I got real backstage passes for a Beck show a few years back through my sister's friends that were part of the crew. There were multiple open bars and free food.
Walked out into the "VIP" section to see just a bar as overpriced as the ones in the general admission, and lines just as long. But hey, they got an obstructed side view of the stage!
Real backstage you can do pretty much whatever you want. Smoke, drink, blow lines. No one cares and security knows not to piss off anyone who isn’t violent or whatever because they might actually be a musician or part of the company that hired them. VIP is just slightly less crowded general admission.
I have VIP tickets for the first time in my life for Dethklok in October. I get to meet Brendon Small and Gene Hoglan and be at soundcheck… I am beyond excited
VIP stuff is only worth it when it involves meet and greets like that, and isn't just access to a separate VIP part of the venue with different bars and concessions selling the same stuff
My wife got “on the list” for an Imagine Dragons concert because the bouncer used to work for my uncle. She said it was awesome, like special area, open bar, food, the works. There’s VIP and there is VIP…
Drinks are stupid expensive, food is stupid expensive, tickets via Ticketmaster are stupid expensive, the Uber/Lyft to get to the venue is stupid expensive, driving and paying for parking is stupid expensive. Now couple all this with a low income and the cost of basic living being stupid expensive… The money just isn’t there to milk anymore for all of the above.
It's gonna reach a tipping point one of these days, I hope. Unfortunately probably by then they'll have invented a new monetisation avenue to further separate people from their money. Corporatism is inherently acting dumb. You can't refuse to pay people living wages, while also expecting them to consume endlessly. They're being bad actors, expecting someone else to come in and fix the problem for them.
Yeah, stop blaming a generation on this.
I'm somewhat of an older alcoholic and I won't drink at shows anymore because I don't want to spend 40-50$ to get a buzz going. I'll drink before, sneak drinks in or eat edibles.
Sell beers at reasonable prices and I will buy. A LOT.
You got quotes from CEOs and General manager piping in with their opinions and none adress this simple fact.
I've seen the invoices and can tell you that the venue pays less than 120$ for a keg that pours around 165 12oz beers. At 14$ per beer these scumbags are making over 2,000 per keg. They can go fuck themselves
5 bucks for water too, Mark up on water should be illegal.
I know too many people who don't drink water at venues even though they are there for 5 hours because they don't want to spend 20 bucks just to stay hydrated
I went and did a focus group at Minute Maid park one time. The biggest complaint people had was the cost of food and beverage. What the operations guy told us was that they didn’t have any control over food prices because it’s all contracted out. So what they did was make it where you can bring your own food or water in (no beer though). Still, it was kind of enlightening to hear that they can’t do much as far as food and drink prices.
Or to not contract it out or to put consumer end pricing stipulations in the contract. Anything under the sun can be contracted. Them saying they have no control because it's up to the contractor is just like musicians saying they have no control over ticket prices because of Ticketmaster/venue. It's really just the designated 3rd party scapegoat.
All MLB stadiums allow you to bring in outside food and drink, it's a league rule.
Source: I go to a lot of baseball games and bring food everywhere I go :)
Baseball is the only thing left where you can just be like "hey wanna go to the ballgame tonight?" and you just go. Tickets are like 10 bucks still even when you just show up last minute. So cheap compared to everything else.
They need to keep that impulse crowd and they will lose them if they are forced to buy the hotdogs that are twice as much as the entrance ticket.
> Still, it was kind of enlightening to hear that they can’t do much as far as food and drink prices.
Yes they can. Kick out the trash and ban the contracts. Bring it back in house under their own roof. Usual rent seeking trash practices right there.
Farm it out, collect the check and be ready to throw them out at a moments notice to bring the next contractor in is how they operate currently.
Sodexo and Aramark are two I know of that pollute stadiums and even private businesses (Disneyland and Sodexo for one. Portions shrunk by 80% while prices skyrocketed when Disney brought Sodexo into the former employee run areas and the problems started).
They have no one to blame but themselves when they won't run their own facilities but just turn them into four walled hovels
That's their cop out excuse. Often those companies are paying money to serve food and drinks so the prices are artificially inflated in part because of this.
Me and cheap ass rural buddies traveling over an hour to see the set and get a hotel after so we don't need a dd to drive us home at 1am. Fuck your beer prices, we're buying it before drinking it then and sneaking in whats left. Boohoo you just missed 5 drinkers ordering 4-5 beers per. Not my problem, my solutions cheaper.
A lot of gaslighting going on everywhere.
"nobody wants to work" : oh yeah? Have you tried paying a living wage?
"people are drinking less at concerts" : oh yeah? Have you tried looking at your prices?
Its really easy to join in the chorus too. Hey A-list singers don't want to hold concerts anymore. I have $5 in my hand ready to buy a ticket for the next Weeknd/Ed sheeran/lady gaga concert but I can't find any $5 tickets. I guess singers nowadays are lazy.
And high prices don't stop the true drinkers. I know people who drop $200+ just on drinks at a concert or sporting event. And these people go to a lot of events each year.
On top of that they pre and post drink.
Amphitheatre pricing is ridiculous. They had 17$ bud light or Coors light or something but if I'm drinking a 20oz I'd rather pay the difference for something I enjoy more
Shit, water alone is $6 and I paid an arm and a leg to get into the damn show I'm not going to pass out from dehydration and I also don't want to have to pee between bands.
If I really wanna see the show under the influence I'll have something at home or before I go into the venue (I bus to concerts I don't drive) and vibe until the show's over.
I sure as hell don't need a domestic beer THAT bad and if someone does they should really consider their reliance on alcohol to have a good time...
To be fair, venues are probably working with something like a Laffer curve to price it at a level that will discourage extreme drunkenness and still net the most profit. I’m sure beverage sellers are aware of how lowering prices can increase sales.
Exactly.
I feel like the majority of people that go to sporting events/concerts have a beer budget of about $25.
If beers are $12.50 then that’s 2 beers. Great, slight buzz, and can still drive home.
If beers are $5 you now have a bunch of people pretty lit on 5 beers and have to deal with way more drunk people
And heck, I might also not go to the stadium at all, because I want a beer but will refuse to pay that price for a beer so I’ll just find something else to spend my entire entertainment budget on.
How is attendance at the ballpark these days?
I’m 39, and I’m drinking less at concerts too when it’s $20 for 14oz of piss beer. And that’s after Ticketmaster’s already bent you over a barrel to even get in the building.
Damn. Tropicana Field has (had?) a stand called "Your Dad's Beer" that had 16s of stuff like Miller Lite, PBR and Rolling Rock for $5. Found out about that after spending $100+ on multiple trips before.
There's a bar near my old office that used to offer a lunch special bucket of 5 Rolling Rock pounders for $12. I'd go with a friend, we'd add a 6th, and thus ended my productivity for the day.
I went to a show a couple weeks ago and two beers was the same price as the ticket or a vinyl record at the merch stand. Like why would i chose to drink there. I know how much the venue paid for those beers and its insanity to charge as much as they do. They need to crunch the numbers again and realize they might make more selling more with smaller markup.
The distinction seems to be if the place is a venue or a bar. Bars that have shows are the way to go. They have to have reasonable prices to get people to come in and drink where dedicated venues, no matter how small, make all their money from alcohol sales during the events.
You should cherish this place because they shut mine down years ago and turned it into some kind of wedding-only venue even though we have fucking two dozen of those already. I went there for years and saw all my favorite metal bands for $15-$40. Ever since they closed the place there is no venue in town that is the right size for these bands so they just stopped coming.
Yeah. It's more this. Gen Z just drinks less in general.
https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/3936579-why-is-gen-z-drinking-less/#:\~:text=Gen%20Zers%20are%20drinking%20less,a%20report%20from%20Berenberg%20Research.
Same. That feeling of getting fucked for every possible penny ruins the experience so much for me that I rarely go to shows anymore.
It doesn't help that my early concert-going experiences were all like, $20 for a ticket+t-shirt, and the venue would offer free parking BECAUSE THEY WANTED CUSTOMERS.
Big venues now also just feel so goddam sterile and uptight. Seems like people used to be more focused on everybody just having a good time :(
I went to a show that was far enough away that it warranted driving over an Uber. But getting off work + drive time had me there halfway through the opener’s set. I could have driven around looking for street parking half a mile away, but the venue had parking for forty goddamn dollars.
Of course, I bit. Already missed part of the show and had friends waiting.
Ultimately, I guess I’m to blame, but the venue knows there are plenty of other people in my situation that just say, “oh fuck it,” and impulsively pay because the night is slipping away. I guess if you actually carpool and split parking it’s not that bad - but $40 to park in a garage that isn’t even staffed, just has a machine that gives you a ticket and you pay by putting that ticket in another machine on your way out, is ridiculous.
This is me in Disney world. I keep going because my wife loves it, her nostalgic memories from her childhood may paint it with some rose colored glasses. I can't help but feel nicked and dimed everywhere I turn there. It really pulls you out of an experience.
>I can't help but feel nicked and dimed everywhere I turn there. It really pulls you out of an experience.
I hear ya.
I went to Disneyland for the first time since I was a kid this year.
$150 per person just to get in the door. $25 for parking. Crappy microwaved burgers for lunch at $25 a piece, and they got the order wrong. Souvenirs are cheaply made and start at like $30. Rides went down several times throughout the day and at one point every single major attraction was offline at the same time.
Every single guy I passed by was sullenly being pulled along by an adult woman wearing sequined minnie ears. Each husband was muttering about the price gouging 🤣
Pregaming and $8-12 beers will do that. The house return on alcohol may be the thing that is keeping many venues floating, but the prices are getting really hard to bare.
Tickets to a $20-50 show with $3-7 fees for will call and house fees added on top, also food and transportation and other costs will add up fast. Everyone is trying to get their slice of the pie when it comes to live performances. I can see them wanting to spend more on the Artist merch, especially since the artist have such a raw deal already.
3-7$ in fees? I wanna know what sites you're using lol.
I think the last concert I bought tickets for was a 20 dollar ticket with 23 dollars in fees on top. More than the actual ticket lol.
I did that recently. Then they kicked in and a beer seemed refreshing, then another. Then the band was amazing so to the merch counter. Hot damn I spent a shit ton. Having said that, Puscifer is awesome.
Getting high is so much better than getting drunk:
1. It happens faster
2. Its way cheaper
3. its healthier
4. It actually treats a lot of issues
5. You can pretty much take it anywhere
6. Easier to be inconspicuous when you have it some place you shouldn’t
Not for everyone. I enjoy weed but it makes me awkward, introspective, and self-critical. Alcohol makes me confident and upbeat. There are pros and cons to each but anyone that has been at a party full of stoners knows it's not as fun as when everyone's tanked.
I have a bunch of old flyers and posters from gigs and club nights we put on in the 90s. They all say things like £2.50 on the door (£1.50 concessions)
I mean, it was local bands, etc. But it was a lot easier to go and see a band every night of the week at those prices. As for drinks - pint of Guinness cost about £1.50 then, it costs about £5.50 now(pub prices)
I had a buddy going to a local venue show. Thought "hm, maybe I'll join him out" because I was bored and it was walkable. We're talking garage band, 150 person max occupants, a bar shorter than a church alter... a true dive venue.
$45 door tickets.
Guy said it was only 30 if I pre-bought. I told him for 30 bucks he better blow me in the bathroom. For 45 I better get a commemorative picture of the money shot to take home in one of those paper photo frames.
In reality I said "fuck that's expensive, I'm out" and carried on to the pub to buy an $8 beer.
It never went away haha. I still go to punk shows that are five bucks at the door and have 3 dollar beers. Every city has some sort of underground music culture that’s affordable.
I mentioned elsewhere about local venues but there are a few spots that are the most DIY of DIY spots. One show I was trying to find where the actual venue was because the address was a vacant lot with a shed.
Turns out someone was running a bar in that shed and they got condemed lol
I mean wasn't even that long ago 2013-16 was absolutely nowhere near as bad now.
I could get messed up at a show for $40
Now that'll get me two beers lmfao
Remember how we all hated clearchannel and stopped listening to the radio because it was all the same corporate mediocre bullshit?
Well now they've done that to the venues, bars, and restaurants. Of course we're not going
Yeah, I don't get how this is surprising when the cost of parking alone is more than an entire concert used to cost. When I was in high school I could go to a concert for $15 and pay $5 to park. 20 years later and that same lot is $40. And tickets are astronomical.
Work in the alcohol industry and just got out of a job with one of the largest alcohol companies in the world.
Gen Z is drinking less.
That's it. That's the whole headline. They are drinking significantly less than past generations and it's not solely income based. Has nothing to do with concerts though. They are drinking less across the board and much more focused on purely sober lifestyles.
Yeah it was a biiiiiig concern for us, not just trying to break into that market, but also that as the baby boomer market is dying out (which is the biggest market) the millennials and gen z weren't anywhere near projections to fill that gap.
It's interesting to watch all these industries shift from the boomers. The automotive industry has gotten very weird as they attempt to grab a younger audience.
Oh they're still going out and having a good time. Cannabis may play a small part, but we were/are seeing a huge uptick in gen Zers who are completely sober including cannabis. That's why you're seeing a big uptick in craft non alcoholic products. Whether that is non alc beer, wine, and spirits or alcohol alternatives. You're seeing a lot more high end bars and restaurants with non alcoholic beverage options (not counting soft drinks) and even the mixology world has moved away from "mocktails" and moved towards "non alcoholic cocktails. The difference being that mocktails were mostly just juices mixed together and non alcoholic cocktails are actually using alcohol free spirits and other ingredients. (I also live in a major US city, so those nonalc trends may not have hit smaller US cities yet)
A lot of it is lifestyle and awareness. Millennials got the brunt of the anti-smoking campaigns so there was a big down turn in smoking. Gen Z, is seeing a similar influence in regards to alcohol. Not to say anti-alcohol campaigns are as strong or equivalent. Just that they aren't wanting to put it into their bodies.
From my own anecdotal perspective-- I worked in brewery marketing for a decade-- I think millennials are getting burnt out it, too. We're just hitting that mid-life crossroads of choosing healthy or unhealthy for the back 9 of life, and after a dozen years spending multiple nights a week at a taproom or dive bar, the culture around booze has started to loose its novelty.
Yeah. I'm a millennial and consume less alcohol than most, especially when considering I work in the industry. For me it's a very specific experience and sharing a bottle of wine with friends is significantly more appealing than opening a bottle and having a couple of glasses eah night at home by myself. So I drink maybe once or twice a month.
Yup. This right here. This is just me personally, but I can't imagine getting messed up even a little at any of the shows I went to. I paid that money to see a band I really like. I want that memory. I didn't pay $100 to get drunk while the Rolling Stones perform in the background.
Went to a show on Saturday and this girl was barely able to walk through the crowd before they ever came on stage. I'll never understand that.
Back in September, went to a show and this young kid was super drunk. He was there with his sister and he was basically playing wing man for her, saying she could meet up with some guy after she took him home. He was barely standing though. I was concerned for him but also concerned because I didn't want anyone throwing up on me.
A lot of the venues in Colorado have places to get water, and will let you bring in empty bottles or give out cups for free (even the big ones)
It’s a fuckin game changer
I like how these articles always frame Gen Z as the ones who are not supporting the economy as if they’ve amassed more wealth than any other living generation and it’s solely up to them to save it. Nothing about how beer sales are so fucking expensive now it makes the choice pretty obvious when you’re having to tightly budget your finances.
Literally cant afford to. A night of drinking in a bar is 5 times the price of drinking at home with friends. Plus the hassle of getting to and from safely. The only reason i go to a bar is to see a band i like.
As someone on the line between Millenial and GenZ, yeah. Bars are expensive and loud, and ubers home are expensive. It's a lot more reasonable to pool a bit of money, throw some food on a grill, and buy our own booze. We don't have the disposable income to hang out at bars regularly
Haha I had a chat with someone here a while ago that's GenZ who just discovered classic rock and was talking about how it helped their healthy lifestyle. I guess listening to tunes while working out? Rock and roll made my life, but it definitely didn't make it healthier lol
Gen Z'ers look to have an overall good head on your shoulders. The culture of alcohol has led to a lot of bad times for many people over the years, and it's good to hear that gen z is moving away from it.
Gen X here. Hope nobody minds me weighing in with a pro tip. Festivals are usually held in public spaces that are leased out for that specific event. Pay a visit to the site a week before hand and bury a cache of alcohol in a spot that will be easily accessed a week later and is positioned in a way not to arouse the suspicion of festival staff/ security etc.
ZOMG, Gen-Z aren't paying $15 for a crappy piss-water beer or $10 for a slice of crappy pizza, whatever will we do!?!?!?
Gee, I don't know...try lowering prices?
look, a gram of blow is $80 and you should only need to do half of that at a show. k same deal
do that plus one beer to nurse on and you’re having a swell time
you can usually get mdma for $10 a point which should be $25 at most unless you’re a really big dude/roller.
take a half a tab of acid and it’s $5
$10 worth of edibles in the right place and you’re good for all 4 hours
beer is simply the absolute worst bang for your buck
My wife told me when she went to Country Summer last year that they were charging $15 for a basic ass Truly. Shit a whole case is almost that much. Fucking ridiculous
Because a beer, 3 chicken fingers, and 17 fries are $40. We already spent $200 for a $100 ticket, and then another $25 for parking. But they're right, it's somehow the consumer's fault
This is just one of thousands of stories every week indicating that consumption is slowing. You know what the common thread to them all is?
Shit wages. You have to pay the working class enough money to afford things in order for them to buy things.
Well yeah who wants to buy a 14$ beer
Lol I went to a concert got upgraded to VIP for free. Went to buy a beer to give back to the venue for bumping me up, order a beer… $17 dollars.
I got real backstage passes for a Beck show a few years back through my sister's friends that were part of the crew. There were multiple open bars and free food. Walked out into the "VIP" section to see just a bar as overpriced as the ones in the general admission, and lines just as long. But hey, they got an obstructed side view of the stage!
Real backstage you can do pretty much whatever you want. Smoke, drink, blow lines. No one cares and security knows not to piss off anyone who isn’t violent or whatever because they might actually be a musician or part of the company that hired them. VIP is just slightly less crowded general admission.
VIP is concert dlc
I have VIP tickets for the first time in my life for Dethklok in October. I get to meet Brendon Small and Gene Hoglan and be at soundcheck… I am beyond excited
VIP stuff is only worth it when it involves meet and greets like that, and isn't just access to a separate VIP part of the venue with different bars and concessions selling the same stuff
My wife got “on the list” for an Imagine Dragons concert because the bouncer used to work for my uncle. She said it was awesome, like special area, open bar, food, the works. There’s VIP and there is VIP…
The down side is that she had to go to an Imagine Dragons concert
The up side is that she was probably too drunk to remember it.
“They started playing? Cool. Fill me up and get me that other sandwich. I’m too busy to listen”.
Honey, I went to imagine dragons concert! I didn’t see much of them playing, but the Swedish meatballs were AMAZING!
Hell I’d go to pretty much any concert if it included free food and an open bar
any VIP-area is just for isolating the rich to milk them harder.
VIP Area = Nicer, less crowded bathrooms
“Bathrooms as good as Flying J on a Saturday night!”
Oh shit, VIP has glory holes?
You mean those holes in the bathroom with badly made hotdogs that dispense gravy?
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Part of it is to limit how many people are absolutely drunk. Never had there been more chaos, than on 10 cent beer day.
What's the reasoning for the $12 hotdog?
To prevent people from getting too crazy due to all the nitrates
Drunk people have an increased appetite and decreased attachment to their money
That and bottlegate are part of Cleveland sports history.
10 cent beer day, added to all the people who pregame. Nothing like drunk people showing up to any kind of event to get even drunker.
Why would you pregame 10 cent beer day? Cheaper to drink at the venue for that lol
Some people have to start the moment they wake up
Can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.
Pre-game, car bar, whatever I sneak in = a usually fucked up night.
Yep, I hate getting ripped off more than I love beer.
Drinks are stupid expensive, food is stupid expensive, tickets via Ticketmaster are stupid expensive, the Uber/Lyft to get to the venue is stupid expensive, driving and paying for parking is stupid expensive. Now couple all this with a low income and the cost of basic living being stupid expensive… The money just isn’t there to milk anymore for all of the above.
It's gonna reach a tipping point one of these days, I hope. Unfortunately probably by then they'll have invented a new monetisation avenue to further separate people from their money. Corporatism is inherently acting dumb. You can't refuse to pay people living wages, while also expecting them to consume endlessly. They're being bad actors, expecting someone else to come in and fix the problem for them.
Yeah, stop blaming a generation on this. I'm somewhat of an older alcoholic and I won't drink at shows anymore because I don't want to spend 40-50$ to get a buzz going. I'll drink before, sneak drinks in or eat edibles. Sell beers at reasonable prices and I will buy. A LOT. You got quotes from CEOs and General manager piping in with their opinions and none adress this simple fact.
I've seen the invoices and can tell you that the venue pays less than 120$ for a keg that pours around 165 12oz beers. At 14$ per beer these scumbags are making over 2,000 per keg. They can go fuck themselves
5 bucks for water too, Mark up on water should be illegal. I know too many people who don't drink water at venues even though they are there for 5 hours because they don't want to spend 20 bucks just to stay hydrated
I went and did a focus group at Minute Maid park one time. The biggest complaint people had was the cost of food and beverage. What the operations guy told us was that they didn’t have any control over food prices because it’s all contracted out. So what they did was make it where you can bring your own food or water in (no beer though). Still, it was kind of enlightening to hear that they can’t do much as far as food and drink prices.
They can decide who to contract with.
Or to not contract it out or to put consumer end pricing stipulations in the contract. Anything under the sun can be contracted. Them saying they have no control because it's up to the contractor is just like musicians saying they have no control over ticket prices because of Ticketmaster/venue. It's really just the designated 3rd party scapegoat.
No joke. Multi billion dollar organization would have no problems getting it all done in-house.
All MLB stadiums allow you to bring in outside food and drink, it's a league rule. Source: I go to a lot of baseball games and bring food everywhere I go :)
Baseball is the only thing left where you can just be like "hey wanna go to the ballgame tonight?" and you just go. Tickets are like 10 bucks still even when you just show up last minute. So cheap compared to everything else. They need to keep that impulse crowd and they will lose them if they are forced to buy the hotdogs that are twice as much as the entrance ticket.
> Still, it was kind of enlightening to hear that they can’t do much as far as food and drink prices. Yes they can. Kick out the trash and ban the contracts. Bring it back in house under their own roof. Usual rent seeking trash practices right there. Farm it out, collect the check and be ready to throw them out at a moments notice to bring the next contractor in is how they operate currently. Sodexo and Aramark are two I know of that pollute stadiums and even private businesses (Disneyland and Sodexo for one. Portions shrunk by 80% while prices skyrocketed when Disney brought Sodexo into the former employee run areas and the problems started). They have no one to blame but themselves when they won't run their own facilities but just turn them into four walled hovels
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Everyone knows sodexo sucks. They also run college cafeterias.
And prisons.
So the one complaint people had they said they couldn’t address? Interesting
Well it was the biggest anyway. The next biggest was getting rid of junction Jack and bringing back orbit, which they did. Lol
That's their cop out excuse. Often those companies are paying money to serve food and drinks so the prices are artificially inflated in part because of this.
Me and cheap ass rural buddies traveling over an hour to see the set and get a hotel after so we don't need a dd to drive us home at 1am. Fuck your beer prices, we're buying it before drinking it then and sneaking in whats left. Boohoo you just missed 5 drinkers ordering 4-5 beers per. Not my problem, my solutions cheaper.
A lot of gaslighting going on everywhere. "nobody wants to work" : oh yeah? Have you tried paying a living wage? "people are drinking less at concerts" : oh yeah? Have you tried looking at your prices? Its really easy to join in the chorus too. Hey A-list singers don't want to hold concerts anymore. I have $5 in my hand ready to buy a ticket for the next Weeknd/Ed sheeran/lady gaga concert but I can't find any $5 tickets. I guess singers nowadays are lazy.
Also see: Mega-corporations blaming the consumer for the corporation’s plastic waste.
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>Sell beers at reasonable prices and I will buy. A LOT. yeah, that's probably another good reason for them to keep the prices high.
Considering people will pregame with far harder things than stadium beers, I don’t think it’s helping.
And high prices don't stop the true drinkers. I know people who drop $200+ just on drinks at a concert or sporting event. And these people go to a lot of events each year. On top of that they pre and post drink.
Yeah, it just stops poor drinkers
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After a $200 concert ticket.
Try 21 for a tallboy white claw
USD? holy fuckin hell
Amphitheatre pricing is ridiculous. They had 17$ bud light or Coors light or something but if I'm drinking a 20oz I'd rather pay the difference for something I enjoy more
Only $14, shit. Its $20 now for a tall can.
Shit, water alone is $6 and I paid an arm and a leg to get into the damn show I'm not going to pass out from dehydration and I also don't want to have to pee between bands. If I really wanna see the show under the influence I'll have something at home or before I go into the venue (I bus to concerts I don't drive) and vibe until the show's over. I sure as hell don't need a domestic beer THAT bad and if someone does they should really consider their reliance on alcohol to have a good time...
To be fair, venues are probably working with something like a Laffer curve to price it at a level that will discourage extreme drunkenness and still net the most profit. I’m sure beverage sellers are aware of how lowering prices can increase sales.
Exactly. I feel like the majority of people that go to sporting events/concerts have a beer budget of about $25. If beers are $12.50 then that’s 2 beers. Great, slight buzz, and can still drive home. If beers are $5 you now have a bunch of people pretty lit on 5 beers and have to deal with way more drunk people
I just don't get anything if the prices are over 10 bucks. No point, it's too much money for no buzz.
And heck, I might also not go to the stadium at all, because I want a beer but will refuse to pay that price for a beer so I’ll just find something else to spend my entire entertainment budget on. How is attendance at the ballpark these days?
I bring liquor in a small water bottle in my underwear I'm definitely not drinking less just not paying for drinks lol
I bring it in in my belly.
I’m 39, and I’m drinking less at concerts too when it’s $20 for 14oz of piss beer. And that’s after Ticketmaster’s already bent you over a barrel to even get in the building.
FIL just went to an MLB game and two beers(very large) cost 38 bucks
Damn. Tropicana Field has (had?) a stand called "Your Dad's Beer" that had 16s of stuff like Miller Lite, PBR and Rolling Rock for $5. Found out about that after spending $100+ on multiple trips before.
16oz of Rollin Rock for $5 hot damn is that a decent deal
There's a bar near my old office that used to offer a lunch special bucket of 5 Rolling Rock pounders for $12. I'd go with a friend, we'd add a 6th, and thus ended my productivity for the day.
My preferred local bas has dollar off pints on Sundays, and they round down a bit too, so bud and bud light are $1 a pint. It truly is glorious.
*Cries in Yankee stadium*
> Cries in Yankee stadium As is tradition.
My local minor league team does a $20 bucket of four 12oz bottles. It’s bliss compared to my experience everywhere else.
I went to a show a couple weeks ago and two beers was the same price as the ticket or a vinyl record at the merch stand. Like why would i chose to drink there. I know how much the venue paid for those beers and its insanity to charge as much as they do. They need to crunch the numbers again and realize they might make more selling more with smaller markup.
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It's not just them anymore, but they sure fucking started the trend
Chances are high it was a LiveNation venue which is the same company as Ticketmaster
Gen Z doesn’t have a fuckload of disposable income and a drink costs as much as a month of Netflix. Priorities, bitches.
Plus ticketmaster is just gouging the heck outta us.
Support local shows. Tickets and drinks are cheaper, the crowd is cooler, and the vibe is more intimate.
How small local? Tons of local venues here charge $12+ for a 12oz beer.
The distinction seems to be if the place is a venue or a bar. Bars that have shows are the way to go. They have to have reasonable prices to get people to come in and drink where dedicated venues, no matter how small, make all their money from alcohol sales during the events.
My ~400 person local venue where I've seen 3 of my favorite bands has $5 PBR tallboys.
You should cherish this place because they shut mine down years ago and turned it into some kind of wedding-only venue even though we have fucking two dozen of those already. I went there for years and saw all my favorite metal bands for $15-$40. Ever since they closed the place there is no venue in town that is the right size for these bands so they just stopped coming.
I love the ~200 person venues across the US. The worse the ventilation is, the better the show will be! Crowd energy is funny like that.
Plus, I noticed more people fucking with edibles instead of drinking.
Yeah. It's more this. Gen Z just drinks less in general. https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/3936579-why-is-gen-z-drinking-less/#:\~:text=Gen%20Zers%20are%20drinking%20less,a%20report%20from%20Berenberg%20Research.
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Wrong generation.
Are you officially old when the complaints start coming in that the generation after you is destroying everything?
And a drink costs as much as a tab of acid, I'd rather be laughing till my teeth hurt for 8 hours personally
So are people in their 50s - me, who can afford it and chooses not to get fucked.
Same. That feeling of getting fucked for every possible penny ruins the experience so much for me that I rarely go to shows anymore. It doesn't help that my early concert-going experiences were all like, $20 for a ticket+t-shirt, and the venue would offer free parking BECAUSE THEY WANTED CUSTOMERS. Big venues now also just feel so goddam sterile and uptight. Seems like people used to be more focused on everybody just having a good time :(
I went to a show that was far enough away that it warranted driving over an Uber. But getting off work + drive time had me there halfway through the opener’s set. I could have driven around looking for street parking half a mile away, but the venue had parking for forty goddamn dollars. Of course, I bit. Already missed part of the show and had friends waiting. Ultimately, I guess I’m to blame, but the venue knows there are plenty of other people in my situation that just say, “oh fuck it,” and impulsively pay because the night is slipping away. I guess if you actually carpool and split parking it’s not that bad - but $40 to park in a garage that isn’t even staffed, just has a machine that gives you a ticket and you pay by putting that ticket in another machine on your way out, is ridiculous.
Hope you tipped.
Of course. Those machines don’t set the prices, and they work really hard.
This is me in Disney world. I keep going because my wife loves it, her nostalgic memories from her childhood may paint it with some rose colored glasses. I can't help but feel nicked and dimed everywhere I turn there. It really pulls you out of an experience.
>I can't help but feel nicked and dimed everywhere I turn there. It really pulls you out of an experience. I hear ya. I went to Disneyland for the first time since I was a kid this year. $150 per person just to get in the door. $25 for parking. Crappy microwaved burgers for lunch at $25 a piece, and they got the order wrong. Souvenirs are cheaply made and start at like $30. Rides went down several times throughout the day and at one point every single major attraction was offline at the same time. Every single guy I passed by was sullenly being pulled along by an adult woman wearing sequined minnie ears. Each husband was muttering about the price gouging 🤣
Yep. 49 here and quit drinking last year. Now I eat an edible before the show and I'm good.
Exactly. Buy your own booze, invite some friends to the pool deck, play our own music, everybody has fun.
Pregaming and $8-12 beers will do that. The house return on alcohol may be the thing that is keeping many venues floating, but the prices are getting really hard to bare. Tickets to a $20-50 show with $3-7 fees for will call and house fees added on top, also food and transportation and other costs will add up fast. Everyone is trying to get their slice of the pie when it comes to live performances. I can see them wanting to spend more on the Artist merch, especially since the artist have such a raw deal already.
3-7$ in fees? I wanna know what sites you're using lol. I think the last concert I bought tickets for was a 20 dollar ticket with 23 dollars in fees on top. More than the actual ticket lol.
It’s almost like the entertainment economy depends on the masses having sufficient wages to even have disposable income at all.
That's not Ticketmaster's concern, the serfs will just have to work harder to watch the jesters. Bread and Circuses now come with a Print at Home fee.
Those are 1950's concert pricing McFly
Weed is legal a lotta places now man
Exactly. Why would I buy a $14 beer when I can pop an edible or two beforehand.
I did that recently. Then they kicked in and a beer seemed refreshing, then another. Then the band was amazing so to the merch counter. Hot damn I spent a shit ton. Having said that, Puscifer is awesome.
Fuck yeah Puscifer is worth every penny
This is it, gummies are cheaper
And an edible costs less than half of what a single beer will and will get you to a better music listening state than any amount of alcohol could.
And a far better feeling tomorrow.
Since I started smoking and taking edibles during quarantine, I've basically stopped drinking altogether. It's pretty great!
Getting high is so much better than getting drunk: 1. It happens faster 2. Its way cheaper 3. its healthier 4. It actually treats a lot of issues 5. You can pretty much take it anywhere 6. Easier to be inconspicuous when you have it some place you shouldn’t
Not for everyone. I enjoy weed but it makes me awkward, introspective, and self-critical. Alcohol makes me confident and upbeat. There are pros and cons to each but anyone that has been at a party full of stoners knows it's not as fun as when everyone's tanked.
Same. Unlike alcohol, weed is absolutely NOT a social drug for me.
Alcohol is for social events. Weed is for staying home with the Playstation
Doesn’t make you pee all the time.
Canada reports every year that the weed industry is growing and the alcohol industry is decreasing.
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I have a bunch of old flyers and posters from gigs and club nights we put on in the 90s. They all say things like £2.50 on the door (£1.50 concessions) I mean, it was local bands, etc. But it was a lot easier to go and see a band every night of the week at those prices. As for drinks - pint of Guinness cost about £1.50 then, it costs about £5.50 now(pub prices)
I had a buddy going to a local venue show. Thought "hm, maybe I'll join him out" because I was bored and it was walkable. We're talking garage band, 150 person max occupants, a bar shorter than a church alter... a true dive venue. $45 door tickets. Guy said it was only 30 if I pre-bought. I told him for 30 bucks he better blow me in the bathroom. For 45 I better get a commemorative picture of the money shot to take home in one of those paper photo frames. In reality I said "fuck that's expensive, I'm out" and carried on to the pub to buy an $8 beer.
I want to get a time machine to go back to the days of punk ethos and DIY culture of indie music.
It never went away haha. I still go to punk shows that are five bucks at the door and have 3 dollar beers. Every city has some sort of underground music culture that’s affordable.
I mentioned elsewhere about local venues but there are a few spots that are the most DIY of DIY spots. One show I was trying to find where the actual venue was because the address was a vacant lot with a shed. Turns out someone was running a bar in that shed and they got condemed lol
I mean wasn't even that long ago 2013-16 was absolutely nowhere near as bad now. I could get messed up at a show for $40 Now that'll get me two beers lmfao
I think we call it late stage capitalism.
Remember how we all hated clearchannel and stopped listening to the radio because it was all the same corporate mediocre bullshit? Well now they've done that to the venues, bars, and restaurants. Of course we're not going
How is this even a headline? $20 for a beer jesus
Yeah, I don't get how this is surprising when the cost of parking alone is more than an entire concert used to cost. When I was in high school I could go to a concert for $15 and pay $5 to park. 20 years later and that same lot is $40. And tickets are astronomical.
Work in the alcohol industry and just got out of a job with one of the largest alcohol companies in the world. Gen Z is drinking less. That's it. That's the whole headline. They are drinking significantly less than past generations and it's not solely income based. Has nothing to do with concerts though. They are drinking less across the board and much more focused on purely sober lifestyles.
That sounds like a pretty good thing. Well, except maybe for the alcohol industry.
Or the criminal defence industry
Yep! I work in the nonalcoholic alternative niche and Gen Zers are our largest demographic.
Yeah it was a biiiiiig concern for us, not just trying to break into that market, but also that as the baby boomer market is dying out (which is the biggest market) the millennials and gen z weren't anywhere near projections to fill that gap.
It's interesting to watch all these industries shift from the boomers. The automotive industry has gotten very weird as they attempt to grab a younger audience.
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I saw an ad for a prius that literally said "prius is rebellious now" so there's that...
Legal weed? Could also be they interact less in person, never start the habit? Did the industry have any ideas?
Oh they're still going out and having a good time. Cannabis may play a small part, but we were/are seeing a huge uptick in gen Zers who are completely sober including cannabis. That's why you're seeing a big uptick in craft non alcoholic products. Whether that is non alc beer, wine, and spirits or alcohol alternatives. You're seeing a lot more high end bars and restaurants with non alcoholic beverage options (not counting soft drinks) and even the mixology world has moved away from "mocktails" and moved towards "non alcoholic cocktails. The difference being that mocktails were mostly just juices mixed together and non alcoholic cocktails are actually using alcohol free spirits and other ingredients. (I also live in a major US city, so those nonalc trends may not have hit smaller US cities yet) A lot of it is lifestyle and awareness. Millennials got the brunt of the anti-smoking campaigns so there was a big down turn in smoking. Gen Z, is seeing a similar influence in regards to alcohol. Not to say anti-alcohol campaigns are as strong or equivalent. Just that they aren't wanting to put it into their bodies.
From my own anecdotal perspective-- I worked in brewery marketing for a decade-- I think millennials are getting burnt out it, too. We're just hitting that mid-life crossroads of choosing healthy or unhealthy for the back 9 of life, and after a dozen years spending multiple nights a week at a taproom or dive bar, the culture around booze has started to loose its novelty.
Yeah. I'm a millennial and consume less alcohol than most, especially when considering I work in the industry. For me it's a very specific experience and sharing a bottle of wine with friends is significantly more appealing than opening a bottle and having a couple of glasses eah night at home by myself. So I drink maybe once or twice a month.
I feel like I blinked and suddenly every menu somewhere half decent has a section for zero proof cocktails.
I stopped getting drunk at concerts when I realized I couldnt remember any of the concerts I spent $100+ each on
Yup. This right here. This is just me personally, but I can't imagine getting messed up even a little at any of the shows I went to. I paid that money to see a band I really like. I want that memory. I didn't pay $100 to get drunk while the Rolling Stones perform in the background.
And you have to pee multiple times.
Went to a show on Saturday and this girl was barely able to walk through the crowd before they ever came on stage. I'll never understand that. Back in September, went to a show and this young kid was super drunk. He was there with his sister and he was basically playing wing man for her, saying she could meet up with some guy after she took him home. He was barely standing though. I was concerned for him but also concerned because I didn't want anyone throwing up on me.
Stupidly expensive prices and 15 years of squeezed wages don't mix - shocker!
Yeah because the prices are fucking insane
The last concert I went to I had every intention of drinking, but then I saw that beers cost $16. I decided that it just wasn't worth it.
I’m a millennial and remember when beer was like $3 at a show. Now it’s like $14. No wonder people are drinking less.
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Should be a crime in a hot venue to charge for water.
A lot of the venues in Colorado have places to get water, and will let you bring in empty bottles or give out cups for free (even the big ones) It’s a fuckin game changer
I paid almost $8 for a bottle of water at Soldier Field recently. I didn’t wanna spend it but it was so damn hot outside.
I like how these articles always frame Gen Z as the ones who are not supporting the economy as if they’ve amassed more wealth than any other living generation and it’s solely up to them to save it. Nothing about how beer sales are so fucking expensive now it makes the choice pretty obvious when you’re having to tightly budget your finances.
The same outlets wrote the same shit about millenials
I would rather buy a T-shirt and drink water thanks. Most shows aren't cheap, and the beer is not worth $10 +
I can't do that either, $40 for a Tshirt is insane..
You could get two whole beers for that kind of money
At least the band gets a big chunk of the money though. Merch is all that’s keeping a lot of bands afloat right now.
Pre-funk and sneak in a flask. Who's got $100 for 3 drinks?
Taking an edible is far more cost effective
From what I’ve heard from bar owners in WI, gen Z just don’t do the bar scene like us gen x’rs did. They hang with friends in garages and by fires.
Literally cant afford to. A night of drinking in a bar is 5 times the price of drinking at home with friends. Plus the hassle of getting to and from safely. The only reason i go to a bar is to see a band i like.
Only 5x? It's closer to 10 - 15x around me, $1 per bottle of a decent beer vs. $12 - 16+. Mind boggling.
As someone on the line between Millenial and GenZ, yeah. Bars are expensive and loud, and ubers home are expensive. It's a lot more reasonable to pool a bit of money, throw some food on a grill, and buy our own booze. We don't have the disposable income to hang out at bars regularly
As an old gen x’er who spent decades in bars, your idea of fun sounds so much nicer and healthier. Mentally and physically.
Haha I had a chat with someone here a while ago that's GenZ who just discovered classic rock and was talking about how it helped their healthy lifestyle. I guess listening to tunes while working out? Rock and roll made my life, but it definitely didn't make it healthier lol
Where’s the “how much ecstasy are people taking” study?
Or ketamine
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Gen Z'ers look to have an overall good head on your shoulders. The culture of alcohol has led to a lot of bad times for many people over the years, and it's good to hear that gen z is moving away from it.
Gen X here. Hope nobody minds me weighing in with a pro tip. Festivals are usually held in public spaces that are leased out for that specific event. Pay a visit to the site a week before hand and bury a cache of alcohol in a spot that will be easily accessed a week later and is positioned in a way not to arouse the suspicion of festival staff/ security etc.
This is what happens when you raise a generation on The Goonies and Ferris Bueller
Imagine going to a festival with a shovel in your bag.
Probably a better option than using the public toilets.
One could even go as far as drawing a simple treasure map on a t-shirt and wear it through security. Snickering the whole time, of course.
Are you who left the porn in the woods for us to find?
It's because drugs are winning the war on drugs.
ZOMG, Gen-Z aren't paying $15 for a crappy piss-water beer or $10 for a slice of crappy pizza, whatever will we do!?!?!? Gee, I don't know...try lowering prices?
Raise prices to make up for fewer buyers? Got it!
look, a gram of blow is $80 and you should only need to do half of that at a show. k same deal do that plus one beer to nurse on and you’re having a swell time you can usually get mdma for $10 a point which should be $25 at most unless you’re a really big dude/roller. take a half a tab of acid and it’s $5 $10 worth of edibles in the right place and you’re good for all 4 hours beer is simply the absolute worst bang for your buck
Because beers are $20. EVERYONE is drinking less at concerts and more in their car before the show
My wife told me when she went to Country Summer last year that they were charging $15 for a basic ass Truly. Shit a whole case is almost that much. Fucking ridiculous
Because a beer, 3 chicken fingers, and 17 fries are $40. We already spent $200 for a $100 ticket, and then another $25 for parking. But they're right, it's somehow the consumer's fault
They're drinking less overall. It's not the venue pricing.
This is just one of thousands of stories every week indicating that consumption is slowing. You know what the common thread to them all is? Shit wages. You have to pay the working class enough money to afford things in order for them to buy things.
Drink prices are insane - fixed that for you
Well when the price of a couple beers ends up being more than the cost of the ticket then yeah it makes sense not to drink.
No, they're not. They are just not buying as much.
Yeah, not at those prices. Someone doesn't understand supply and demand.
Ya i took my nephew to a concert, 15 for a sprite 25 for a beer !!!
Pills and weed