...to feel like I don't want the hassle of going to concerts any more?

[TempestTost]

I am not a huge concert goer, I've always tended to go to pubs more often. Mainly just because of the cost. But there are a few artists I've been willing to go out and get concert tickets for from time to time, especially if the venue is one I like (not too big, seats reasonably comfortable.)

I've been hearing more and more people over the last few years complain about the difficulty of getting tickets, and just recently experienced it myself. I heard tickets would go on sale for a musician I like, someone i've seen three or four times before.

I knew I wouldn't be able to get online until about an hour after they went on sale, but I wasn't too worried. Last time I saw him, it was a smaller venue, and I got ok tickets a few days after they were available - this was 4 years ago. He hasn't blown up in popularity since then, he's an established guy with a following but not Taylor Swift by any means.

Anyway - I went online an hour after the sale opened, and absolutely nothing was available. But they were available for resale all over the internet. Clearly a huge number were immediately snapped up for resale. I managed to find some for about double the price, though the better seats were far more than that. (Though I am still not sure they will be legitimate once I get to the door, and there isn't any good way to find out.)

In hindsight, I'm almost wishing I hadn't bought them - I was in a bit of a panic because I'd told my daughter that I could get tickets. But I feel like, until venues get some kind of handle on this, it's almost better not to bother at all. There is something really nasty about the whole thing. I also can't decide if I think the venues and artists are somehow complicit, or are also victims.

Apart from the issues with resale, prices are much higher in general. Partly that's because musicians make so much less money from streaming than they did in the past selling singles/albums. So the need to get back as much money as possible from live performance is greater. Plus higher insurance costs etc. Its a massive pity though because I can remember being a teenager (not that long ago I swear) with comparatively little money but we were still able to save and go out and see biggish bands at places like Manchester Academy as well as smaller bands at smaller venues. Now a lot of the smaller venues are closing down, and large concerts are both impossible to buy tickets for and super expensive.

@Funkyslippers you made a good decision we went to something at Blenheim a couple years ago, we spent a good two hours in a traffic jam as the roads couldn't cope with the amount of traffic, it was poorly organised entering and by the time we got in there and were starving there was nothing to eat at the extortionate food stalls. The only ones that did have food had unbelievably long ques.

I always found it not worth the hassle even when it was easier to get tickets. The need to stand around for AGES, queuing up for crappy drinks and toilets and it taking AGES to exit the venue and get home. I used to favour bands who didn’t bother with encores. And the sound quality sounds better if I listen to it at home in comfort. Just can’t be arsed, I used to go along with it when I was younger but secretly couldn’t wait to get back home. Not for me.

Yep totally pointless

We live near a small venue that went through a period of having bands like, snow patrol, kaiser chiefs, James. No queuing, reasonable ticket prices, we could walk from home. Seeing bands in a 1400 max venue kind of ruined us for big venues.

If people just wouldn't buy at the inflated prices it would be fine.

The resale of tickets needs to be done officially, only through the venue or the initial ticket seller, with some form of digital id/passcode to ensure it's legitimate,

There needs to be a consistently used method for returning tickets you can no longer use, or for transferring names - this allows for buying gifts on behalf of others, not just children. Having the original buyer to have to show up just wouldn't work - many people buy for venues further afield, or even abroad.

Price of tickets has increased a lot but I think this is because it's now how bands can make money. It used to be for record sales - this has significantly reduced due to streaming services iirr.

I spend a lot of money and time on gigs. I'm registered with lots of ticket companies, mailing lists etc and this means I can usually get face value tickets for the gigs I want. There's often the opportunity for cheaper tickets for less popular stuff via some agencies as well. I prefer smaller venues but not averse to an arena or stadium - depends on the band.
I've got about 20 gigs booked at the minute. I want to see Greenday but the venue they're playing in Manchester is awful so I'll get a ticket closer to the time off a tout or another fan probably.
Being a musician is hard at the moment. Support acts are basically working for free sometimes or paying to be on tour. I always try to buy a cd or a bit of merch for the support if I can. I'd hate to see some of our incredible venues fail or bands quit because they can't make a living.

The new co op live venue in Manchester can GTF though, fleecing artists and fans from what I've heard so far.

@cheesychipsontheoche whats the problem with CoopLive please? We have something booked there so any advice would be appreciated!

I’m with @cheesychipsontheoche on this one, bands need to make a living and I’m happy to support them, plus I enjoy the larger venues where they can have bigger stage productions and light shows. I have been to or have tickets for five stadium gigs this year, plus smaller venues. Rip off ticket merchants can get lost though.

Also joining mailing lists for pre-sale ticket access helps.

2000 people is the perfect size for a venue, IMO. Roughly the same size as Hammersmith Odeon. I haven't been since they've done it up, although I've heard great things, but I grew up in Bristol and went to the Colston Hall a lot. I saw AC/DC there, Thin Lizzy a few times, Oldfield. Used to go to gigs at The Granary too.
Nowadays the Cheese and Grain in Frome is fantastic.
Arenas are generally horrible... most of the time you're basically watching the telly.

We saw Crowded House at The Roundhouse last year and they were fantastic so this year we're seeing them in Lincoln Castle. These big outdoor things can be grim but we've never been to Lincoln and are making a long weekend of it.
Small venues are so much better. We managed to get tickets to see Pet Shop Boys at Koko next month.

@1000umbrellas The one near me is banquet records in Kingston. Usually £14 including a copy of the cd! Gigs are mainly in pryzm nightclub.

My daughter loves them. Some really big names as well.

One of the best gigs I saw was during Covid - New Model Army!
They had to postpone their 40th Anniversary tour to 2021 but did a live stream concert on 24th October 2020.
All the crew were wearing masks but the band weren't.
The tickets were good value, I was on the sofa in my pyjamas & reading glasses watching them live on my laptop!
People were tweeting about it so there was a good atmosphere about it.

I'd definitely pay for live streams of stadium concerts if it meant I could watch from the comfort of home & actually see the band on stage rather than a figure in the distance...

Well they've just had to postpone the first shows as the venue isn't ready. Are they refunding booking fees? No. Treated the staff who worked on the venue poorly. Food and drink prices exorbitant, still no realistic transport infrastructure... and on the grapevine unrealistic expectations of artists booked so far.

I've got a few gigs coming up there but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more issues in the next few weeks as they finally open.

@cheesychipsontheoche Oh dear, that doesn’t bode well for either of us, does it. I saw a video of the inside of it and was struggling to see what was so different or special compared to others of a similar size.