats in the nose bleed sections of civic arenas.

I’ve heard that Taylor Swift and Springsteen tickets are $1000+.

I looked up Rush tickets and they’re in the $350-600 range.

I got to thinking about ticket prices. I went to see a lot of concerts in high school and college. Early to mid 80s. I remember seeing the big bands like Foreigner and Journey, often with 2 opening acts for $12.50. That never seemed like too much even for a high school kid with no allowance and an after school job for cash. An AI search indicates that that was indeed the typical price for big artists even bands like The Who, Fleetwood Mac and Rush.

A Google search indicates that $12.50 in 1982 was about like $80 is now. But tickets for the big acts are not $80. They are 4-8 times more than that now. That’s quite a phenomenon that vastly out paces inflation.

That brings me back to seeing the Red Clay Strays. They’re coming to my area in October. They usually sell out. Tickets for these shows were moving fast almost 4 months before the show. 

My wife and I decided to go. We have some old friends, two couples, who also love this band and who have been extremely generous to us over the years. We decided to get six tickets and treat them to the show. We could not find six seats in a row at any price. Even as we browsed seats were disappearing. We finally found 4 seats in a row with two right behind them.

We bought the six tickets. Good seats too. Our friends are thrilled and we are thrilled to repay some of their kindness to us. It will be great to see them and get together for this.

Yes ticket prices are shocking even for a new act like the Red Clay Strays which, in fairness seem to have hit it big. But their shows are selling out and a tight wad like me bought six of them. 

So it seems like they are charging what the market will bear.

Hope they put on a good show.

 

 

n80
n80 OP
2,151 posts
 

@truebluephil It would probably be better to leave politics out of it as much as possible even if humorous.

@sparksgja I think there is a problem invoking a moral or ethical standard on what is by any measure a commodity for which there is no fundamental need. The artists, the venues, the promoters, the ticket franchises are all in it together. How they feed off of each other might be a subject for ethical speculation, but how they feed off of us really isn't. Make no mistake, even though I hate these high prices I am willfully participating and so are the 10,000 people who are going to be there that night and night after night all across the country as this band sells out shows.

I'm not suggesting that we not vote with our feet. It is the only option we really have. I'm generally right there with you. I especially have no desire to go see older artists who haven't done anything original in decades for $1000 a pop. 

As for big money for bad shows. That's another story. When you don't get your money's worth that's a problem. Usually word gets out. Someone in this thread mentioned that they'd seen this band twice and enjoyed the show but didn't feel it was worth this type of money.

To be honest, I don't expect to get $300 worth out of this show. Throw in being there with good friends helps.

But, I've moaned and complained about how band based music is a a dying breed and how there's nothing new and compelling out there. For me this is one of a number of bands who are the exception to that trend. And to be honest I am mesmerized by this band and the lead singer's voice/stage presence. It seems like something special and unique (at least for the last 50 years anyway). They're kind of what I've been waiting for years. It might be smoke and mirrors but I just got a gut felling that I needed to see this band in person.

roadcykler
339 posts
 

I agree that ticket prices are ridiculous but there's another side to it. Several years ago Prince was playing near me, in a small (about 1400 people) venue. The unseated floor tickets were $175 and seated balcony tickets were $325. I could have afforded it but decided I didn't want to pay that much and didn't go then not longer after, he died. I still regret that. 

Rush was my favorite band for a long time but I passed on this tour because it would be close to $1000 for my wife and I to go to the nearest venue when taking into account gas, food, and lodging.

jasonbourne71's avatar
jasonbourne71
1,839 posts
 

It's not that ticket prices are rising but the decades-long decline of the Dollar's buying power. 

jasonbourne71's avatar
jasonbourne71
1,839 posts
 

The Red Clay Strays: the New Allman Brothers?

n80 OP
2,151 posts
 

@jasonbourne71 I'm no economist but as mentioned above that doesn't explain how much concerts cost now. If it was just inflation then average concert tickets would be about $90 compared to $12.50 in 1982. 

An article that I read about this said that an LP album in $1982 cost about $12.00 and shows typically cost about the same as the albums.

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