Everything about attending a concert is a money-grabbing scam. Recently, I tried to buy tickets to see Sabrina Carpenter perform at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. The ticket prices were out of control, ranging from $850 to $5,000 for just one ticket. Usually, ticket prices go down the day of the show because resellers do not want to lose their money, so I waited, thinking I would get lucky – I did not. Prices never dropped below $800, and unless I was getting a song dedicated to me, I was not paying that.
One of the biggest reasons concerts have become so expensive is scalpers. Scalpers buy and resell tickets for large profits, negatively impacting everyone’s experience purchasing tickets. I, as well as many other frequent concertgoers, believe that more should be done to prevent scalpers from selling tickets for such ridiculous prices.
Buying tickets, however, is not even half of the scam that attending concerts has become. When purchasing general admission – pit tickets – for a concert, your spot on the floor is on a first come, first serve basis. Arriving at the event on time is a rookie mistake because you will most likely be met with campers who have already taken the best spots. The amount of people who camp outside the venue for multiple days to get a closer spot is ridiculous. People with the opportunity to take off work and stay overnight are entitled to a vastly better concert experience than someone who paid the same price.
Even though you most likely paid hundreds of dollars to be close to the artist, you probably will not even be getting your money’s worth. Occasionally, venues will offer VIP tickets to people who want guaranteed closer seats. Fans who want this upgrade are forced to spend even more money, even though the regular ticket was already expensive.
The battle does not end there. Upon entering the venue, the merchandise stand is staring you in the face. It seems like nearly everyone at the show has a piece of merch over their outfit that is already intricate and dedicated to the show. Artists like Harry Styles and Taylor Swift have fans that go all out for outfits, accessorizing with glitter and feather boas. Some people are under the impression that if you don’t own any merch or get super dressed up, you aren’t a “real fan” of the artist. This makes it almost impossible not to purchase the shockingly and unnecessarily expensive merch at the show. According to Carpenter’s tour info on X, the average price of a t-shirt is $50 and the hoodie is $85. When setting merch prices, artists’ management teams know that some fans cannot leave without a physical memory of the show in their hands. They take advantage of the intense emotions felt during concerts, knowing the logical thinking process will be clouded. Although a profit would still be made with lower prices, there will always be unnecessary price gouging.
Don’t get me started if you want food or beverages during the show. The cost of water alone is so high you’ll nearly have to take out a small loan. I understand why you aren’t allowed to bring any outside food or drink into the venue, but I do not understand why a bottle of water at UBS Arena costs roughly $8. There has been a recent increase in the number of fans passing out at concerts due to heat exhaustion and dehydration, yet water is a luxury at these venues. Everything else at concerts is so overpriced already, it wouldn’t hurt to knock a couple of bucks off the most important necessity of life.
My point is, make concerts fun and affordable again! Of course, the experience you get during the show is priceless, and at the end of the day, money comes and goes, but memories are forever. Tickets and merchandise still need to be less expensive, and the issues of scalpers and campers need to be dealt with so all music fans can have a positive experience.
