Alan Cross, Canadian radio broadcaster and music journalist, presented a two-part show on Ticket Prices for his podcast, "Ongoing History of New Music". Check out episode 979: "The weird history of concert tickets, part 2". From historical research, he explains why the prices seem so excessive these days compared to "back in the day" when you could see Alice Cooper for $5 including a free drink ticket.
https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/the-ongoing-history-of-new-music-episode-979-the-weird-history-of-concert-tickets-part-2/Personally, I know I'm paying more for shows these days, but I'm also paying a lot less for the music itself and memorabilia. I used to spend hundreds if not a thousand or more/year on albums, tapes, CDs, posters, t-shirts, magazine subscriptions, and so on. Now, I listen and read online for next to nothing as it's a shared membership and I still own the memorabilia and don't need/buy more. I agree with Alan Cross and what /Jarmo/ posted earlier - bands gotta make up the money somehow.
I can understand not going to the show because it's unaffordable for you, but not going because there's no "new" music is short-sighted. Live music is new music and you're also experiencing it for the first time in that particular place in time. Sure, I've seen November Rain played live several times, but not like I did in Guadalajara with a young couple I just met and that was their wedding song - was very touching to see. Not to mention, hearing Coma (was it) while watching a young woman in that all-too-familiar wedding dress get carried off by security for rushing the stage in Monterrey (think she was hyper-ventilating). I'll add the sound of NIghtrain - I've heard live plenty, but it was new-sounding to me - the time my dad and I had to rush out of the venue so that we could break out of the parking lot before the crowd rush - the last time I saw him/we hung out before I was shipped off to Korea for a year. Think about it - Live music is new music.
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