How Much Is Too Much?

by Robin Hilton

On Feb. 19, Leonard Cohen will give a rare live performance at the Beacon Theater in New York. It's only one night, and there are way more fans than seats, so it's no surprise that the tickets run a little high. But when Bob and I saw the ticket broker price range online, our eyes bugged out: Upper balcony seats start at $289, lower balcony seats are $495, and the best orchestra seats are -- wait for it -- $3,450. Seriously. More than three grand.

I remember seeing some of my all-time favorite bands at various clubs in Athens, Ga., for five bucks. But that's outrageously high compared to some of the shows Bob's seen: The old 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., used to showcase three bands for $3.

Some of us at NPR Music were incredulous recently when we saw that tickets for a Flight of The Conchords show were running around $40, but Bob thought that was completely reasonable.

What do you think? How much would you pay to see your favorite band(s) live?

10:24 AM ET | 02-12-2009 | permalink

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