Remember when Rock & Roll was ‘about the music’ …?
After going to the big Van Halen, David Lee Roth reunion show the other day I experienced some ticket sticker shock. The concert was a blast and my wife and I had a great night with some friends, but, really? Don’t they know the economy sucks? Well I guess it’s not that bad since people still go to concerts, and have Iphones and fill up their gas guzzlers…
Before I stashed my ticket away with a bunch of old concert tix, I took a close look. I am not one to complain about prices. I can either afford something or not, but, the dollar numbers really got me thinking…
The tickets were $79 each. So for me and my wife it was a $160 date night. Nope, there was a $16.50 fee per ticket on top of that. Okay now we are at a $200 date night which doesn’t even include dinner, trolley tickets, etc. Like I said…it is what it is and I can buy or not buy depending on if it is worth it to me.
But as I am putting the ticket stub away for safe keeping I took a look at the prices of some of my old concert tickets. All the shows I went to in high school, the tickets themselves, were less than the current $16.50 ticket fee…what the heck? How can any kid afford to go to a concert these days?
Some of my old concert tickets
Minimum wage in California is $8 last I checked. A Justin Bieber fan would have to work two hours plus just to pay the ticket ‘fees’, without the ticket. That’s not even accounting for taxes deducted from their paychecks.
So if a kid today wants to take a date to a concert at roughly $200 that kid would have to work approximately 33 hours. Just for a crappy mid-hall concert ticket. How many high school kids even work 33 hours a week? No wonder they rip so much music for free online. I always thought I would have to help put my daughter through college or help her buy her first house. Didn’t realize I needed to start her a concert ticket fund.
Guess the economy is not so bad…
Mike Slayen ~ Guitarist 