D was able to get premium seats to see an opera at the met that was sold out (she initially bought what they had, which was standing room). Before the performance she begged at the box office and they let her sit in seats just in front of the standing room. At intermission, she returned and begged and they gave her a premier seat in the balcony (normally like $600 seat). It’s chancy but she was only going to be in NYC for a very limited amount of time and REALLY loved the singer who was the headliner for the opera. I think it helps if you’re young and charming and the person in charge of the tickets takes pity on you.
A work colleague took his two pre-teen daughters to Taylor Swift last year. It was in town but They stayed at a hotel overnight near the venue. The tickets/hotel combo cost more than his 5 day trip to Disney World the year before…at one of the nicest Disney hotels. When a co worker said that this seemed nuts he said ‘ well on the Disney trip while we had fun, there was a lot of whining and complaining at times. Everyone was exhausted by the end. For the concert it was 12 hours of unadulterated joy ( they spent hours before the concert in the room resting and getting ready ) and they both told me that they felt like this was a dream come true. It was the best money I ever spent.’
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H got a great tip last year.
We have an amazing concert venue in our town. A rep told him to check in with the (inside) ticket office when we head in because the artists are given VIP seats/tables that may not be used. We already had tickets, but looking to upgrade our guests. Got upgrades all around for us and our six friends. (Had to pay more for some tables.)
Take away is that it’s worth checking in with the box office.
Edit to add that this is the same advice as @marrast gave. Also works with other performances.
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Some of our adult kids went to a Taylor Swift concert. They saw a family of 4, including two young teen girls, wearing matching T-shirts that said “Here instead of a trip to DisneyWorld”
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My nephew’s FIL bought the entire family tickets when they were here in Denver (that’s FIL, MIL, all 4 daughters and all 4 sons in law/significant others). With FIL’s permission, nephew sold his ticket and paid for his ticket to Italy - so you can only imagine how much FIL paid for the 10 tickets.
Can you say college education?
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Go to Harvard ?
Or Framingham State and 3 hours of Tay Tay. Your choice.
My kid just went to the Black pink concert at Citi field in Queens. Ticket was $65 for a seat far from the stage, but he said watching the screens was fine. Tolls from Philly were $66. Parking was $60. He was thrilled to get a 24 oz beer for $12. Chicken tenders and fries his friend bought - $30!
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Have to say the best deal has to be at Atlanta Falcon’s stadium, where the concession prices are low. Own said he was tired of families having to pay $9 for a coke. You can also get Chick-fil-A on any day but Sunday.
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Good for your nephew’s FIL’s incredible generosity. Amazing that he was able to score that many tickets.
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I’m sure he had a connection to get the tickets. They all went and tailgated in the parking lot, and the second night (no tickets) they just tailgated and listened from outside the stadium.
Nuts.
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Sorry, I won’t pay—I really don’t like being in crowds. It’s just not my thing. For the prices they’re charging, I can think of many things I prefer.
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My most expensive concert was last year when a friend couldn’t make it to the Sting/Billy Joel concert at Petco, so she sold us her tickets at a discount - $325 instead of $350. But after paying $500 apiece to watch Michigan at the Rose Bowl a few months earlier, that almost sounded reasonable!
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I don’t begrudge how others choose to spend their money. It’s not for me to judge. Whether it’s college, tickets, vacations, etc., if it does not change their lifestyle and they can afford it and they choose to be generous, they are most fortunate.
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D went to see Taylor Swift twice - once in our city and once she and her friends flew to London for a concert. She didn’t ask me to pay for the tickets( or anything else) so how much she paid is not my business.
She and I are going to see Lady Gaga in another city next month. My ticket was a birthday gift from her and SIL. Again, no idea what it cost.
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My DIL & S went to see Beyoncé in concert—no idea of the cost but it was what they wanted so they made it happen. One of my nephews and his now fiancee saw Taylor in concert—no idea of timing, venue or cost but they were happy.
Back in the day, I saw Elvis live in concert twice with my entire family in Honolulu.
Different strokes.
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We have a fantastic outdoor venue here at a local winery. Sadly, the typical lineups are usually not that great in our opinion. We did get to see Ringo and his all star band, Natalie Merchant, and Tori Amos there. With some vino to supplement the fun. I think all tix were under $100, even the most recent ones (TA, reserved seats).
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How was Ringo?
It was a while ago but he and the rest of old ferts were awesome! The entire audience was singing and dancing. Not sure if he is still touring.
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He is…it’s mostly the same group - guy from Toto and Men at Work…always!!!
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