Going to concerts is one of my favorite things to do. Through the years, I have seen a bunch of performers, and they have usually fallen into two categories.
There are the ones that I like and have to see because I think they are great. That is a list that could go on forever.
Then, there are the ones that I do not like that much but saw them because of the experience. They are the ones that music lovers should see because of who they are. Bruce Springsteen. Leonard Cohen. Cher. Bob Dylan (although I like the young Dylan. It is the old Dylan that I have questions about). Dave Brubeck. Garth Brooks. I cannot say that I enjoyed all of those shows, but I am glad that I saw them.
That brings me to some concert tickets that went on sale this week. Paul McCartney is coming to town, and he definitely qualifies as a member of the second category. He is not one of my favorites, but he is someone who a music lover should see. My wife and I talked about it and decided we would look into it. Her mom was interested, as well.
Oh, I should also say this. We like good tickets, where we can actually see the stage.
Being a frequent purchaser of tickets, I get emails about buying tickets before they go on sale. The first email offered special packages. I looked into it and found that tickets close to the stage could be had for $1,500 a piece. Tickets got cheaper as they moved further back, but the cheapest one was $500.
I was not going to pay that, so I waited for the next email. This one was a pre-sale the day before the general public could buy. I click on the link and see that a decent seat was $300. That was still expensive, so I played around with the parameters. It turns out that a seat in the upper deck cost $150. Let me write that again. A seat in the UPPER DECK cost $150.
We are not strangers to pricey concert tickets. I am willing to pay for what I get. However, this is ridiculous. I might pay that much to see The Beatles. However, I am not going to pay that much to see a Beatle.
Without a doubt, Paul McCartney is a legend. Although I think they are overrated, he and the rest of the Fab Four altered music history. However, I cannot justify paying that much to see him. The place will probably be full, so I do not think Paul is concerned.
I hate that we are going to miss seeing someone of Paul McCartney’s stature, but he has priced me out of the market. For someone who loves concerts as much as I do, that is a real accomplishment.
I might pay that to see the Fab Four, but I will never pay that to see the Fab One.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
The price of concert and other event tickets has gone crazy. I remember when anyone could afford a ticket to anything. They might not be the best seats in the house, but you didn’t have to be rich to go to a concert or a play. I am lucky to have grabbed a couple of tickets to a Judy Collins concert next September. Like you, I get emails for events and this one coincided with our anniversary, so I plunged ahead. — but usually, we can’t afford anything. $50 ticket was practically free. I used to have season tickets to the ballet and Boston Symphony. Now, we’re lucky if we go to 1 or 2 concerts a year and usually, the tickets are free from a friend.These days, a lot of kids grow up never having seen a live performance of anything.
Judy Collins will be a cool show. People need to experience live performances because it is a complete musical experience. It is like being surrounded by sound. With these prices, people have to pick and choose or never experience it at all.
A lot of kids just give up. They can’t do it so, they will never know what they missed.
Hard call. Is pricey, but you get some of the best songs ever made.
It was a tough decision, but I can’t spend the money.