I was stunned by the prices of shows these days. The closest venue used to be $200 for up close, EXPENSIVE seats. Now they're $350 for open lawn. This is only 5 years apart, and the only difference is they use Ticketmaster instead of selling themselves.

That's why I haven't been to a Ticketmaster-run show in years. Went to one crappy show that I paid $400 for and felt completely ripped off, haven't been back.

There are plenty of local concerts and events that are like $15 cover and significantly more fun.