The tightly sealed cardboard box from the attic is an accumulation of orphaned items too dear to trash. There’s a first communion missal, a holy water font to hang on my wall, a kindergarten report card from St. Thomas Aquinas (with nine graded categories, one being the “Ability to talk to God,” for which my heretical soul got an “A,” you doubters), old passports, and . . . . what’s this? Concert tickets?
The line stretches long and meandering from the entrance to Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, through the east parking lot, across the South Skunk River, to eventually come to rest in my memory more than 50 years later. I do remember the smell — the pungency of marijuana as it drifts from the crowd while my buddy and I try unsuccessfully to look cool standing in line with our eyes down and our hands deep in our pockets. Once we are seated, everyone around us is laughing and talking and passing drinks back and forth. College kids for sure. We sit in our brand-new bellbottom pants, eyes wide, and pass pop back and forth. Yup, high school kids for sure.
From stage left comes our man. Alone. Shadowed. Quiet. He sits at the piano and pauses. Then he bends over the keys and plays. Gradually the music loops around and his voice joins in:
Blue-jean babyL.A. ladySeamstress for the bandPretty-eyedPirate smileYou’ll marry a music man
Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. And we forget all our anxieties, worries, cares, and desires. We are no longer separate from the crowd. We are floating in the air, driven by this strange man on the big stage wearing cartoonish glasses. We are transported.
And the cost of this ecstasy? Well, back in 1972 it was $4.
Yes, four big ones. Tax included. That’s not happening today I’m afraid — even accounting for the increase of the minimum wage from $1.60 an hour in 1972 to $7.25 an hour in 2023. Three hours of work actually paid for my ticket back in 1972. Three hours of work today would barely pay for a reusable water bottle sold at a Taylor Swift concert.
Taylor Swift brings her “Eras” tour to Kansas City in less than a month, and resale tickets have only shot up in price since they sold out on Ticketmaster in November 2022. According to StubHub, prices range from $1,047 to $7,166 for the remaining 473 tickets for July 7 and $1,100 to $10,890 for one of 509 tickets available for July 8.
(emphasis added) (How much do Taylor Swift Kansas City resale tickets cost?The Kansas City Starhttps://www.kansascity.com › tips › article276378311).
Craziness has happened. Two high school boys from Iowa City are not buying two tickets for $10,890 each. Please.
Of course, the Taylor Swift ticket sales were outsized. We all know that. But even to see Elton John in Denver last year would have been a hard swallow:
Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which he says will be his last, is coming to Denver’s Ball Arena at 8 p.m. this Friday. Last-minute ticket grabbers will pay about $300 at the cheapest end, or upward of $4,800 at the most expensive. (emphasis added) (Want to see Taylor Swift or Elton John in Colorado? It’ll cost …The Gazettehttps://gazette.com › arts-entertainment › music › want-t…).
What has happened here? Who can possibly afford this?
So I asked a pro.
“I’ve been doing radio since God was just a little girl.” Ron Sorenson laughingly explains in his deep, melodious voice with the calming notes of a meditation guru at a day-long retreat.
Ron Sorenson is General Manager of KFMG radio and president of the board of directors.
“Essentially, I run the store.”
Which means?
“That means I’m general manager, staff announcer, principal underwriting sales person, fundraiser, copywriter, production director, I do promotions, and I take out the trash.”
Okay, Ron, based on your long years in the music world what’s going on with these music concert ticket prices?
“I did some digging, mainly because I was curious. Today average concert ticket price is $252. But in 1970, a big name show, a Beatles show or a Led Zeppelin show, was charging $10 to $12. But remember that gasoline in 1970 was 36 cents a gallon. So, one cause for what’s happening today is clearly inflation.”
And?
“Well, another factor is that 32% of ticket costs are currently fees and services. And don’t forget the resellers. They want to sell for more than they paid. It’s Stubhub, but also individuals just trying to make a buck.”
Yikes, that’s a chunk.
“Another factor I believe, especially for Baby Boomers, are that they are doing pretty well and are willing to pay $1000 to $1500 to see Paul McCartney for the last time. So they get the VIP treatment and don’t have to mingle with the hoi polloi.”
But what about all the young people attending a concert like Taylor Swift?
“Hah, those concert goers have grandparents who are baby boomers. I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t substantial parental and grandparental support. And don’t forget that Taylor Swift is a phenomenon — it’s a show, a circus, not just a band up there playing.”
I thank Ron for his thoughts and he returns to his microphone, while I return home to my box of memories and old concert tickets.
Wow. Look at this. Don McLean of American Pie fame at C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in 1973! Who knew? And the cost? Three bucks.
Shaking my head, and deciding once again not to trash all these treasures, I seal up the box and take it back to the attic. Then I sit on the attic stairs, an old man perch, and consider the wonderfully sweet smell of melancholy.
A long, long time ago
I can still remember
how that music
used to make me smile . . .
Don McLean, American Pie
Joe
Omg Joe hello hello from the land of once upon a time and never to see again tickets that low!! As per usual you nailed going down memory lane and leading me on a flashback of some of my crazy concert partying days and I am not referring to tubbys or Maury’s place . Was life just really better back then or is reminiscing just a way to convince ourselves we are not aging into retirement?? Well reality is what it is and the show must go and just maybe I can get a taste of a Taylor concert at the movie theater with my aarp discount for 6.99 !!! Give hugs to all keep opening pandoras box!!! Love ya
Whoa!!! I’m showing my age, but current live concert prices are outrageous. Ha, for those prices one could buy some audiophile headphones (which I have), and stream high resolution music of the same concert 😉 I say this listening to Grateful Dead’s Wake of the Flood (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) as I sip Chai Tea. Thus further confirming my age! 😉
Of course live concerts certainly are exciting. Though I remember my daughter, in the not too distant past, flew to Las Vegas for a concert that got cancelled due to horrible/dangerous weather.
PS. Joe are you still in line with your credit card for the next Taylor Swift concert?
Hmmmm, I wonder how much a recliner and longer headphone cable would cost me. 😉 🙂
Joe,
This is your best one, yet. I say that, because you and I are the same age and I can relate to this. It makes me think that I should have saved my ticket stubs to Elton,
Paul, Don, Gordon and the Moody Blues. I do have their 45’s, however.
(Ron and I went to high school together “a long, long time ago”.
I asked my Fairy Godmother to send me tickets to see U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Guess you know how that turned out! A friend and I bought tickets in 1967 to the Monterey Pop Festival. I think we paid $60 for the whole weekend and thought that was a big deal. What was truly a big deal was getting to see all those famous folks like Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix live and in person. My son is SO jealous that I got to do that!
Joe,
I attended the Elton John concert at Hilton that night. It was amazing. Iowa State did a great job of bringing talent to Ames (thank you, Bill).
My wife and I went to see John Cleese at the new Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee last night. They first hit you up with a $15 parking fee before you can enter the property. Once in you have access to 6 bars. The cost of a tallboy beer was double figures. Liquor prices were similarly high. A Tito’s was $12 or &15 dollars a drink. In order to get something to eat, other than popcorn or corn dogs, you had to have paid to be in the VIP area.
Then to top it off, Mr. Cleese ragged on Ticketmaster for its add on prices, the 32% you referenced. He went on for two or three minutes about this and actually apologized to the audience for it.
I think it’s unfortunate that prices are so high. I know many people cannot afford live entertainment. My wife and I would like to go more than we do but can’t justify paying the prices they charge.
Patrick, amen to that. But it’s particularly too bad because a live performance is not the same as TV — as I’m sure was true for John Cleese. But I am sure this will all even out at the end of the day, because there are too many people like you, who still want to go to the live performance. Thanks for writing.
When I saw that the Eagles were going to be in the Twin Cities I thought, maybe I could go. Then I saw the price of tickets and decided I just couldn’t pay that kind of money to sit in nosebleed seats in a huge crowd watching them on a jumbotron. Feeling the years here.
Kaye