In recent years, fans filled outdoor venues to support Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, and Lana Del Rey. Neon green clothing sold out stores as BRAT summer took over the world with Charli xcx and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour, and families traveled hundreds of miles in hopes of hearing Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift live. 

Pingree Students chimed in on their experiences seeing live music. Olivia Gates, Ellery Welch, Lily Sardone, and Linh Nelson specifically all reflected on their experiences seeing Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. For the four fans, they all agreed that it was their favorite concert experience by far. No doubt, The Eras Tour was a pinnacle moment in the singer’s career and moved pop culture in a way no other artist has done in recent years. Swifties wore their best bejeweled outfits and cowboy hats. One thing is certain: securing a ticket to a night with Taylor was almost like the modern day Wonka Golden Ticket. 

Gates shared her secret to attending two nights of The Eras Tour in Toronto this past Fall. Her family purchased tickets to the first night from Seatgeek and managed to get tickets for the second show from a family member’s business connection. Gates admitted she spent $1,500 per ticket for the first show; however, she does not regret it at all. Ironically, she shared her experience with temporary amnesia, a strange phenomenon that happened to a lot of Eras Tour attendees. 

“I wasn’t able to remember anything because I was so shocked and excited,” she said, shifting in her chair. When asked if this happened the second time she recalled: “the second time…because I had already gone…I had a much better time and was able to remember everything.”

Welch and Sardone paid roughly $400 for tickets to see Swift live at Gillette Stadium.

When asked if she thought the overall night was worth it for that price tag, Welch grinned. “Honestly we had really, really good seats next to the stage,” she said, “and it was my favorite [concert] so, I think, yes.”

Nelson did not remember the cost of her Eras Tour ticket but did admit she shelled out $800 for tickets to Sabrina Carpenter from a reseller site. She does think it was worth it to see the “Espresso” singer live on her Short n’ Sweet Tour even with the pricey ticket cost.

Joey Lussier and Jack Murphy have fond memories of seeing Drake in concert. Lussier shared that he travelled to New York City to see the rapper after his mom managed to get face value tickets. Lussier was not sure of the price but he believes that attending Drake was definitely the most money he has spent on a concert ticket. 

Murphy guessed the most money he has ever spent on a concert ticket was $250. He got his tickets to Drake from Ticketmaster and smiled when asked if he thought attending the show was worth the price: “Yes.”

Madeline LaBossiere said that seeing Olivia Rodrigo live was her favorite concert. LaBossiere’s reasoning was that she felt like she could participate. She seemed excited as she recalled knowing all the words to each song and spending the evening with her friend. Her friend lucked out with tickets to Rodrigo’s show at TD Garden and LaBossiere paid her friend around $150 for one ticket. “It was definitely worth it. I think $150 is not that much [for Olivia Rodrigo].” 

What’s clear is that while some fans are able to get face value tickets at a reasonable price, with the rise in concerts, venue fees, and reseller sites such as Seatgeek, StubHub, and TickPick, attending a concert can cost as much as a vacation. 

Senior Graham Sweet loves attending shows and hearing live music; however, Sweet mentioned that he was not a fan of Ticketmaster. Sweet advocated for local venues and artists. Ticketmaster “[ruins] small festivals and they raise the prices of tickets,” he says. “They make music less accessible…I think this is a huge issue.”

In recent years, as stock markets are shifting, tariffs are causing necessary goods to cost higher, and families still recovering post COVID-19, it is notable that people are willing to pay such high prices for live music. Artist’s stories and songs help millions of people feel seen and valued. In times of division, concerts are continuing to draw people from all different backgrounds together, and provide moments of escapism for many. In contrast to the current culture which is veering heavily into overconsumption and values materialistic things, it is still meaningful to so many to sing their hearts out and escape from reality, even if it’s just for a night.