Regular readers of The Rock and Roll Guru know that cousin Ryo is a frugal music lover. I like to have as much fun as the next headbanger, but I also like to be careful with my money and maximize the enjoyment I get for every dollar spent.
With the economy still on shaky ground at best, and everyone’s job status in a questionable state (mine included), it pays to be careful with your hard earned money. Summer is here, which means summer concert season is here, and concerts are my favorite live event past time; even more so than a baseball game, which if you know me well, says a lot.
We all want to enjoy a summer concert when we can, but some of us don’t want to spend a ton of money to see the show. Well, if you’re not picky about where your seats are (RE: you don’t mind nosebleeds or grass blades) then there are several ways that you can enjoy concerts this summer without breaking the bank.
Live Nation
Live Nation is doing their part to help sell out the amphitheater concerts they are promoting. While some fans argue that this only helps those people who “kind of sort of” want to see the show, I disagree. This helps people on a budget have a great concert experience. Every Wednesday (so far this summer) Live Nation offers a new discount on lawn seats with no service fees to pay. The first offered any lawn seat with no fees at all. The latest was a ticket, a hot dog, and a soda for $29.99 with no service fees. All of their promotions have been good offers that would save the average attendee money.
Perhaps you don’t have online availability on a Wednesday. Well fear not, you can always buy a 4-pack of lawn seats anytime and save money that way. Usually the prices break down so that a 4-pack of lawn tickets is the same as a buy 3, get 1 free. Find 3 friends and split the cost of the discounted 4-pack.
Citi Cards
Do you have a Citi credit card? Here’s another way to get cheap(er) tickets through Citi card.For select concerts, basically concerts that were not selling as well as expected, Citi Cards is offering discounted ticket prices when you purchase the tickets with your Citi card. I was able to score dirt cheap AC/DC tickets this way, and there are other concerts being promoted through Citi as well. Blink 182 and the Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick concert come to mind immediately.
They’ve also just started offering $5 lawn seats for select concerts. If you purchase with your Citi card, you can get lawn seats to some pretty good shows for $5. Most notably Cruefest 2.
Bands on Tour
Blink 182 is doing their part to keep concert tickets inexpensive. Working with Live Nation, Blink 182 (touring with Weezer, Taking Back Sunday, and a rotating opening act) made sure that the lawn seats for all of their concerts were not expensive at all (and with no fees). They billed it an “all-inclusive” price and it was under $30. For those three bands, that’s a great price and looks like it will be a FUN concert.
Staind is also doing their part to keep ticket prices low. On tour with Shinedown, Chevelle, and Haelstorm, Staind is charging no more than $40 a ticket for their current tour. With a slam dunk lineup, it’s a great price that will definitely get bang for your buck.
Wait It Out
Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. For certain concerts, usually the big name acts that sell out almost immediately, premium seats go on sale just before the live event date (approximately one week out in most cases). This is usually due to left over band tickets that promoters couldn’t use, or the performers holding back on the great seats in the hopes of thwarting scalpers. These seats are always face value, and while they may not be dirt cheap depending on the performer, they are the best seats in the house, which means there is some serious value for your dollar.
You can also wait until the day before or the day of the concert and try to find someone online that is looking to unload the tickets without taking a hit. If you can purchase these for face value, then you can get tickets without paying all of the extra fees. I was able to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert at Giants Stadium this way once. I waited until about a week before the show and saw two tickets at face value with no extra fees through one of the online scalping sites. I scooped them up immediately and it actually ended up saving me $30 (in fees)
I Heard It on the Radio
As a last resort, there are always radio contests, stations giving away tickets to the hot show in your area. While this is the least effective way to get tickets, if you do win, the tickets won’t cost a dime and the seats will be phenomenal. Radio stations always get seats on the floor, usually in the first 15 rows. My friend Special Ed won Meatloaf tickets for a concert back in 1994 and took me with him. We sat in the third row and had the time of our lives. So, while it is rare, you can win tickets on the radio. Tune in to your local radio station and see what they’re giving away.
Everyone wants to enjoy their summer concerts and everyone wants to be careful with how their dollars are spent. Your cousin Ryo hopes that these tips will help you out and get you at a concert for a discounted (or even free) ticket price.
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