How would you describe the ticket price of the last concert you went to? In my experience, concert tickets are far too expensive and I can only attend a couple large shows a year due to the skyrocketing cost. Instead of taking a blow to my bank account, I’ve learned that local and affordable shows offer an equally satisfying concert experience. I’d take bars, small venues and house shows over a super expensive concert almost any day of the week.
The last show I attended was Silversun Pickups, where they performed at The Intersection in Grand Rapids. That show was around $60, and my friends and I were able to push our way through to about the 10th row of people. I had an unbelievably fun time, but I couldn’t have gone if my ticket was any more expensive.
While I love live music, sadly, this was only one of the three shows I’ve been able to attend this year. It simply hasn’t been financially responsible for me to attend more often. Not only do you have to consider ticket prices, but the prices of food and drinks at these events are outrageous. Plus, if you want to get merchandise, it’s usually around another $60 or so for a shirt.
Whether it’s because of inflation, scalpers, crooked ticket websites or all of the above, something needs to be done to lower the price of concert tickets. This generation can’t appreciate live music, as our parents and grandparents have done, because of the price. Those from past generations talk about how they frequently went to concerts in their youth. People reminisce about attending concerts at the drop of a dime for something to do on the weekend. They’d catch shows by Queen, Deftones, Journey, Metallica and other big bands every few weeks. They describe the lifelong memories made at these shows, oftentimes noting them as some of the best moments of their youth. People usually recall these concerts as being easily accessible and, most importantly, affordable. Nowadays, we are forced to save up for a handful of these experiences a year. I find it disappointing that it has come to this.
When older people tell me about these experiences, frankly, I’m jealous. Typically, people my age don’t have the budget to attend more than five concerts a year. If they do, they sure aren’t attending them spontaneously. Ticket prices are so high that you need to financially plan out what concerts you attend– usually months in advance. With my budget, I don’t attend concerts that cost more than $100. I would make special exceptions to this rule for some of my favorite artists, but it’d be hard to bring myself to pay that much for a two-hour experience. As a result, I’ve had to miss some great concerts, such as seeing Tool a couple years back.
To fulfill your craving for good, live music, I recommend smaller shows. I enjoy local shows that don’t sell tickets, but might have a cover fee instead. There are a ton of talented bands in the Grand Rapids area and there are a bunch of spaces they perform at. These events can be free or typically, around $10. You may not get the same show or atmosphere of an Avenged Sevenfold concert, but you’ll experience a new band’s music for a reasonable price.
In addition to fair prices, it’s also cool to see an up-and-coming band. You never know when a band could end up playing at Van Andel with tickets costing $300, so enjoy them while their performances are cheap. The experience of seeing a small band will seem more intimate when it’s considered that they might make it big one day.
