<p>Last May, we went to a great concert, the Foo Fighters, opened by an unfamiliar perhaps foreign group, followed by Motorhead, for you old folks on here, followed by a three hour set by the Foos. Each ticket, in a balcony area, pretty good view, was about 40 bucks. Music started at 7P in the evening with the opening acts, then finished with three hours of the Foos.</p>
<p>Son went to a local festival when home for fall break last year, and his tickets for the event were only 40 bucks. True, he had to stand the whole time, but he got to see some great acts, Muse, Weezer, for one price.</p>
<p>We just passed a billboard for Boston, remember them?, at a local casino, and found that ticket prices were $140! Is this the going rate for concerts nowadays, or does Boston just have a lot of overhead? Maybe they’ll have one of those spaceships onstage.</p>
<p>$140 is insane. I had decent seats at a Paul McCartney concert for less than that. I’m seeing Ringo for $39 this weekend, the Beach Boys for the same price, and I recently saw Bob Dylan for $50. I’m not a parent but I thought this post was interesting because lately I’ve been thinking about how affordable it is to see some amazing acts. $140 is really excessive, imo.</p>
<p>Some of the casinos have pretty small venues and you have to pay extra for the intimacy. Those are about the same prices as we see for Snoqualmie Casino, $100-150 for tickets to Journey last year. The significantly larger theaters like the Paramount are $30-100 depending on the artist. Arena shows with top performers and assigned seating can be $60-$600 depending on the seat.</p>
<p>I will trade prices with you almost anytime rebeccar: I was hoping to see the Neil Young concert when he is here but found out that the cheap tickets are $125 and they are 4 balconies up and the length of a hockey rink away. First level are $225 and floor level are $300 to $500. I guess I will wait till the CD comes out of somebody puts it on youtube.</p>
<p>The reason is that touring has become a if not the major source of income for bands. They can’t make much out of selling records because so much stuff is stolen. They also may sell only individual songs digitally instead of whole albums so they get a portion of $1 or so versus a portion of the wholesale price of the album (usually set at around $8-10 by contract). </p>
<p>Bands also have found that the internet means people can sell tickets to each other very easily. That told them they were simply enriching scalpers by charging less than the actual price people would pay to see them. Charge $35 and the scalper / ticket agency sells it for $90. You maybe get 1/2 the ticket charge, maybe a bit more, often much less, while the scalper / agency gets multiples of that. Think about that: you are the act they’re going to see and you make less than $20 and have to pay expenses while these guys are clearing over 2 times that and don’t have to pay the roadies. Some bands try to get around that by requiring ID with each ticket, but that’s a real hassle and expensive to manage. U2 did that but they have the cash.</p>
<p>In the old days, a band would tour to sell records. Now they make records so they can tour.</p>
<p>Mrs. wharfat2 and I just paid 75 each for Jimmy Cliff in a very small venue in Annapolis. On the other hand, we only paid 50 each (including service fees) for My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses.</p>
<p>I agree with lergnom. The reasoning is apparently to reduce scalpers income, because Neil doesn’t need the money.</p>
<p>However, most people don’t get their tickets from scalpers& I appreciate that bands like Pearl Jam and the Foos, fight to keep prices relatively low.
which is how some of my friends can afford to follow Pearl Jam not only to their South American tour, but to the festivals in Europe.</p>
<p>I am hoping to see PJ in Montana, but so far haven’t gotten tenclub tickets.
But I am confident that if I decide to go, I will find some.</p>
<p>This sounds fun too, but Montana is a much shorter flight from Seattle.
[DeLuna</a> Fest 2012 : Pensacola Beach, Florida | America’s Original Beach Party](<a href=“HugeDomains.com”>http://delunafest.com/)</p>
<p>Agree on Neil Young and I had to ask myself was it worth it to see him for that price at Key Arena. I debated, then bought 2 Jack White tickets instead for less than the price of one Neil - they went on sale the same day. DS15 is attending 3 concerts in the not too distant future. The ticket price goes up with the perceived age of the audience. Hence: Rush $144, Red Hot Chili Peppers $75, Jack White - small venue $60. Jack White had a 2 ticket per address limit per address and there is a lag before they will send I think to avoid the mass purchase and scalping. He wanted to see Rush badly enough to go by himself as I didn’t feel flush enough to get a ticket for myself as well. For the Seattle area folks we like concerts at Showbox SODO - great venue, good security and tix usually $25-$35.</p>
<p>I have pretty much given up on seeing the big shows. I have seen Jackson Browne and James Taylor several times, but not since the late 70s! (wait… not true… since late 80s) What I enjoy now is going to very small venues, paying $10 - $20 to see some great but not yet world famous acts in an intimate setting.</p>
<p>Invariably with “big shows”, the entire audience know the songs by heart and you end up listening to the clown next to you singing along alta voce rather than the artist. I stick to new artists at small local venues as well.
Acts that I have seen in small club size venues (way before they hit it big):Talking Heads, the Clash, Ramones, White Stripes, Cake, Lyle Lovitt, Gogol Bordello,Allison Krauss, …but of course “all back in the day”</p>
<p>EK - the problem is that my concert agenda is usually stilll dictated by what the kids want to see. They are all about general admission pit tickets and being in the front row. At White Rive I buy a seat for myself and they wait for hours and sprint from the outside line to the inside to be first . . . awhh . . . youth</p>
<p>Some bands are going to paperless tickets to kill scalping. I’m going to an Iron Maiden show next week that is paperless ticketing. You have show the credit card you used to buy the ticket online and an ID. </p>
<p>No scalping but if you can’t go you can’t give the ticket away or resell it at any value either. Not an issue for me since I’ll be there even if I’m on my deathbed…</p>
<p>Saintfan, I am jealous, I don’t think I have gone with my kids to a concert since PUSA had their first “final” concert. Well I did go with youngest to Sasquatch a few years ago, but most of the time we went around separately.</p>
<p>But my H goes with me and he allows me to plan our vacations around Pearl Jam shows.
:)</p>
<p>The first concert I ever went to was No Doubt’s reunion tour featuring Paramore and The Sounds (foreign band). We paid $90 per ticket for AMAZING seats at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA…we were pretty much dead center in the arena.</p>
<p>Then I went to Coachella the following Spring…festivals are always more expensive but Coachella is about $300, or $100 per day (we were lucky enough to have one friend’s dad pay for 3 tickets, as it was right before one friend’s birthday and he has quite a bit of money. Never could have afforded or justified that on my own.)</p>
<p>The following September I saw Vampire Weekend at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley for about $50. That one might have been my favorite. It was a great venue and VW gives an amazing live show.</p>
<p>I’m DYING to go to another concert…hoping Mumford & Sons will go on tour here in the US soon.</p>
<p>You’re not my son by any chance? DS is going next week for $90. End of semester treat from mom. Can’t imagine how long it will take to get everyone in if everyone has to show CC/ID.</p>
I was hoping to see the Neil Young concert when he is here but found out that the cheap tickets are $125 and they are 4 balconies up and the length of a hockey rink away. First level are $225 and floor level are $300 to $500. I guess I will wait till the CD comes out of somebody puts it on youtube.</p>
(wait… not true… since late 80s) What I enjoy now is going to very small venues, paying $10 - $20 to see some great but not yet world famous acts in an intimate setting.</p>