Weekly survey: How much is too much for a concert ticket?
Yes, live music is back. And yes, tickets are way more expensive than in the Before-Times. Drake expects people to spend $900 for a spot on the lawn for his OVO Festival? Geddouttahere.
But people are starve for live music and are willing to pony up. Sometimes. How much are you willing to part for a show you just have to be at? This is just for admission into the venue and doesn’t include any perks, passes, or meet-and-greets.
I am willing to pay $150 for good seats in a great venue (Massey Hall for example)….
If the show is at any of the big venues in Toronto, less. Too impersonal and everything about shows at the ACC, Rogers Centre or Budweiser stage is a rip off. Getting there is a PITA, parking is worst, and getting out afterwards is totally undesirable. The price at the concessions, ah, no thanks!
Artists like Joe Bonamassa have it right! Keep the shows in mid-sized venues to keep it more personal and enjoyable and do two nights if needed.
Greed ruins the music experience and corporations know who to make the concert experience much less enjoyable in the name of profit.
The price depends on the artist. One of my favourite artists is Wilco who have a loyal following. I have seen them over a dozen times in their close to 30 years but this is the first tour that their show in Toronto has been priced out of my comfort zone. What would have previously been a sold out show is not, and that shows that I am not the only one. I understand that musicians have been out of work for a couple years but unfortunately the hyper inflation has reduced the average person’s disposable income
Living in Halifax, which rarely attracts AAA talent, I’ll pay up to $100 here for something special. Usually, I travel for shows, so the cost of the ticket is only a small part of the grand cost (transport, accommodations, etc). And since it’s a really special occasion, I’ll pay up to $200 for a single show, or $400-500 for a festival (But I won’t like spending that much).