To a devout music fan like myself, one of the most sacred parts of enjoying music will always be getting to see an admired artist perform live. No matter how amazing the recorded music itself is, the experience of listening to music at home or in your car will always pale in comparison to the experience of hearing music performed in person. Being in a crowd full of people screaming the words to your favorite song is a feeling of euphoria unparalleled on this earth, at least for me.

While I never turn down an opportunity to see live music, especially for artists I like, there is a list of around 10 artists and bands that I would move mountains for in order to see before I die. At the top of that list is the band My Chemical Romance. Their discography led me down the rabbit hole of punk music that I listen to now, and I will always revere them for that fact. Several months ago, My Chemical Romance announced their “Long Live The Black Parade” tour, where they plan to pay homage to their legendary 2006 album “The Black Parade.”

Many of the band’s fans began to clamor for tickets to see the group play their most iconic album, only to be met with a crushing realization. Most fans would have had to pay either hundreds of dollars or even several thousands of dollars for tickets. Some of the high costs were the true price of the tickets, while many of them were the result of reselling on sites like Ticketmaster.

Essentially, resellers use a computer program to buy as many of the original tickets as possible, causing the originals to sell out quickly. Then, they resell them on sites like Ticketmaster for hundreds or even thousands more than their original price. This is a problem, especially for big concerts like the My Chemical Romance tour, which may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those able to go. This practice, known as “scalping,” works so well for these events because even if the price is wildly unfair, dedicated fans will still pay that amount.

However, this still does not explain the high prices many fans experienced before the tickets hit the resale market. It is unclear why the original tickets were so pricey, but the issue remains. Ultimately, high prices put once-in-a-lifetime concerts financially out of reach for the average fan. The average fan, mind you, is the bedrock of any band’s success. It is the millions of average, non-millionaire fans that allow for a band to grow to the point of headlining a tour across the country. Fans deserve better. The average, working-class fan who doesn’t have hundreds of dollars of disposable income should not be denied seeing their favorite band, as that artist would be nothing without fans’ support.

To fans who want to see live music, but don’t have an arm and a leg to spend on it, I highly recommend getting involved in your local music scene. I guarantee you that anyone reading this article lives near a thriving music scene. In downtown Grand Rapids, there is a venue called Skelletones. There, the thriving punk, metal, rock, hip-hop and emo artists of Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas regularly perform. These shows rarely, if ever, cost more than $20 to attend. I highly suggest you make a trip there if you have a free evening. You very well may find your next favorite band.