Concert Culture has a Problem

By Sean Alexander, Madi Oswalt, and Genny Sheara

Actually, it has a lot of problems. From venue overpacking and poor crowd behavior to inflated ticket prices and Live Nation’s entertainment monopoly, concert-going now feels like a far cry from what it once was. It’s almost impossible to imagine that there was once a time you could follow your favorite band city to city on tour, let alone get tickets for a show without lingering in a Ticketmaster presale portal for hours on end.   In the past few years, all three of us have noticed similar trends. Getting to see your favorite artist live often means spending at least three figures on tickets ripe with unexplained ‘convenience fees,’ and jostling your way to the front of the crowd only to be surrounded by people standing motionless in the hopes of getting the best possible Instagram video. And there’s nothing wrong with Instagram videos, but we can’t help but feel that the prioritization of social media content over audience participation is smothering whatever embers remain of the live music experience.  There used to be a day when, instead of waiting for hours in a Ticketmaster queue, you were waiting for hours in line to purchase tickets at the box office. However, instead of spending all that money, you just paid $10 and got a ticket. 

My Thoughts on Concerts

Concerts have lost what that makes them special

Having been to a few concerts lately, it always makes me sad to see how many people are holding up their phones to record. I very rarely pull out my phone to record when I’m at the concert. I think the point of concerts is that it’s a unique experience and what make sit unique is being in the crowd, being close to the artist. Recording all of it on a phone doesn’t allow for that once in a life time feeling. If I can replay it whenever I want, it becomes less special. As for the actual performance, I have always preferred shows that feel a lot more intimate. Yes, lights, diners and effects can be cool, but mostly Im there to see the artist and see them play songs. I think that the huge performances that concerts are now sort of distract from the whole point of the music. In a lot of cases, musicians are using backtracks and not actually singing live anymore, which them does not justify paying hundreds of dollars for an hour of hearing music you can play on your phone. It looses intimacy and it looses the connection between artist and fans. I now like going to smaller concerts. Concerts of artists who arent very famous but then that makes me want them to stay sort of underground so that I can continue to see them in small venues with no light shows, no overwhelming crowds and no ticketmaster wait lines.