As ticket prices steadily increase and competition for the best seats escalates, many have taken to spending exuberant amounts of money to attend concerts.
Nothing compares to live music.
After countless listens of your favorite songs through the phone speaker or car radio, hearing it from the artist’s own lips is indescribable.
But at what cost?
Is one concert worth wasting away your savings for a celebrity who doesn’t even know you exist?
Many of the popular singers and venues retain mass amounts of money, do they really need more?
Everyone deserves to hear their favorite band/singer live, but not every band/singer deserves their fan base dedicating their life savings to supporting them.
These venues know that many fans are desperate and willing to throw money at any seat available.
They take advantage of this solely to deepen their pockets.
There’s no problem in splurging a little to enjoy yourself, but there should be a limit and a sense of reality when doing so.
According to CNBC, data collected by Spotify from SeatGeek and ticketiQ shows that the average ticket price for Taylor Swift concerts reached $2,424.
This price does not include the cost of purchasing merchandise at the venue, transportation, food and clothing purchased for the concert.
In comparison, my used car cost $2,000.
If you are attending a concert, your position in the venue itself shouldn’t matter. One can enjoy the concert from any seat.
A concert is about the immersive experience of enjoying music surrounded by others doing the same thing.
It’s not about pushing your way to the front, trampling others as you go.
It’s not about throwing things onto stage for a split second of attention.
It’s not about taking the best pictures for social media.
Concerts are about formulating once in a lifetime memories that can’t be replicated.
Many jeopardize this experience by replacing the view of the artist performing with a view through their phone screen.
Why spend money watching the concert through your phone when you can watch it from someone else’s from the comfort of your own home?
As a big fan of The Smashing Pumpkins myself, I purchased a ticket for $75, which landed me in the nosebleed section of the Wells Fargo center.
As fate ran its course, my seat was then upgraded much closer to the stage. If it’s meant to be, it will be.
If an individual wants to attend a concert simply to indulge in the energy of being close to the stage, there’s many other options for live music that allow this experience.
Local venues such as the Bethlehem SteelStacks host a multitude of concerts, ranging from lesser known artists, cover bands and more popular artists such as Dan + Shay, AJR and The Goo Goo Dolls.
The events range from free to ticketed, but general ticket prices rarely exceed $100.
This past summer, I attended a Bruno Mars cover band concert for free at the SteelStacks.
Although I wouldn’t normally opt to attend a cover band concert, since the event was free I happily attended.
I was able to stand right in front of the stage and immerse myself in the live music unfolding before me.
This way, I was also able to support more local artists and a local venue by simply attending.
Live music and the surrounding environment can never be replicated.
It’s a magical connection through song that unites a crowd and performer as one.
By spending a large amount of money on one concert ticket that you can barely afford, one limits themselves to how many other concerts they can attend.
Part of the memorability of a concert shouldn’t be the lasting impact it has on one’s bank account.