Ask the Readers: Do You Go to Concerts?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Betty D, Kate, and Ang for winning this week's contest!
Almost everyone has been to at least one concert in their lives. Some people go to concerts regularly to see their favorite artists or bands. However, the price of tickets deters others from attending concerts on a regular basis.
Do you go to concerts? How often do you go? How do you save on tickets? What is the best concert you've ever been to?
Tell us whether or not you go to concerts and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards
We're doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook "Likes", and another one for random tweets.
Mandatory Entry:
- Post your answer in the comments below
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I love going to concerts but it seems like the only ones that come to my city are for teeny-boppers!
I only go to free concerts. I won't pay for them because even if the price is "good", you'll get hit with a ton of fees from ticketmaster.
In the past, I used to attend concerts regularly and spent a lot of money. I would usually find that after buying tickets, I had very little to spend on anything else.
More recently, one of the local radio stations started sponsoring what they call "Low Dough" shows. Tickets are around $5.00 and as high as $12.00 and it can be a local band or a national act. I have seen many big names from the past and a few from present. I have learned about many new artists from these shows as well. So, instead of paying $60 bucks to see a concert, I take that $60 and see 10 or more.
I go to local concerts now as heck they are $10-15. the big venues have the prices have gone up and I am only 42. Wow I remember going to U2 for $25 now it is $85 for nose bleed.
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My eldest son is a very gifted musician; he is actually going to an Arts University for his last two years of high school. Do to his music interest, I take him to several live music events every year but not necessarily big ticket concerts.
I have been a Kiss fan since the 70's so I have taken my son to see them twice but most concerts are a lot less money; mostly free. Every year for the past 10 years, he and I have gone to a Celtic festival where we see multiple live bands. We live in and near several tourist areas at the ocean so we have a lot of opportunity to see free concerts mostly in the summer.
Additionally, we use various deal sites to see the traveling Broadway shows at a reduced price. Earlier in the year we took the family to see The Lion King and the price for five of us was less than the gentleman and his wife who sat next to us. We take advantage and combine trips. On Memorial Day weekend, we were out of town for a family wedding so we used that opportunity to get discount tickets to see Wicked.
I used to go to a lot of concerts, but high ticket prices and annoying fans have kept me away as of late. Guess I'm getting old...
It's been about 15 years since we went to a concert! Living far away from a major city is one of the main reasons. When you have to drive a minimum of 3 - 5 hours to get to the city, then pay for a hotel or parking, etc, in addition to the tickets, going to a concert can be quite a costly event. Usually, you can purchase the main event's whole music library for less than attending a concert. So, no, we don't usually attend concerts.
I do go to concerts, but it has to be less than $50 per ticket (including service/convenience fees). I also enjoy free concerts my city and surrounding cities put on during the summer. The best concert I have been to was the first time I saw the Rolling Stones.
I do go to concerts from time to time.
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Before we moved to another community, I bought season tickets to the symphony which gave us the best value on ticket prices and seating. Now we rarely go to concerts unless we can afford the best seats. There is no value to me in going to a concert and only being able to see the performers on a huge video screen. I might as well stay home and rent a concert dvd.
I do not go to concerts.
I usually don't go to concerts its way too much noise and crowding for me :)
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Occasionally - last concert I went to was Tommy Emmanuel, and I won those tickets from my favorite local used CD/DVD place (CD Tradepost).
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Yes I do however I normally don't pay to go to concerts. Instead I resort to winning concert tickets through my favorite radio stations. I won two already within the past 3 months!
I've only been to about 3 concerts in my life. I paid for the first 2 and got lucky on the 3rd when a pregnant friend couldn't go and gave me the ticket! I am planning to go to one this year, and I am hoping Big Bang won't be sold out!
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it has been a long time but would love to go more often
Yes I do! Several times a year.. save by winning tickets 105.7 KOZZ my fav, haven't won there yet, tho. Also save by taking advantage of local marketing offers... Next concert not planned yet.. Pat Benetar, Journey, ? TAHOE perhaps.
We go to a couple of major (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, The Who) concerts a year. What really burns me is the extra fees tacked onto the ticket prices, such as a convenience fees, order processing fees and venue fees.
I go to concerts pretty frequently. Maybe one or two a month? I don't really save on tickets except by trying to see a mix of well-known and less well-known artists. Not sure how else to save money. Best concert would probably be Robyn - she was amazing!
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My sister and I share February as our birthday month. A few years ago, we decided to go to a concert together during the month of February to celebrate our birthdays instead of exchanging gifts. It has been our tradition ever since. We are big fans of Stubhub.com for finding deals on tickets. We are also members of certain artists' fan clubs to get extra perks like backstage and meet-and-greets passes. The memories of our shared experience lasts a lot longer than a material gift.
I used to go, but now it's too expensive. I still go to free ones in the summer.
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I don't tend to go to concerts unless it is free.
I really don't have a desire to go to live concerts.
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I haven't been to a real concert since I've lived on my own. I have been to free ones though!
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I tweeted! https://twitter.com/Monzarts/status/210056951218966529
They only concert we've gone to was for Third Day. They gave an amazing show & testimony. We also went to the free show @ Fair in Marietta, Ga sponsored by 104.7thefish a local Christain music station.
I do go to concerts, but not nearly as much as when I was in my early 20's (I'm 29 now). Now, I probably go to 5 or 6 a year. It's difficult to save money on tickets because of Ticketmaster's unbelievable fees. Those are the only factor I find really unfair. I'm happy to pay 75 bucks to see Bruce Springsteen, but why should I have to give Ticketmaster another 10 bucks just for e-mailing me a link where I can use my own paper and ink to print my ticket. The only way I know of to save myself from paying that fee is to go to a box office at the venue to purchase my ticket. I do that whenever I can, but Ticketmaster has gotten crafty to the point where they often make it part of their agreement with the artist on tour that tickets can only be purchased through Ticketmaster. At that point, I have to reevaluate if I want to see the band bad enough to give them that convenience charge, especially since I'm not given the option to inconvenience myself for the sake of 20 bucks.
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I don't go to too many concerts anymore because a) I've seen most of my favorite bands perform live (some multiple times), b) a lot of bands don't always stop in my state on their tours, c) I don't have as much disposable income for concerts as I did when I was younger, and d) since getting older I don't enjoy the crowded, loud atmosphere as much as I used to.
It's one of my favorite things! My husband & I are going to see Roger Waters do The Wall in a couple of weeks. Because ticket prices are so high, we're pretty selective and only go to shows that we really, really want to see. We're also seeing Eddie Vedder in December.
Tweeted response:
https://twitter.com/KelRo1/status/210061596305797121
When I was younger I went to a lot of concerts but after getting married and having kids I don't like to pay the prices.
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We mostly only go to free concerts. The in addition to the cost of tickets, the fees are outrageous! Lots of festivals in our area have free concerts to attend, or sometimes just a cost of getting into the festival. I can live without spending a fortune on live concerts...
I love going to concerts, but we don't go very often.
We go to a concert once and year and splurge on good seats!
We go to free local ones. But, on occasion, a family member will win a couple of tickets to a concert at the casino (frequently goes there on bus trips, so the points add up) and will offer up free tickets to us every so often for big name groups. Otherwise, it's just too expensive.
I love to go to concerts, but I don't like to shell out for them, so usually I go to free concerts in the park!
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Very rarely do I go to concerts like I did in the past. But I do like musical festivals and "music in the park" programs--both are better values. And I get the chance to discover up-and-coming artists sometimes!
I try to go to at least one concert a year but it is getting tough to do on a tight budget since concerts are getting more and more expensive every year it seems.
My husband and I go to one or two moderately-priced concerts per year (high-end for our rural state but mid-range compared to major cities). These are big date nights for us. The last of these concerts that we went to was Kansas.
Typically, however, the concerts that we go to are smaller scale like the local symphony orchestra or concerts at our local university. We both like a wide range of music so we tend to have a wide-range of options.
I do go to concerts!
I go to a lot of free concerts, and only a few paid concerts a year. Since I work occasionally in the sound, lighting and video industry, every now and then I get paid to go to concerts!
Regularly go to shows but always try to catch shows at the smaller venues in the NYC area. Broke that rule for Radiohead last Thursday but that's a show I'm willing to spend money on
Live music is important to me, and I go to a fair number of concerts and music festivals. It's one of the reasons I try to save money in other places (like cable TV.)
Also, I host house concerts in my home. Great way to have live music delivered to you door, with the modest payment I make going directly to the artist.
I used to go all the time, but only occasionally now. The best concert was probably the Ramones in the late '70s, or the Stones in the early '80s. The most recent one was Deathcab for Cutie and Airborne Toxic Event, and that was pretty great. Prices have definitely changed. :)
I haven't for a long time. I'm really uncomfortable in crowds, plus most concerts are more expensive than I want to pay for.
I haven't been to a concert in years - I wanted to go to one this year but no one good is playing at the place close to us
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I do not go to concerts.
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I have gone to a few concerts. Sometimes the tickets can be pricey. I am suscribed to the ticketmaster and to live nation and they usually send e-mails with information about pre-sale tickets or discounts. My all time favority concert, was the one i attended with my sister. It was a "Juanes" concert. It was very fun!!
I'm a fan on facebook and here is the link to my tweet. Thanks!!
https://twitter.com/ednyadove/status/210153754622820353
i would like to but havn't gone to many. i try to look for free ones!
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I love going to concerts of all kinds. I will try to go to one major concert per year as long as someone really cool comes. I will also hit up any concerts at the nearby casino because the price is so good. And....I love FREEE concerts too!!!
I like going to free concerts or music festivals where you can pay 80-100 a day and see a bunch of bands!
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I do occasionally go to concerts, but not as often as I used to. there was a time in my 20s and 30s where I went to at least one a month, now it's more like 2 or 3 a year. The best concert I ever saw was AC/DC back in 2003. Here were these guys old enough to be my dad, and they rocked out for 2 hours!
I love music but I have never been to a concert! The closest I came was as a teen going to a Christian meetup which featured some Christian music groups. It was great fun. Lots of energy! Someday it may be in the cards, if I can find music hubby and I can agree upon.
I do enjoy going to concerts, but I don't go as often as I'd like. They are generally too expensive for me, and the tendency of the concerts to be far from my hometown makes the price even steeper. If I wanted to save money I would go to craigslists ticket section and scavenge for tickets. Another alternative would be to purchase tickets to a music festival like Bonnaroo (near my hometown) where there is a long line-up and multiple artists will make appearances. It may be more expensive but you are essentially making a deal considering the sheer number of artists you will be seeing! This is the best concert I've been to (or should I say concerts?) :)
I went to several concerts over about a 6 year period in my late teens-early 20s, but none since (and I'm rapidly approaching 40). The 2 best were Paul McCartney at Angels Stadium and Barenaked Ladies in a small venue in downtown San Diego.
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The short answer to the question if we got to concerts is - No. The long explanation is that both my husband and I work and were trained in the technical side of the entertainment industry. Therefore going to shows and concerts, we spend more time evaluating, critiquing and analyzing the technical side of the event and (althought we enjoy the discussion) we don't enjoy the show. We've not been able to break teh habit and decided instead to quit spending the money on tickets.
My wife and I like to go to concerts, but not at the outrageous prices that seemingly every concert comes with. If we know we want to see a band play, we'll see how much tickets cost and decide what the ceiling would be to make the show worth going to.
A trick we've found is to find shows we'd like to go to and start stalking Stubhub. Usually by the week of the show, people just start unloading tickets at great prices for fear of losing the entire cost of the ticket. Most recently we got to see The Shins, 10 rows back from the stage at a great venue, and paid less than half of face value for the tickets.
Of course we have to decide to be okay NOT going to the show when do this. If a good deal doesn't come up, we just don't buy tickets.
I love going to concerts!
I don't mind going by myself so I try to get tickets through craigslist or from a scalper before a show for a better deal. This only works if the show isn't sold out.
Yes. Although I will rarely pay for a concert myself. I go to free concerts or someone will often pay for my ticket.
Yes - when I can afford them. I have won tickets o local concerts too, which is awesome!
I quit going to concerts when I saw that starting ticket prices for ho-hum groups were more than the nosebleed seats I paid for at an Eric Clapton concert. I just keep thinking, do I really want to pay more to see this group than I paid to see Eric Clapton, the master of the guitar? The answer is always no. So I stick with free concerts--there's one tonight, in fact!
ON MY WAY TO THE ULTIMATE CONCERT AS I TYPE THIS!
Driving from Ontario, Canada to Manchester, Tennessee for the 4-day BONNAROO Music & Arts Festival!
Live shows are pretty much my life.
We have been going to concerts for over 35 years. We love all kinds of music and don't mind paying for tickets. We enjoy indoor and outdoor concerts as well as festivals around the US where different bands perform. Concerts are the best form of relaxation!
I have not been to a concert in years. Don't have any intentions of going to any soon, the price of a ticket scares me away.
Yes I go to concerts. It's the one thing I will splurge on.
I've been to one whole (professional) concert in my life. Crowds aren't my favorite thing, so concerts aren't either.
I've been to a few concerts in my life. The number of concerts is so low because I refuse to pay $40+ for any concert ticket...it's more like $65 plus NOW. My city just added a new 9k seat arena bringing in some big names but I just don't have that much money to use for a 'splurge.' The state fair concerts and smaller venues have lower-prices which I do use sometimes. I also go to the symphony more often due to low balcony ticket prices and university fine arts programs.
The best kept concert venue for frugalistas - PBS TV. They have some great headliners for the more mature crowds for free. Rock, R&B, Soul, Jazz, 50s, 60s, disco, classical, newer bands...FOR FREE! The seats are always supurb too!
I don't get to see a lot of concerts, but let me tell you -- one of the best experiences of my life, was when I went to Ireland, by myself, to see U2. It was awesome.
Here's how I saved on that trip:
1 - I joined U2.com, so that I could get first-dibs on discounted tickets
2 - I got amazing airfare (during peak season, even!) just by getting newsletters from travel sites. I called a travel agency, just to double check that it was legit, and they found an even better rate.
3 - I got on facebook & made friends with people from my church over there. They met me at the airport, let mehave a place to stay, and hung out with me for the weekend.
Over all, it was less that $500, including airfare, parking, and the tickets. :)
Yes but I get free tickets from a friend who is the GM of a local venue.
I haven't been to a concert in close to 20 years. I prefer to listen to music at home.
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yes i go to concerts. i play in a community band and we perform 4-5 concerts per year, i usually go to one or two symphonic/orchestral type of concerts per year. and 1-2 rock-type concerts. my sister and i usually go for the cheap seats to the bigger shows, but we are splurging for floor seats next month for Aerosmith.
When I was single, I went very frequently. I have gone to a few over the past few years, but there are always one or two I'd like to go to that I don't because of finances or some other reason.
Free concerts with upcoming bands at a local beer garden are my favorite.
I like going to concerts when I can. [Usually only a few times a year.]
If it's a band I really want to see, I will pay for a ticket, because if you know it's a once in a lifetime experience, it is worth paying for it.
In other cases, I have won tickets either from a radio station or from the local independent newspaper. If I do win a ticket, then I usually go and buy a CD, to support the artist. I've been able to discover new music this way & that is always an enriching experience.
Absolutely! After 30 years I may be a bit more selective, but still no end in sight. I'll try and catch a show about once a month. It is difficult to save, some times have gotten free tickets from giveaways/promotions, also try to get to show early and catch opening acts. There are times when I have been pleasantly surprised that the opener outshines the headlining act. Two of my favorites this year have been Frank Turner and We Were Promised Jetpacks.
...oh, and 'liked' & commented on your FB Page too.
Thanks!
I've found some great concert tickets on Groupon - even huge, national, stadium acts. But I also just budget for a couple shows a year.