Monday 29 October 2012

How much for a concert ticket?

I remember there was a time when I would laugh bitterly in the faces of fools who spent ridiculous amounts of money on designer clothing. It's all very well going into hundreds for quality...but...thousands? Really?
"That white blazer you bought for £2000? Yeah, well I bought one almost identical for £25 in a sale. Put that in your juice box and suck on it."
What irritated me the most was that all that money, if donated to charity, would go a long way. It could feed a family in a poverty stricken country for at least a year. Is an item of clothing really worth someone else's life?

And then I thought...well shouldn't the whole 'ridiculous waste of money' concept apply to concert tickets?
Exhibit A: Glastonbury Festival, UK


£1 Baby to see T Rex? Yes please....

See, the fact is, there are some people in the world that will pay any amount of money to see their favourite band/ musician. 
But what about the people who would pay any amount of money to see the band BUT JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY?
I went to see Paul McCartney last year in the o2 arena...I paid £45, but Macca's team were so sweet they had these guys (good-looking guys I might add) go around giving tickets to the front row that were originally hundreds. And...yours truly was one of the lucky people to get free front row tickets!
It was a once in a life time experience but then I thought...
Hang on..
What about the people who had actually decide to spend hundreds on tickets? 





What had made me want to bring up this particular subject is the Rolling Stones' high prices for their concert in London. The cheapest ticket is £106. If you want Mick and Keith to be anything more than spindly stick figures in the distance, prices go to £406.

And a VIP hospitality ticket, which guarantees a place inside the terrifyingly-named "tongue pit" at the edge of the stage, is £1,140.

Yeah.

I understand why The Rolling Stones have put the prices so high. They're up there with the other "gods" of classic rock, like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. They're probably thinking, "Hey, it won't be long till we're in wheelchairs so we might as well milk those rich pigs who always wanted to see us as teenagers but never got the chance."

What's sad though is the high prices mean that the arena will probably be full of wealthy older men and the occasional spoilt kid whose parents have decided to indulge them. For the younger generation, The Rolling Stones will not be as accessible.

And then...back to the point earlier. Isn't spending £1,140 for a VIP ticket as self-indulgent and pointless as spending silly amounts on clothing, or a hotel room?


And to you: how much would you happily spend on a concert ticket?

11 comments:

  1. Ahh! I remember when tickets were £1 and could be bought on the door of the night in question, rather than three years in advance. Whatever happened to spur of the moment?

    Personally I wouldn't pay a penny to see Mick Jagger who is already too rich for his own good. A very long time ago, the NME defined success as ...when half your audience is seated in a different postcode. Looks like the Stones have succeeded. But I don't like them anymore for it...

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  2. You're probably my most loyal follower, thanks for always commenting :)
    Haha yes, it would be absolutely fantastic if things were still like that today...
    He is quite bloody rich, it's crazy he's trying to milk more money out of his own fans. I doubt they'll be as brilliant live now as they were a couple of decades ago.

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  4. Hey, glad to see you have a recent post! I honestly felt the same way as you before. I remember saying exactly the same thing about clothing. Why pay more when you can have the same style at a much cheaper price? But then again different brands and different quality. Still, it won't make a difference its still clothing. I remember about going to concerts, I thought to myself that it is really unfair to those who really wanted to see their favorite bands and basically they can't spend that much to see them. I was 17 when I went to my first concert and boy it took me a lot of thinking if I should go or not. It took me half my savings too. $100/ticket is too much for me already. But at that time I made an exception because it was The Police final concert. I went. By myself, mind you. And I said I will never go to concerts again unless the prices are below $50 lol. Unless, it's really a once in a lifetime and I could somehow afford it or earn it back. The most I have spent is $200 and that's for a three day festival for two people. And we were at the front. I spent almost the same amount for a Tom Petty concert and we were way back. I actually had two tickets free after but I never got to use it :'( . I would never pay $1000s just to see a band. No matter how much I love them that's just plain ridiculous. Where do they put these money when they are already that rich? I don't understand those VIP thingies. I'd rather experience a real concert by being in the crowd with all the sweat, kicking and screaming and punching and mosh pits. TSK! I guess if you're really a big fan you'll really do anything. But for me, as long as I am in the same atmosphere as the band and I hear the music and I can still see them even though from afar but not that far I'm good!!

    I couldn't really tell if you were happy about the free front row tickets (I'm sure you were) because of your thoughts about those who paid... but congrats! Front row for Paul McCartney that would be a dream come true for me!!

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  5. Haha, me too :) I need to keep updating this blog more often!
    I hope you enjoyed The Police :D That must have been quite something. But it is sad that there will always be people who can't afford to see their favourite bands live :( I would have gone by myself too!
    Wow, Tom Petty? It must have been awesome! I bet it was worth the money.
    I know, it is pretty damn pointless, I would never pay £1000...ever...
    Unless they managed to bring Jim Morrison back from the dead or something.
    Haha, I DEFINITELY ENJOYED IT!!! It was the best day of my life I can assure you.
    Thanks so much for checking up on me again ;)

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  6. I really love your blog and having fun while reading it even if I couldn't watch a live concert but it feels like I was there.

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  7. Aw thank you so much Joe :) I'm glad you find my blog fun to read...I should post more often

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