Midwest is the best spot for concerts
Not sure if this fits the sub but it’s an opinion that’s been percolating for a min.
I’ve lived in 5 states now (WI, IL, ID, FL, NJ) and I know that my personal best area for living in terms of concert going was far and away the midwest.
I lived in between Milwaukee and Chicago. Any big name is going to stop in Chicago at the least, likely both Milwaukee and Chicago. Any smaller artist, same thing, except they are more likely to go to Milwaukee over Chicago. This is an amazing scenario, as you then get to decide which city is the best to go to, based on transport and price. Concerts were VERY affordable (usually under $100 for a ticket to shows like Panic at the disco, twenty one pilots, death cab for cutie, liam gallagher, etc). I HOPE this is still the case, in terms of affordability. Summerfest? Don’t even get me started on that gem. And if you have a bit more moola than myself, there’s Lolla and all sorts of other festivals.
Out west in Boise, you are not guaranteed whatsoever to get big names, and in fact rarely do. It’s so out of the way that even smaller artists will skip it to streamline their travel routes. I was in Boise in 2023, but the price of a concert was also far more expensive than in the midwest from 2015-2022. This is party because of the generally insane cost of living, I’m sure. Their biggest festival is a joke compared to Lolla, and costs practically the same amount! A bunch of local artists who apply compared to the literal biggest names in music, and they have the audacity to charge the same!
In Orlando, you had the issue of so many FL cities, that there was not a single “destination” city, meaning concerts were very spread out across the state. Not sure about prices as I never actually got to get out to one, thanks to hurricane cancellations (also not a thing in the midwest!)
Finally, NJ/ NYC area is a fucking joke. Have no idea how it was pre crazy inflation, but the cost to go to a concert here is just ridiculous. Just because of the location, concerts are 2-3X as expensive as they will be on the same tour in Chicago or Milwaukee. There is obviously a giant pull for talent here, but goddamn WHO can afford to regularly go to concerts??
The giant variable here is inflation across time, but god I miss living in between two major AFFORDABLE hubs for live events. I’m generalizing out to the whole midwest because many other states there have a hub city or multiple and well populated towns around it.
It makes me feel like WHERE in the country would match the pull to get artists of all sizes, be a guaranteed stop on 99% of any tour, and be guaranteed to be generally affordable, at least compared to other stops on a tour?? I can’t think of another! Thank our central positioning and the fact that we have two cities an hour and change away from each other, with built in artistic communities that have been standing for decades!
Any perspectives or experiences anyone can add are welcome! Just wanted to share some observations / celebrate my hometown for being pretty kickass, in a way that I think a lot of people overlook.