As a music lover, there's nothing like the live music experience, and I'm thankful to have had the privilege of experiencing hundreds of incredible shows by countless performers throughout the years.
While we still love rocking all the concerts we can—plus plenty of other live entertainment opps as they arise—long gone are the days of camping outside a venue overnight to get an early spot in line for the best seats, or scoring front row for, say, a reasonable 25 bucks. Along with increasingly massive productions and technological "convenience" have come massive ticket prices and absurd "convenience" fees—not to mention everyone's hands in the proverbial pot. And don't even get me started on the legalized scalping inflation via our most prominent ticketing portal. We've created a monster that's eating itself—and our entertainment budgets—alive.
Now if you think this means you can't always get what you want, think again. If you're willing to do the work, there is almost always a way to get a better deal on the shows you really wanna see. Below, I'll share some of my standard ticketing tips, followed by a recent real life example from a more complex ticket buying experience.
1) Know the price you see is rarely the price you get
Ticket pricing is a mental game, so brace yourself. The first price you're shown is usually the base price before any convenience fees, venue fees, credit card fees, taxes or, of course, parking or package add-ons. While some acts now insist on offering a handful of token lower priced seats (usually nosebleed), those tend to sell out fast, and can still come with some potentially hefty fees on top.
2) Look out for "all-in" pricing
Watch for all-in pricing, which is most likely to show you more, but possibly not all, of the combined ticket total so you can actually know what you're getting into. Secondary sellers may provide an all-in button option, allowing you to see a truer total. Ticketmaster typically requires you to log in before you can see their full fee structure. Be warned: Some online sellers will also tack on a few extra digits right before you actually check out.
3) Buy at the box office whenever possible
This is the single most significant piece of advice I can offer. You will forego most, if not all, additional ticketing fees at the box office. One of our local Live Nation venues still loves to tack on an ever-increasing venue fee, so you might want to verify any hidden costs before closing the deal. As of this posting, this method still provides considerable savings at this amphitheatre, especially when multiple tickets are involved, making it worth the trip. I typically check the venue map online to see what's available and request my preferred seats in person.
4) Watch for special deals
The past several years, Live Nation
has run a "Concert Week" promo for select shows offering $25 tickets. They can also offer four packs, in case you have some pals to go with.
If all-in pricing with no fees isn't offered, you can stack these deals with a box
office run for best savings. If you're buying from a secondary seller, watch for coupon codes, especially for first time buyers. You might also score points deals by purchasing via portals like Swagbucks or MyPoints. Groupon sometimes deals in live shows as well.
5) Investigate reduced fees and free tips by phone
This varies by venue, but pricing can be tiered in certain cases, with some of the online purchasing fees reduced over the phone. This is a great method to try for shows away from home. Plus, whether or not you score a little savings, good venue reps can be a wealth of information. For example, I had a fantastic phone experience with The Hollywood Bowl in 2022. Not only was I smoothly guided through an unfamiliar venue and buying experience, I was also gifted the pro tip that we could request printed tickets at their box office—a collector's dream in the digital age, and a cherished souvenir.
6) Inquire about exceptions for disabled accommodations if needed
We
recently experienced a no fees purchase by phone at a venue which
requires calling a special number for special accommodations. This was
to make seating arrangements for a relative with ambulatory issues, who was also
provided wheelchair assistance upon exiting. If you or someone you know
requires such assistance, a call to the venue may be more
straightforward than attempting to purchase online.
7) Prepare to pay cash if necessary
While some venues are now cash-free, others may pass on their credit card fees to the consumer even at the box office, and might provide a price break if you pay in cash. We've learned to utilize this deal at our local race track when purchasing tickets to NASCAR events (which have doubled as weekend music festivals here in St. Louis).
8) Ask for the gift of entertainment
If you've got your eye on a special show, and someone asking what you want for (insert special occasion here), tell 'em you wanna rock and roll all night. This sort of negotiated kindness got us into the Eagles Long Goodbye show earlier this year—the same show for which we were able to navigate the special accommodations.
9) Patience is often a virtue
While this may be unwise for smaller venues, we often wait to purchase tickets for a number of reasons. Pre-sale seats are typically more expensive than those released on the onsale date. Tickets can sell months in advance, and we want to be sure no scheduling conflicts arise so we don't have to deal with reselling. For outdoor venues, it's wise to keep an eye on the weather. With plenty of seats left, buying at the box office on the day of show can save a trip. We've even received last minute tickets free from someone who couldn't make it. And, with all this fancy technology, there's now another factor at play...
10) There is virtually no such thing as a "sell out"
There is an unexpected upside to all those reseller sites—that is, I've had no problems getting into any concert or event I really wanted to experience. In some cases (especially "sports in St. Louis" cases), that might not mean landing a deal, but it has provided some unexpected once-in-a-lifetime opportunities—including a couple Cardinals World Series wins, and the chance to inadvertently catch Tom Petty one final time.
Over time, I've learned a few ways to work out deals by gaming this system too. So may I introduce to you a real life example from just last week:
IRL: Billy Joel and Sting at Busch Stadium
When I saw announcements for this show early in the year, I was torn. Both these guys have been major influences for me, and I've had some incredible concert experiences with each—Billy being the first concert I asked to see in junior high, and catching Sting multiple times, including accidentally at Madison Square Garden, another time with The Police reunion, and on his last stop in STL at an intimate local venue. So, I declared, it wouldn't make sense for me NOT to go. But, dang, those ticket prices.
I observed as the January onsale date came and went, but decided to wait this one out. After all, the second this show went on sale, those secondary sites were already swimming with scalped seats.
A few weeks ago, I had a free morning and drove downtown to the Busch Stadium box office. I'd purchased theme night game tickets for a ridiculously low price there a few months back, but neglected to inquire about this show at the time. However, I was told this was an online sale only, which was nowhere indicated on the website. So much for the box office strategy. I'd have to find another way.
After a few weeks of additional observation, I started focusing primarily on SeatGeek. In this case, their pricing seemed better, I'd had good experiences with them in past, and there was a possible coupon code deal, another of which I'd gotten as a first time user. This was just $5 off, and ultimately did not work this time, but you should always search for potential coupon codes and other offers on secondary sites.
As I watched, in recent weeks, both Ticketmaster and the resellers began displaying newly released seats. The closer a show gets, the more frequently you'll see new listings appear. Some of these releases come from seats that were held back for promotional use. Others come from individuals who find they have a conflict or otherwise just want to unload, and pricing from honest individual resellers tends to be lower overall.
For this show, I was also hunting for specific seat views. Having been to STL stadium shows in past, including Eagles, U2 and Paul
McCartney, we had a rough idea of the optics. This consideration can also be aided by photos and renderings on some websites. This time I hoped to avoid sitting behind the ball netting if possible, which would likely put us either really far up or down on the field. Those high seats are some of my favorites for games, but not quite so good for a single performer show.
Last Monday, roughly two weeks out, I saw that new tickets had dropped in a particular field section I was watching. For comparison, a ticket I shopped in row 16 had an original base price of $279.50. With Ticketmaster fees, a single ticket came to at least $333.75. (I say "at least" because I didn't go all the way to checkout when pricing, and have come to expect some extra little surprise right before hitting that final button.) With SeatGeek's all-in filter applied, I saw the total cost on this field ticket in row 11 was $240. So we went from a potential $671.50+ to a total of $480.10 for two seats. SOLD. And hopefully I helped a guy out who just needed to unload.
Now, if you're thinking, "Wait, that's still a lot of money," you would be correct. However, I actually had yet another couple aces up my sleeve.
First, I'll earn a percentage back on this purchase using my Amazon credit card, which can seriously add up. (NOTE: Credit card deals ONLY work if you can afford to pay that card off in full every month.) Second, I decided to apply most of my collected cash back card earnings to this purchase, which effectively brought the individual ticket pricing down to about $90 each.
Now THAT'S a stadium show field price I can get behind. See you again on Friday, Billy and Sting! (Alright, make it Sunday. Got a bonus when the show got rescheduled due to rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. Free upgrade to a better day overall! And no regrets.)
PLOT TWIST: Due to the unanticipated hurricane-forced reschedule, it appears many tickets were refunded, which opened up seats throughout the stadium at dramatically lower prices on Ticketmaster. Desperation to unload also saw pricing plummet on secondary sites. A rare occurrence, but another point for practicing patience.
Okay, deep breath. After all that, there is another thing...
11) Keep an eye out for free shows
Clearly, the number one way to save is not to pay in the first place, but you don't always need the concert promoter in your contacts to find your way in. Just check your local area calendars for free shows and events. I can tell you the St. Louis scene offers everything from free local acts to major players, so we're rarely without a no-cost event option.
And that's how we enjoy the rock without the sticker shock. Employing all these tricks has afforded us so many more great experiences, still allowing us to support our favorite artists and event spaces without dropping all the coin.
ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD
BBC just released an article on ticket pricing increases in U.K., restating a significant part of the overall strategy—taking advantage of people's emotional attachments. According to Pollstar's European editor Gideon Gottfried, “One of the reasons you haven't seen
notable dips [in sales], despite people struggling economically, is that
seeing their favourite artist means so much to them that they make
irrational decisions.
"Any market
will be distorted by people making irrational decisions. It might be a
beautiful decision for them but it’s also an irrational one, because
their emotions and their fandom will make them pay outrageous money.”
So, take another deep breath before you buy. Even with all that nostalgia in view for the two artists mentioned above, taking several steps back allowed for a massive price break, and a far more enjoyable experience overall.
More significantly, our favorite artists are just people too. All that God-given talent is brilliant to watch when well presented, but not one of them is worthy of worship. We'll leave that privilege to the Lord. And if He decides something doesn't fit our calendar or budget, we get to save even more and life goes on. Every time.
For those about to rock, we salute you. Just keep a realistic view of the big picture when your fave's ready to roll into town, and try out some of these tricks to get those tix realistically within reach. Have fun with the whole process. And, of course, enjoy the show!
Got some more clever ways to enjoy your favorite live jams for less? Let us know with a comment below.
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