Within the past year, several artists of varying popularity have announced their plans to visit and perform in Chicago. Along with the excitement of these upcoming or recent tours, the additional panic and frustration that live music lovers face when it comes to actually purchasing their tickets also arrives.
It is not surprising that along with everything else, the prices of concert tickets have skyrocketed in the past couple years. However, it has become increasingly ridiculous this year. It seems as if purchasing concert tickets is becoming more and more difficult and exclusive when it used to be accessible for the majority of concertgoers. Despite many artists such as Billie Eilish and Tyler, the Creator trying their best to offer the lowest prices possible to fans, tickets are often bought out quickly and later resold for double or triple the original intended price through third party websites and apps.
There have been many tours that have come to Chicago that I, along with many of my friends and peers, have had to miss out on due to the insane price gouging of resellers. Some examples of this include Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short N’ Sweet” Tour, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s “Sweat” Tour, and Peso Pluma’s “Éxodo” Tour.
Even the fans of some less popular artists worldwide, such as Gracie Abrams, Conan Gray, Christian Nodal, and Ross Lynch, are dealing with prices exponentially higher than they used to be. I personally remember buying VIP Conan Gray tickets my freshman year for less than $100—this year, they were almost $200 for standing room.
Despite constantly searching for good deals on tickets in 2024—sometimes even waiting until the day of the show for final sale tickets—all of the efforts were for nothing, as I continued to see tickets no cheaper than $600–$1,000. Sometimes, even nosebleed or obstructed view seats were costing over $1,000.
It does not take a huge concert enthusiast to realize that this is simply unethical and ridiculous. Concert tickets used to be available for around $100 so that fans in various financial situations could still enjoy seeing their favorite artists perform. Nowadays, fans’ only chances are to save for months to even have a chance at beating all the resellers to the tickets, or simply miss out and hope for next time.
Additionally, it is not only resellers taking advantage of the early ticket sales. It also includes the people who go to various stops on the same tour, following an artist to multiple different cities. While seeing an artist more than once is not a crime, I do think that buying tickets for every stop of a tour is pointless and only takes away from all the fans hoping for seats.
Unfortunately, fans all around the world are experiencing a common struggle. It is especially challenging being a teenager or someone without a full time job since you do not just have an extra $1000 simply laying around to spend when an artist you listen to comes to Chicago.
If you are planning on buying concert tickets any time soon, please do not be one of those people who buys them only to resell in hopes of more money. Maybe just buy tickets for one show instead of 15. This way, live music continues to be an inclusive, exciting environment for fans without breaking the bank.
