u/beauty-and-the-read

I know I’m probably beating a dead horse with a stick, but I also have genuine examples of this being ridiculous and as someone who has been going to Concert for 10+ years, it actually hurts how bad it’s gotten.

I’ve been seeing The Story So Far every year pretty consistently since 2015 and I’ve always acknowledge that they’re never gonna be the same band that was performing at small bar stages and what not. In 2022 I saw them with Joyce Manor on their tour and at terminal five for $52 and it really was an awesome show. However, flash forward to 2026 and I just got tickets for their tour they just announced and it’s literally going to be at the same venue at terminal five with artists I am going to be frankly honest I’ve never heard of (not that this is a problem) for $65. There’s no way the show is going to be that much different from what I saw in 2022 that there’s that much of a hike up lol and that’s just me being honest.

I first noticed the inflation be becoming an issue in 2023. My friend invited me to a Pierce The Veil/The Used concert at the Rooftop Pier/Pier 17. The concert was $80 which I was baffled about because I have never spent more than $55 to see either of those acts live on their headliners. Not to mention that Pierce the Veil had a 10 song set list, where two of those songs were interludes. For this tour, PTV was supposed to perform first before The Used, but since New York had two shows they switched it for this night. Pierce the Veil closed out, but because they had basically a seven song playlist the show literally ended like 30 minutes early. You couldn’t even tell who was performing (unless you knew the music) because they didn’t even have a flag or a backdrop where you could tell. I can’t lie in this moment that I felt robbed of my money because I think the band has been around long enough that there’s no reason they couldn’t have added like three or four surprise songs to fit the time a lot.

I also felt robbed because back in 2016, I also saw a Pierce the Veil with Neck Deep and I Prevail opening for $55 at Hammerstein. Not to mention, Pierce the Veil did an awesome set where they came in with this crazy animated intro, they changed their backdrop three times, and they had a really good set list too prepared for the fans to love.

It’s weird to live in a time where concerts are becoming really inaccessible in all genres. But I can’t lie it especially hurts to see it happening in alternative music because the concerts being accessible were what made it so special. All throughout college I used to brag about how I spent more money on like a formal dress than I did on a total of three concert concerts in a semester lol. When I saw how much it is to see All Time Low NOW, in addition to the meet and greet package was insane. There’s no way you’re gonna have me pay $300 in total to see a bunch of guys with receding hairlines still singing about how they’re “the youth of today”.

I’m open to what other people have seen as well! I just think it’s interesting times we are living and that’s for sure