Monday, November 30, 2009

Concert ticket prices


I’m looking into seeing some Jovi. Things aren’t looking good. Sure, you live for the fight when it’s all that you’ve got. What I don’t got is the 75 clams for a shitbox seat behind the stage that should come with an oxygen tank. Oh, I could get better seats…if I coughed up $670. Maybe I could cough up a lung and sell my organs to pay for a ticket.

I have loved JBJ ever since I saw him and his tousled hair swing over me in Cobo Arena during the Slippery When Wet tour. The last time I saw Bon Jovi (the Crush tour), I prolly forked over $100 or so for my ticket, when all was said and done. But I don’t know if JBJ and the boys are worth two months of health insurance, which I’ll need after I harvest my organs. If I actually plunk down my card for the ticket and 83 miscellaneous service and handling fees, I will be kicking my uninsured dumbass from here to Key Arena, which isn’t a MENSA-worthy idea. So I’ll pass and turn up my iPod instead, because, truth be told, I’m a little sick of livin’ on a prayer.

What’s the most you’ve ever shelled out for a concert? Was it worth it?

18 comments:

Hope said...

in 1986, i shelled out $45 ( a hell of alotta money back then) to see Bon Jovi in Dallas at Reunion Arena. The arena is now gone as are reassonable ticket prices.

DH and I recently went to see Eddie Izzard in Nottingham and the tickets were about $70 each (converting pounds to dollars), but it was well worth it. We had great seats and it was a rare night out for us.

Wilma Lee said...

Paid 60.00 per for an Alanis Morrisette concert about 13 years ago. Second row seats, cool huh? NOPE!! Some idiot parent paid the high prices to send their 7 year old kids, and place them in the 1st row, where they stood on their seats the whole time so we couldn't see a thing. We ended up going up on the lawn with all the drunks so we could see. Haven't went to a concert since.

lexismonkie said...

Lawn Seats Ozfest 2003, I believe it was 50-60 bucks.

The bands that were there: Marilyn Manson, Korn, Chevelle, Disturbed, on the main stage, not to mention the side stage.

it was an all day event so it was worth it.

Festivals are worth the cash, individual concerts aren't in my opinion.

Just don't get thirsty or have to use the bathroom because its 10 bucks for a bottle of uncapped water and the bathroom lines are horrendous not to mention the funky diseases on the toilet seats.

Eveline said...

The last Bon Jovi tour I saw was the Crush one too, and I can't remember how much I paid for it, but I know it was A Lot! And tickets for the next tour here are so ridiculous (and that's of course without getting there, buying the Tshirt, food etc. etc.) that I can't afford it, and that makes me so sad... I was hoping that my favourite band would stay somewhat affordable to go and see... *sigh*

CarlaCarlaCarlaCarla said...

Just so you'll know from the onset ...
I'm a real cheapskate. I'll oftentimes pass up a WalMart special in the hopes of finding a similar item at a garage sale for ten times less.

In spite of this, I paid fifty bucks to see Tool in 2006. Turned out to be the very worst concert I've ever attended. I realized ten minutes into the show that these guys are musicians, but certainly not performers. To keep the audience kinda entertained, the band's music videos were projected onto a large screen with the corresponding song. Blah.

Although ticket prices in the hundreds of dollars may be the fault of vendors rather than the performers, I can't help but think less of artists whose live appearances demand outrageous fees. Fuck em. Call me judgmental.

CarlaCarlaCarlaCarla said...

Before I forget ...

I'm fixinta shell out thirty bucks plus S&H for a TIWTPITF sweatshirt. Like the money, time, effort and dreams wasted on Tool, the Internet-reading public will find out about it if I'm not satisfied with my purchase : )

Chickens in the Basement said...

I checked the price of tickets for Gabriel Iglesias last week. Without fees, each ticket was over $100. I figure we'll have to watch him on Comedy Central!

Anna

Molly's Mom said...

I think the most I've ever paid for a concert was $60 to see Genesis at the Palace of Auburn Hills 2 years ago (yeah, I'm hip like that. Shut up.) I'd love to see The Police or U2 or some huge band (or the reunited Duran Duran), but I'm too cheap (perhaps b/c I'm 1/2 dutch). I tend to like the ones who are circulating on the county fair/summer festival circuit ; )

She Fights Like a Girl said...

Waaaaaait just a minute. We've got a Cobo reference and a Palace reference... I've stumbled into a den of (fellow) Detroiters?

When did Pink Floyd do the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour? On one way across the country, they played the Silverdome, which I skipped (thank dog) because I swore I'd never again see any act there. On the way back, though, they played the brand spanky new Palace (of Auburn Hills), and I saw that one. I think the tickets were like $54 before fees, which was easily the priciest concert for me at the time... and easily one of the best ever.

Since then, I've pretty much given up big name acts. Of course, when jerkwaters are trying to get $40 for shows at St Andrew's, I'm not sure it matters.

Chris said...

oh, don't EVEN give me a hard time about paying $200 to see Cher. I don't know what is really worth that, but I had a fabulous time and often wish I could go again. So that was the highest so I'm not exactly a big spender, but I also spent about as much to see Santana at the Hollywood Bowl and THAT was definitely priceless. It's like two parties in one!

Ticket prices are insulting. But most corporate fascisti pricing is.

Unknown said...

Aw- I wanted to see JBJ too... but not for that much money! I can get the same thrill singing along at my house.

Aimée Dillon said...

$75 and I didn't go. Here's the story. My friend asked me to go see a band with her I had never heard of. It was a free concert to see Maroon 5. I liked it, so we found them playing at another venue for only $10. We decided we liked them enough to shell out the big bucks when they came back to town 3 months later. However, by the time they got back to town I didn't want to go. I hated them. They lasted all of a month for me.

Also a tragic story, I didn't want to pay $200 to see U2 a few years ago and now the tickets have tripled in price. I WOULD sell my organs if I could. :(

On a lighter note, my mom wanted to see Elton John, the tickets were $500 and she said she would only pay that if she could sit on the piano bench with him ^_^

Anonymous said...

The most expensive concert I ever paid to go to was the Elton John/Billy Joel Piano Men tour. I think the seats were $85/each. Worth every single penny. AMAZING!

Fanboy Wife said...

The last concert I saw was Reel Big Fish. My husband bought the tickets, but we paid at the door so we didn't have to pay the extra 47 service fees tacked on at the end. I think it was only $20/ticket. It was a lot of fun, until an idiot with no rhythm elbowed me in the head and I got stepped on. (Reel Big Fish has a song called "Thank You for Not Moshing," yet the morons at this concert chose to do so.)

Junket said...

Once upon a time I was greedy enough to play a game of chicken with Ticketmaster in order to get better Bon Jovi tickets. I lost. My friends were pretty peeved. I ended up paying twice as much for scalped tickets outside of the show for everyone. Never again.

SikeChick said...

My friends still bust on me for paying $75 to see N*Sync back in 2001. I'm only ashamed because 2 years later when my teen dreams, Duran Duran came to town and asked $83 per ticket, I balked. I'd loved them since I was 12, but couldn't shell out that kind of dough. Luckily, I know Vin Diesel trivia and won tickets through the local radio station.

Colleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kitty said...

£15 to see Emilie Autumn, it was definitely worth it! I've seen bigger bands (Korn, Metallica, Tenacious D, Marilyn Manson) but never paid to see them due to a rich ex and my ability to sweet-talk security at festivals into letting me in free =D