Concert prices have skyrocketed over the last few years. Concerts that used to cost 50 dollars have now doubled and sometimes tripled in price. Everyone knows about the Taylor Swift fiasco with the Eras tour tickets, but other artists are charging more as well. Artists like Noah Kahan, Hozier and Zac Bryan have tickets being sold for 300 dollars for general seating. And that’s before fees.
Earlier in the week Mt. Joy had a presale for their next tour in 2024. The tickets sold out quickly making it impossible for fans to get tickets. Computer Science major Veronica Acosta-Engavo waited in the queue for tickets.
“I waited on the website for 30 minutes. After 5 minutes in the queue the tickets were sold out,” Acosta-Engavo said.
Fans are frustrated since they are not receiving a fair opportunity to get tickets to see their favorite artists in concert. And the ones who are lucky to get their hands on a ticket are having to “pay out the nose” for general seating.
Concerts have become a luxury that only a small portion of the population can afford. In the past going to a concert was an exciting thing that several people of all ages and income groups could attend on the weekends. Now attending a concert breaks the bank even if it’s nosebleeds.
It doesn’t help that third party ticket sellers buy up the tickets as well, planning to resell them for an unreasonable amount of money. Giving fans no choice but to spend an arm and leg on tickets.
Ticket Scalpers buy up tickets making it impossible for people to purchase tickets straight from the queue during general and even presale for tickets. Resulting in fans having to pay inflated prices to see their favorite artists.
Has live music turned into a luxury? Is it only people of a higher income that are able to see artists live?
Leaving us lower income college students and young adults to not be able to attend our favorite artists. Sure, going to concerts is expected to be around 100 dollars after ticket fees but the starting price being over 100 dollars is a little bit insane. I understand inflation has a part in it and artists do need to get paid but having to spend half a month’s rent just to see one’s favorite artist?
Over the past few years concerts have gotten a lot more wild and dangerous. People have lost concert etiquette. Fans throw bottles and phones at artists now. People push and shove and talk through songs they don’t know.
When I went and saw boygenius this past summer, aluminum bottles weren’t allowed in the pit. We had to pour our drinks into cups because there was fear that bottles would be thrown at the band. That’s not cool. Items should not be thrown at artists. It’s rude and disrespectful.
Last month I went and saw Men I Trust who is a chill indie band where I was pushed hard and almost fell over. This isn’t the first time I’ve been pushed at concerts. I’m finding that aggressively pushing and shoving to the front is becoming a norm at concerts. Even at mellow concerts where moshing is not a thing. This is not okay. People need to be courteous of one another and not rude and disrespectful.
The behavior doesn’t come from a specific genre of fans, it’s in all genres. Architectural engineering major Ji Ji Atkins went to Cheyenne Frontier Days in July of 2023 and saw Eric Church, a country artist.
“I’m short and was in the second row. There were tall people in front of me that kept on pushing and jumping making it impossible for me to see,” Atkins said.
For the amount of money people spend at these concerts, you would think people would be on their best behavior. Fans need to start looking out for each other. We share the same interests in music. We should be bonding over our love for the artist, not pushing each other to the ground.
