Try seeing smaller touring acts who aren't part of the big bucks machinery at local "folkie" venues. Many of these small "coffee house" style places are well managed and feature people who are every bit as valuable and talented as the expensive concerts. I was a soundman for one of those venues for years and was often blown away with the level of talent. One of my recent issues with a local jazz club is the fact that after paying 20 bucks to park with a relatively substantial ticket price 50 bucks or so and a drink, the band only played for about an hour. THAT sucks...the venue lost me likely for good.
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.
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It is all based on supply and demand. When the acts/venues/managers set the ticket prices, they expect them to sell out. If they do, some buyers will scalp them and make money and the price will go up. Sometimes they don't sell out and the venues put their unsold tickets up for auction like the rest of the tickets available and they sell for less than face value. Springsteen used to take great lengths to ensure his tickets were used only by the buyers, back when you could wait in line for tickets and some people camped out (many of those were scalpers or their agents). I guess he changed his tune as his tix are scalped like any others now. I've gone to over 100 concerts (haven't been able to keep real stubs for many . years) and usually am able to get them on presale or at face value. If you can't do that and aren't dead set on attending, often times you can wait until the last minute and get them for a reasonable price. There are smaller venues that have less popular acts that are reasonably priced, and if I like the artist, I will go. Sometimes I am thrilled (Boz Scaggs, Peter Frampton) pleasantly surprised (Sting, Al Stewart) and other times not so much (Spyro Gyra dismal, but at least Lee Ritenour was enjoyable as the opening act - he should have been the headliner). Bigger acts over the past 5 years were great as well - The Who, Springsteen and the Stones. Steely Dan never disappoints. It is very rare that I regret going (maybe twice), and don't remember what I paid for a ticket. It's never over $300 a ticket, usually $75-$225. My stereo is much better than I need, but even one 3-5 times the cost could not approach the enjoyment of a live concert. That's why people pay up. And those that listen on ear buds have nothing remotely compa. |
@sokogear Out of curiosity I have been watching Red Clay Strays tickets. Prices do vary a lot depending on the venue. Where I am going to see them in October is in the south and seems to have higher prices than some of the shows up north. Looking at the section we'll be sitting in ticket prices are actually going up and seats that are not as good as the ones I got are going for considerably more than I paid for mine. There are also not many good seats with more than three seats together (I needed 6). So in this specific case I'm glad I bought when I did. But, your point is well taken, in the future if I'm looking for tickets just for my wife and I and I don't mind possibly not being able to get tickets I will probably wait until the last minute. |
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