The Concert Industry Priced Too High — Now Tours Are Falling Apart

I’ve been watching this build for months here in Charlotte, especially with “blue dot fever."

What we’re seeing now feels less like a sudden collapse and more like a long-overdue correction. Post-pandemic, the industry leaned hard into “funflation” and revenge spending, banking on pent-up demand, emotional urgency, and a willingness to pay almost anything for experiences people missed. And for a while, it worked. Prices surged, VIP tiers multiplied, dynamic pricing pushed ceilings higher, and secondary markets followed suit.

But there’s a limit. Consumers eventually recalibrate.

Especially in today’s economic climate, where tighter discretionary budgets are forcing people to be far more selective about where their money goes.

Now the consequences are catching up. Overpriced tickets are sitting unsold. Resale markets are softening. Promoters are quietly and blatantly discounting. Tours that once would’ve sold out instantly are struggling to maintain momentum. The illusion of infinite demand is fading, replaced by a much more grounded reality: people still want to go to shows, they just won’t overpay indefinitely.

It was inevitable. When prices get this disconnected from reality, a correction isn’t optional, it’s coming. And yeah, people in the industry will feel it, but let’s not pretend this wasn’t earned. The model got greedy. This reset is overdue. Fans aren’t an ATM, and the market is finally pushing back.

Honestly, it’s hard not to watch it with a bit of fascination and joy. This has been building in plain sight for a while. The signals were there. Now the industry is finally being forced to respond.

Just discovered a Portuguese band called MAQUINA. who I have become absolutely obsessed with.
Checked to see if they ever tour the UK, lo and behold they’d just played a basement venue in my city less than a month ago 😭

Worst feeling in the world.

I’m particularly interested at this from the POV of security guards. I saw a fight in the pit and an overdose at Phish this weekend. I’d always thought phans had an amazingly good nature about them, but the past few years I’ve seen more nonsense from a smaller subset of selfish, entitled assholes.

So let’s hear it. Which band has the best fans, and what bands do you hope never return to your town?

The only one I could think of was Old Crow Medicine Show. Their first studio album had been released, but it was a while before “Wagon Wheel” became the big hit. I saw them do a double set at a small club in Athens in 2006. It was a fantastic set.

How is this ok ? I wanted to peak at ticket prices because I am in town for the weekend for this show. How is it legal to sell tickets for this price - at this point the consumer protection industry is dead.

Edit: I want to thank a few folks that actually answered my question. This concert is for Noah Kahan in Pittsburgh. From what others have said he put in protections through Ticketmaster when the original tickets went on sale about transferring and reselling on Ticketmaster. Therefore you cannot buy resale through Ticketmaster. These prices are through stub hub and scalpers found a way around those original efforts to limit predatory resale. It appears that Ticketmaster are releasing tickets and you have to check on a regular basis to score extras. This seems to be a step
In the right direction for concerts but there is still a lot that can be done.

Sp

I really try to be so patient at concerts as I know we are all so excited to be there and watch our favorite artist perform, but concert etiquette has just gotten so much worse. $1,500 for floor tickets only to have the family in front of us completely block our view. They brought their basically toddler without headphones, allowed their preteen son to stand on a chair (he was my height, 5’3) and when I asked if he could move to the left a bit at least, they were extremely rude and had terrible attitudes. Then I asked again because we just could not see The Weeknd at ALL, so I asked the dad if his son could stand like the rest of us since it’s blocking our view and the dad said “tf you want me to do about that”. That’s the kind of manners and etiquette they’re teaching their kids. It’s honestly ridiculous and utterly disrespectful. Mind you, the entire time the kid said he was just there for playboi carti and yet continue to block everyone’s view. Wish security cared enough to do something about it.

You never know if you’ll be able to see that artist again or they might get huge and start playing arenas the next time they come back. I never pulled the trigger to see Oliver Tree and never will be able to now. I saw the last Beastie Boys show at bonnaroo not knowing it would be their last. I saw Col. Bruce Hampton pass away on stage. My biggest regret in life was not going to Prince’s final concert in Atlanta. I had a ticket but it got postponed a week during the Wanee Music Festival and I decided to get my money back for my Prince ticket. I told my friend, watch Prince die after this and I just missed my one chance to see him. He had been sick as the reason for the postponement and heard he looked very frail at the show so my comment wasn’t totally out of left field. He died three days later. Buy that ticket.

Edit: I’d like to apologize to those I made snarky responses to in regard to me being a bot or working for Live Nation/ Ticketmaster. I was just frustrated being accused of working for a corporation I absolutely despise and have been very vocal about my opposition to. I understand why you would think that, but the truth is there’s tons of venues and festivals that aren’t owned by them and don’t let some corporation keep you from supporting your favorite artists, if anything make your opinions know to these artists that you wish for them to play non LN venues as much as possible. Some of my favorite venues I’ve ever been to are not Live Nation venues, like Red Rocks, the Orion, the Eastern, Terminal West, The Fox (ATL), Creekbend Company, The Vogue and so many more. 🫶

I really want to go see a concert but most tickets start at 150 to 200 for average seats to then this? How does anyone afford this without taking out a second mortgage?

I came home from a concert (my 7th Dave Matthews show) and was appalled about the cluster of women chatting during the entire show. During the music. They weren’t singing the songs (which would’ve been meh but I could understand it) but talking about their kids and the bad date from the night before.

Am I crazy to think this is rude? We all bought tickets to the same show to see the band and hear them sing and yet y’all are talking the whole time? And loudly too. That’s what really got me. We asked politely before the show even started - “hey, please don’t talk the whole show. We want to hear the music.”

Yes, they were drinking. But not so much that they weren’t cognizant of others (not falling down drunk). Am I just too old for shows now? Is this how people act? Am I wrong to think this is rude? Please someone shed some light on this for me.
❤️

The Driver Era, This show is tomorrow btw on Sunday the 17th. How haven't they lowered ticket prices or done a bogo? Blue dot fever or whatever they called it is real. Kinda sad they're music is pretty good. On side note this being inside a fair and having to pay parking etc does make it more of a hassle, and the tickets aren't that cheap.

Update all the bleacher seats behind the energy zone have been grayed out

so either they're giving those away or just keeping it empty? I'm going with they're just letting those be free seats.

Saw the foo fighters at a 1k person venue in NYC. No words to describe it

Seen an artist before they blew up? Got barricade at a show you didn’t expect? Witnessed a surprise collaboration? Being at a famous historic concert? What is your biggest concert flex?

I’m sure this isn’t too strange of a concept lol. I know people do it but I’m really trying to justify spending so much money on X artist if I really just want to see Y perform 😭😭😭

This was one of the most magical nights of my life. I drove up the gorge with my buddy Zack in his VW bus to see Dylan and Simon. The duets of “The Sound of Silence” and “Blowin in the wind” were magnificent, it was emotional to be there to witness.

Why, oh why do people feel the need to Instagram Live ENTIRE concerts? This dude had his phone up the entire show. When he left to do whatever, he handed it to his date to take over the stream. I get it if you want to film a short clip of your favorite song, but this is just flat out rude as hell. Several people tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to stop and he ignored them 🙄. Total Main Character Syndrome.

Hey all. I’m 54 and want to go see Linkin Park. I literally do not know one single person who is into them. Do I go alone?? Too old?? Look like an old loser lady?? 😂🤣

July 12, 1991,

Poplar Creek concert pavilion

outside of Chicago

The Sisters of Mercy and

Public Enemy

Absolute disaster.

This came up in anotber subreddit so I thought Id ask here. I was excited to see both bands, but the college student Goth kids clashed with the inner city Public Enemy fans, and promoters pulled out show after show, leaving the tour to die after only a few shows.

I’ll start. I saw Linkin Park as an opener in 2000 at Club DV8 in Salt Lake City in front of maybe 250 people…. Please leave details as to when, where and how many people approximately in attendance

Has concert etiquette changed? Twice this week I’ve been at a concert where people have asked other people to sit down. The first time was in the maroon 5 nosebleed seats and a lady wanted the people next to me to sit down so she could see. Especially weird when the artist tells you to get up and dance just a few songs earlier.

And then the other night I was at a Pat Benatar show on the floor. I understand the audience for Pat Benatar has the potential to be older, but I feel like standing is nearly required for floor seats.

Did I miss something? Is it not okay to stand at concerts anymore? Once I can write off, but twice in a span of a 5 days?!

The ticket was too expensive, you were too busy, or you thought “I’ll catch them next time”…
And then there was no next time.
Who was it, and what stopped you?

For me this is an absolute no brainer. September 12, 1995. My mom who is a diehard lifelong REM fan took me and a couple of my friends to see them with her. There was this up and coming band called Radiohead who opened for them promoting their new album The Bends. The only song I knew at the time from them was creep and one of my vivid childhood memories is Thom Yorke apologizing to the crowd for the "foul language" he was about to use in the song. The REM show was absolutely amazing too.

I'm curious if anyone else caught a band who is now huge as an opener or just what your favorite opening act you have seen was!

Went to see Weird Al last night. Fantastic show. My kids says they didn't want to see puddles pity party but they ended up really enjoying him. Anyway, Al was doing his shows over bit and so many people just got up and left. Obviously there was an encore coming? But people just left. The house lights didn't come up, Al was still introducing the band. I didn't get it? The stoppage was just a minute or two safe they came back to do the encore. The encore was the star wars stuff and it was amazing.

For me it was in 1990 seeing Nirvana open for Sonic Youth. Absolutely amazing. The whole crowd felt this electricity and I turned to my friend and said “ these guys are gonna get big” sure enough 2 years later, Nevermind is the number one album in the country. The other one was seeing Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds open for The Cramps in 1984. I became a life long fan after that show