I can understand your frustration with these high ticket prices, where it seems that to go to a big concert like Springsteen’s, or anyone else’s for that matter, you almost have to take out a second mortgage on your house (and in times like these, I wouldn’t).

And it’s not only the promoters who do this. So many of these shows take place in sports arenas or stadiums, and they are, in my honest opinion, the most god-awful places to actually hear music. The acoustics are often atrocious in places like those, and you can sometimes even hear the echoes of a guitar solo from the last act to play in such a place echoing through the rafters. If they could just cut down on the gimmickry, and not feel that they have to impress with anything but their songs, I think the fans would be a heck of a lot happier–and their wallets would still be flush with cash, of course.

I made it to the Springsteen and Eagles concerts this past year. The Eagles charge an exorbitant amount. Approx. $250 per ticket. It was worth doing once. Springsteen charged something fairly normal, but by the time the Ticketmaster fees kicked in, it didn’t feel that way.

Random story, but highlights the power of artist/concert/fan connection and the tragedy of over-pricing tickets: I was deathly ill the first time Springsteen came through So. Cal. and couldn’t move, much less go to the concert (it was also 1.5 hours away). I thought about selling my ticket, but I held out hope until the last minute that I could make it, so I was too late to sell.

Therefore, maybe an hour or two before the show I went on his fansite and decided to give it away for free. Some poor kid trolling the site for a really cheap ticket was the first to respond (among dozens). I sent him the ticket and asked him to drop me an email the next day and tell me if it was a good show. The next day, instead of a quick note, I got a multi-page rambling song-by-song analysis from a kid who could never have otherwise afforded to go to the concert of one of his idols. He went on to tell me how much going to the concert meant to him. It was so incredibly touching.

Darn those artists who charge an arm and a leg and those promoters who rip us off with unnecessary fees!! Way to kill the music. Luckily for me, the Boss came back through town and I had the chance to see what the kid was talking about. It was awesome.

wow, Taylor and Miley are making a pretty penny for teenagers!