Concerts have become a staple of the modern music industry. The excitement of seeing one’s favorite artist perform live garnered $18.76 billion in 2023 alone, but this hasn’t always been the case. Live music performances have recently become more elaborate and focused on spectacle to excite audiences. Taylor Swift’s renowned Eras Tour brought many new gimmicks to the mainstream, such as trading bracelets, signature chants, and a more performative and innovative approach to traditional music shows. Even more timeless ideas, like costume changes and talking time between songs, have increased drastically. Many think the new ideas that have bubbled bring more community to the artist. And while some question their motive, it’s clear that these gimmicks have brought much more excitement and hype to live performances. But these new ideas come with a cost—literally.

“The price [for concerts] has definitely increased,” said Kaitlynn Richards, ‘28. For the Eras Tour, a ticket could cost around a few hundred dollars up to thousands of dollars. This is a momentous price hike from a similarly hyped concert from the 1960s for the Beatles, where a ticket cost about $8.50, or about $70 in today’s money. While these new prices were not exactly specific to Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour’s prices were still a sharp increase from other tours around that time, such as Beyoncé and Harry Styles. This sparked outrage from fans who claimed the prices were a scam. The price increase is likely due to inflation, and that “modern day artists can probably charge more for their concerts,” said Dylan Schoen, ‘28, due to more cult-like followings.

So are concerts worth it? “I definitely think they’re worth it,” said Kaitlynn Richards, ‘28. At the rate inflation is at right now, we likely won’t see prices drop, but despite the odds, it’s still “a one time experience to witness your favorite artist,” and will always remain a common space for all fans alike.