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Ah, it's concert season. You've scored tickets to see your favorite artist perform live. Maybe it's Taylor Swift, or possibly it's Bruno Mars. Or you're headed to see Metallica or Aerosmith.
You'll probably buy a $70 sweatshirt or $45 T-shirt and two drinks and nachos at the concert. You scream for whatever it's worth. Afterward, with your adrenaline still pumping, you'll sit in traffic for what seems like hours waiting to leave. Life is good.
With summer approaching, it's time for the concert season to blast into high gear with music festivals and artist tours galore. These experiences can lead to a lifetime of memories, especially if you're lucky enough to land tickets to see a favorite musician or band do their thing.
The pinnacle of my concert-going career came in the 1990s when I worked full-time at The Sentinel. I attended post-Olympic gymnastics show at The Bryce Jordan Center, and the marketing department was impressed with my coverage that they put me on the press list for concerts. I remember having the best seats in the house for Phil Collins, Reba McIntyre, Brooks and Dunn and Metallica to name a few.
When my colleagues discovered Garth Brooks, they asked how I got tickets. I was like, "This is a work assignment." I had no desire to see Garth Brooks, so I let them wrestle over that assignment. I had no regrets passing on that one.
All I had to do to remain on the BJC's press list was send them a clip. That came to a screeching half in 1999 when I left Mifflin County.
Of course, I've been to a few concerts since I moved to the Philadelphia area, such as U2, Dixie Chicks and Kelly Clarkson. Those shows were not free, by any means.
With the average price paid to witness any of these acts today skyrocketing, it makes me wonder just how much others are willing to spend for that music rush. The average ticket price to see Taylor Swift perform tunes at Lincoln Financial Field was more than $700.
No thanks. I have friends who gift their kids concert tickets at Christmas time. They post videos of their excited, screaming children are priceless, but those tickets are certainly overpriced.
It's no secret that the prices of, well, everything have skyrocketed due to inflation. I really don't go anywhere or do anything as I'm a little more mindful of how I'm spending to ensure I can still stash part of my paycheck away in my savings.
I can't be the only one to feel this way. Maybe you ordered less takeout to pay for floor seats to see Rihanna or Drake.
I tell my residents at the apartment community I manage full-time that the only thing that doesn't go up is our paychecks. They've come into my office to complain about a rent increase or higher-than-normal utility bill.
It's not just music concerts because sporting events have become overpriced as well.
I remember going to see Penn State play at Beaver Stadium in the 1990s and spending $250 on a pair of tickets when the Nittany Lions hosted Miami in a No. 1-2 matchup.
The last Nittany Lions' game I went to was Joe Paterno's 409th career win against Northwestern. We sat in the upper deck of the one endzone. I bought the tickets from a co-worker, so they were reasonable, but the weather was frigid.
I loved working as The Sentinel's Penn State football beat reporter in the '90s. I could park close to the stadium, sit up in the press box, eat all the free food I wanted then head down to the field for the fourth quarter if I wanted.
I remember standing in the back of the endzone and ducking snowballs thrown by the student section with my friend Tim Clark when they hosted Michigan. The only thing I paid for that day was gas, which I probably expensed. Those were the days.
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Greg Williams is a reporter and Weekend Editor for The Sentinel. A Mifflin County native, he has been writing for The Sentinel since 1991. His column, "Virtually Home," appears regularly.