When you have no money, you spend a lot more than you do. At least, that was for me. When I was in debt, plucking down hundreds for a concert ticket wasn’t an issue. While trying to save for a second home, I’ve drawn a red line on spending on concert tickets.
When I was young and broke, plucking down $45 in the early 1990s for Aerosmith floor seats through their fan club was no issue. Plucking down $600-1000 for the same tickets in 2023 is. I’ve seen Aerosmith almost 20 times and I didn’t go to their farewell tour show at UBS Arena (before the tour was derailed by Steven Tyler’s injured throat). I didn’t go see the Kiss farewell shows at Madison Square Garden either. I know someone spending $1000 for Taylor Swift tickets and will travel thousands of miles to see her.
Concert inflation is a thing and I think one reason is that putting out new music doesn’t generate the money it used to. Otherwise, Aerosmith would have put out a new album in the past 11 years. Concert inflation will be a problem as long as shows sell well.
