You sit in silence, anxiously pressing the Ticketmaster reload button again and again, each time hoping to see a new page, a page filled with blue seats. A universal experience many high schoolers share is going to concerts. However, depending on the artist, there will inevitably be various experiences, preferences and etiquettes when attending a concert.
For many high school students, the biggest factor in deciding to go to a concert is not necessarily the artist, but the price to see the artist. With modern media and an increase in ticket prices, the ways that students choose to spend their money has also changed.
Senior Nhi Do believes the popularity of the artists in the music industry affect her choice of concerts and the prices.
“It depends on the artist. I feel like some artists have different values,” Do said. “If you go to, for example, Sabrina Carpenter, expect you’re paying at least $500 or more, because she is a very big artist.”
Yet the hype of popular performers has also increased the demand for the tickets, giving opportunities for resellers to make a quick buck. This causes many to have to pay increased ticket prices in order to see their favorite artist perform live. This is a huge con to current concert culture, as many high schoolers cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on tickets.
For junior Emily Uy, her price range on ticket prices is $100-150, though she is more flexible on pricing for her favorite groups and performers.
Freshman Jake Tran also spent a similar amount,
$175 for a general admission ticket for his most recent concert, Tyler the Creator’s “Chromakopia” tour at the Chase Center in San Francisco. He enjoys concerts with singers that pour their emotions into their singing and performance. Tran appreciated the passion seen through Tyler’s movement and dancing and enjoyed the addition of the scenery and the lasers and lights, believing this enhanced his experience. His previous concert experiences, including the Mac DeMarco concert, have also created many fond memories for him.
“It was just me and my brothers… It felt like a personal concert.” Tran said. “Each time I listen to [Mac DeMarco], I just get reminded of [the concert].”
While listening to Mac DeMarco, he remembers the memories and emotions of growing his relationship with his family through the bonding and shared experience.
Alternatively, attending a concert with friends rather than family may seem different. In Do’s case, after already going to a concert with her parents, she went to a StayC concert with her best friend, making her experience more memorable, as she attributed it to the newly discovered freedom she experienced.
“It was my first time going to a concert without either of my parents, so it was hectic and wild,” Do said. “You get to know the artist more. We both screamed our hearts out, so it was great.”
Beyond the warm feelings of nostalgia, concert goers have a new sense of frustration over recording. Some people, like Uy and Do, believe it ruins the overall experience, but many think it instead captures the memory of it.
“Just put your phone down,” Uy said. “Don’t just use your phone to film a lot. It’s a better experience to listen to it live, not go on your phone. I know people want to post it on their Instagram, but it’s an experience.”
The main reason people go to concerts is to sing along, dance and really feel the music, something that cannot be replicated through videos or pictures. In current concert culture, Uy and Do see that a sense of pressure to post concert experiences has grown, with social media algorithms pushing individuals’ videos and fancams onto audiences.
“I prefer [concerts] without phones. [The phone] makes you lose the moment.” Do said. “I feel like the concerts you feel in the moment are the ones without phones.”
Though many strongly oppose recording, some also want to remember the moment and have the option to look back on the concert.
“I don’t think it changes the experience,” Tran said. “It only lasts a specific amount of time so capturing it to remember your experience is totally acceptable.”
Going over and rewatching past concert clips is something that can be a trip down memory lane to Tran. The videos will be able to show a time one may have forgotten about.
Despite their varied opinions on concert culture, Uy, Do and Tran all share the unique memories that can only be experienced from seeing their favorite artists live.
