Interesting reading for those who think parks are getting "expensive"

P.S. Gonch is right, as usual.

How do theme park prices compare with other "out of home" entertainment?

I like that they use the term 'average' price, because there are different tiers of pricing.

Madonna's Gold Triangle tickets? $350. The VIP with Gold Triangle? Over $500. I paid around $40 to see Madge, with terrible seats. And I thought I paid too much, because the show was okay at best, and she started over 2 hours late.

You get what you pay for, and value is in the eye of the beholder.

I looked up Barbra Steisand's tour a while back and those gold tickets complete with swag and a VIP entrance (no meet n greet with Babs, mind you) ran 1,200 bucks. Officially the highest ticket price ever for a single event. That killed my plans of driving to Chicago. Think of all the Fast Lanes you could get for that!

But no matter. I saw her in 2006, i think, here in Columbus. The show was in one of our arenas and we sat close but on the side. We paid 600 dollars a seat.

Bette Midler, a while back now, drew 285.00 for good seats.

And who said the gays don't have disposable income!

I've paid over 300 bucks a ticket to see Simon and Garfunkel, and parks seem downright cheap in comparison as a result. *laugh*

If you think about this logic though, what costs more over time or what creates a better "value"? An average person (and I'm not saying the "GP". I mean anyone including enthusiasts) is probably honestly not going to say in the long run that they remember a specific trip to a theme park (except maybe Disney family trips) as this great event. So yes, the parks are cheaper, but a true lifetime experience often equates more to other forms of entertainment (like concerts).

I don't think Disney tickets are too expensive. However; I'm not a big fan of some of these comparisons when it comes to Disney in particular. I would think a more appropriate comparison for Disney are vacation packages rather than single-day events. For the average visitor, Disney tickets are just a piece of the overall cost of the trip. Its not a very good comparison, in my opinion. How many people fly and need multiple nights of hotel rooms to go to a baseball game?

RCMAC said:

I looked up Barbra Steisand's tour a while back and those gold tickets complete with swag and a VIP entrance (no meet n greet with Babs, mind you) ran 1,200 bucks. Officially the highest ticket price ever for a single event.

Maybe at the time but events have since beaten that.

Once I saw Information Society for 8 bucks.

Concert pricing is amazing these days. I saw Pink Floyd at Ohio Stadium back in '94.. IIRC it took them 3 days to setup all the equipment for the show - The Division Bell tour was probably the most extravagant rock concert ever at that time. Had an 'in' with a buddy at OSU and thus got first crack at tickets; we scores seats on the field, center, about 20 rows back. Easily the best show I've ever seen, amazing music and production.

All for the princely sum of $47 each ticket. My the times have changed! Although, not all concerts are stupid expensive these days. We just picked up 2 tickets for Janes Addiction at the casino downtown for $45ea incl fees.

It's also eye-opening to realize that a one-day admission to a crappy ski area is about the same cost as a one-day admission to a revered amusement park, and that's assuming that you're not renting equipment.

Plus, the average season pass for a ski area ranges from $400-$800, and that's likely only going to get you 3 months of use. Black-out dates are common in those, too.

It frankly starts to make a $170 Platinum Pass look pretty underpriced. Most ski areas don't blatantly gouge you on food and drink as do amusement parks, but your wallet will feel much lighter regardless.

Not even Kathy Griffin can get a meet-and-greet with Babs....

Hey, I coulda had a meet and greet with Kathy Griffin, and I passed!

We sat outside Ohio Stadium and heard Pink Floyd for free! (actually, I could hear them all the way to my house in nearby Clintonville)

Our casino gets acts like Salt n Pepa and Air Supply. I think they're free.

Rightfully so. I mean, who would pay for those acts these days? :)

Yeah, we were supposed to have Salt 'n' Pepa at the theater where I work earlier this year. Cancelled due to lack of interest/poor sales.

Raven-Phile said:
P.S. Gonch is right, as usual.

This simply cannot be overstated.

Mike Gallagher said:
Yeah, we were supposed to have Salt 'n' Pepa at the theater where I work earlier this year. Cancelled due to lack of interest/poor sales.

And I maintain if Salt n Pepa can't sell in Jersey, where can they sell?

Playing at a casino is the modern equivalent of playing the county fair circuit in the 90s. I'm Facebook friends with a woman I knew in college who still carries a torch for Sister Hazel of all bands! I had any number of snarky comments lined up, but ultimately didn't have the heart to imply that a gig at the Columbus casino isn't a sign of a career on the rise...

Aw, c'mon, don't make fun of us. Why, our casino has also played host to Lisa Lisa, Eddie Money, The Stylistics, Village People, Everclear, EnVogue, Morris Day, War, Survivor, Sheena Easton, Louie Anderson, the Family Stone (no Sly) and yes, Sister Hazel. ALL the big name acts. I mean, what a line up! C'mon...

I wanted to make the point that seeing a concert is different than visiting an amusement because of the costs of travel and hotel, but then I realized that when I want to see a decent concert of an act that I am actually interested in seeing, I have to travel and get a hotel.

I mean, why the heck isn't Nine Inch Nails going to stop here in Huntington WV during their upcoming tour? lol

Why the heck would they?

What's the closest they're coming to Huntington? I know they'll be in Raleigh.

Pittsburgh 10/8.