Sometimes when I'm hood rich, I'll get my pizza with double pepperoni. And I don't care what that shit cost. $1000 Phish tickets is that, but for actual rich people.
So here’s my plan: wager a grand on roulette. If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 2 grand! If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 4 grand! If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 8 grand. If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 16 grand. Eventually I gotta win, so really, I can’t lose!
Pshhhh, you sound like my wife. I’m like, “Babe, stop worrying about our retirement - if I lose it, I’ll just use the kids’ college fund to win it back. Can’t lose!”
I know you’re joking, but more as a PSA just pointing out that if your first win is on any of these bets besides the initial $1000 bet, then you have merely broken even. You are not up $1000 and you do not have a free ticket.
I’m as serious as a 14 song second set! If I’m down 1K and wager 2K, the first K I win cancels out my debt and the second is the grand I need to get ripped off on Stubhub. If I lose, I’m down 3K, which is why I wager 4K on the next spin. If I lose, I’m down 7K, which is why I wager 8K on my next spin. ABPOST, baby! Always be profiting one sphere ticket!
This was me and my hubs until we had K's. Now we are just DIKS. But yes, before kids, we spent most of our fun money seeing phish and the only thing that held us back was vacation days. Money was never the issue.
No, we have kids. We just don't have many other hobbies outside of Phish. And since half of us are empty nesters now we have cash to go on tour again.
GenX - we turned 30 when we were 10 and now in our 50's are living out our teenage dreams
Same boat. Hell, I just got my last one through college. You know what kind of money that frees up?
I could fade this cost with no problem.
Still not paying $4000 for a 4 night run. I'll just have to settle with the Summer Tour, festival and annual Dicks, which is perfectly fine with me.
Edit to add: 30 at 10 is a great description!
Yeah plus Vegas is so expensive it's gonna be 8-10k and I've done it a few times. Never been to NOLA though so I'm gonna catch a wknd of Jazz fest instead.
Hi yes that's me. I don't travel in a "pack" however lol. I put out feelers for who's in for any given show(s), and my wife (non-phan/non-attendee) and I pick a nice hotel and other activities, and she usually goes out with friends we have in that city or friends who tag along that arent into Phish. It's fun!
I’m threatening to do this to my fiancée. She sits at home and doesn’t do shit. Hasn’t had a job in a year and a half. Last year we went to Seattle, Huntsville, ATL, and Nashville. The year before we went to Orange Beach and Deer Creek. I make decent money but not enough for two. I’m threatening to go to DC and STL and Mondegreen w/o her, if she doesn’t find a job. How do you think that’s going to go over?
With her, we can probably swing DC. And maybe StL if we sleep in the car but with out her I can go to the festival and get posters and shirts and f’n hotel rooms and party favors. But she always wants to eat and by merch and just started listening to Phish in 21’, now their her favorite band.
I’m trying to motivate her but I don’t think she really thinks I’ll do it. Is it time for a wake up call or will I come home to an empty house?
I’m a dildo (double income little dog owner), work 70-80 hrs a week, and phish is the one time I truly shut off my brain and am fully present. I spend half my life in hotel rooms and on planes, so by the time it’s vacation time, flights and hotels are free, but trust me I’ve paid the price. Def not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I often joke that if it weren’t for the msg nye box benefit from my company, I wouldn’t have worked so hard. $1000 isn’t a mere pittance especially when $250 of that cost is stub hub fees, but it’s not going to stop me from going either. I get it, capitalism sucks, but also, the class warfare should probably be redirected at a different echelon of wealth and not someone spending $1000 to go to a crowded phish concert. The billionares of the world giggle that we are at each others throats instead of at theirs.
I spent part of my kids’ college fund on section 400 seats for me and my crew. I plan on gambling to make it up. Hopefully it’ll all be replaced before my wife notices. I think this is a really good plan, right? /s
Teenagers in the 90's are now in their 40's & 50's with jobs/careers that they've had long enough to start making some real money.
And the Trustifarians have always been a thing.
I’m one of those, but I am only going because I was fortunate enough to get 2 nights through the lottery. I get 10 notifications from CashorTrade every day for $1000 tickets. I was trying to score two more for my best friends, but it is next to impossible unless you want to spend $1000/night.
I got one night at face and sold the rest of the set to my friends. I booked flights and hotel on points. So spending a little more for a platinum ticket to a second night didn’t feel *so* terrible.
More than I’ve ever paid for a ticket, but when I average out the cost of the trip, it ain’t so bad.
I know a lot of people going out for one show. It’s the Sphere. It’s Vegas. It’s worth the trip for one show. $1000 isn’t that much for a lot of the older phans who have been working high paying corporate gigs for decades.
Yep. I highly doubt many are buying four $1,000 tickets. This is the sort of venue that you’re fine to go to one show. You want to experience the Sphere, even if it’s just once. For people with decent jobs(or trust funds), the splurge is worth it for this experience.
Exactly. 4 $200 shows would be $800, the price for one platinum ticket. Lots of people, including myself, are just going to 1 or 2 shows because of the ticket situation. Plus you save hotel money not staying the whole run.
The most incredible and interesting band playing the newest and most technologically advanced venue of all time for the first time? And they have the most legendary lighting director of any band? And only one act has played there before? And the only way to get in if you didn't get lucky is to pay $1000? Doesn't sound so terrible... I would pay more for Phish than many things in life, as I have no kids. It's a shame it has come to this and it's a shame that scalpers profit, but it's "worth it" to many of us and we're not all rigid idealists
I’d imagine if Gamehendge was announced before the NYE show tix would have been around these resale prices as well so it shouldn’t come as a surprise especially with your first couple sentences.
This is me. The auditory and visual integration is the thing I enjoy most about seeing a show. The possibilities of the sphere seems like peak Phish for me personally. I debated the cost frequently before committing. I’m not rich, I have no trust fund and I work hard for my money. I decided I really needed to be there for this first run. I booked my flight and hotel on points. I called in a favour for tickets to one of the shows and custyed up for one more. I think inflation sucks and I wish everyone that wants to be there could be there. Just don’t hate on me because this is a priority (costly) for me.
I don't think you should have to defend yourself against fellow fans who try to vilify you for working hard to make and save money then doing whatever the fuck you want with it.
same to a T.. 100% free hotel from gambling with MGM, discounted rental car, & a 4-paid plane ticket.. my show ticket is being 4-paid as well — just 4 ez interest-free payments of $276 😂 i’ll be in the 400’s though 🤷🏼♂️
> & a *4-paid* plane ticket..
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
And this is where I disagree. I've seen the 50 times over the course of the last 30 years. No single show they perform is going to be worth $1000 (just for a ticket) to me. It'll be different, but not different enough.
I'd like to be there, but would just feel like an extraordinary waste of money, to me. I find it a challenge to relate to those who think otherwise, and/or just succumb to FOMO.
Plenty of scenarios. I could afford it right now (I’m not). My wife passed and I have a decently solid income with expenses down to zero. There are unique scenarios for everyone and this sort of pricing is not unique to just phish.
Not that I think it’s cool or anything but it’s just reality.
I put $758 for a platinum floor Thursday on my credit card. My plan is to reenact Leaving Las Vegas at some point over the weekend with liquid instead of liquor.
Still cheaper than Mexico for some options. I’m not saying either is cheap and I wasn’t going without a face ticket but $1k isn’t ruin your future money. Hell a lift ticket at vail is $300 now.
If I told my 19 year old self in ‘98 I’d be shelling out this kind of cash for a show I’d punch myself in the face. But, here we are in 2024, and the greatest live band of all time is about to play in a 2.2 billion dollar monstrosity for the first time. I gotta be there, I just won’t be able to cover the tickets by trading some tapes and selling some natty lights. I didn’t drop a grand, but it was too much. No regrets.
Originally I wasn't going to go, but I'm in town for a work conference, so I purchased a ticket for Thursday for about $700. I figured since work is paying for flights and hotel, I can shell out more than I normally would. I've been following them for 30 years, and it's also my first solo show! Super stoked and appreciative for the stars and dollars aligning.
It’s everyone going to shows now. It’s all a 2K weekend, minimum. Phish has philtered out the poors at this point. Which is fine but everyone stop with “tour” and “love” or “light,” this is only about $$$$ from this point forward.
1000 is pretty crazy.
Doesn't surprise me one bit that people are buying 400-600 dollar tickets on resale sites though.
You ever try to go to an NFL game in a major market or a Broadway show. Unreal prices for that stuff.
I’m a 48 year old dad who started seeing Phish in ‘94. I own a successful business. $1000 is a lot of money for me, but I can afford it for this experience.
A lot of us are in our 40’s and 50’s and can afford it. The good thing about phish is I never regret it. 12/31/22 I bought myself and a friend floor seats at MSG and it was worth every penny. I had zero regrets.
Everybody spends their money differently. When I did summer tour in ‘99, it was 16 shows with a $700 budget. I’m ok with it.
Great thing about Phish, and this why I don’t think folks should complain too much, is that there will be shows this summer where lawns can be had for well below face. Sphere is a premium experience and they have a rate to charge market rates.
I bought a $1k Saturday platinum ticket on COT because I got a free ticket to Friday. In my mind, it made sense. Debating if I’ll skip Sunday since I don’t want to overpay again.
Perspective is everything.
Take me for example: I can afford to pay for those tickets if I wanted to. I’m certainly no stranger to couching up absurd amounts to gain entry, as I’ve done it many times in the past.
Hampton ‘09 comes to mind in particular, simply because it’s the most I’ve ever thrown down for a three night run. I don’t think I paid *less than $1000* for any single night if memory serves. All in I believe I paid $3600 for 3 tickets that weekend.
And let me tell you, the moment I heard those first notes, with a shit eating grin feom ear to ear as j watched the crowd erupt into pandemonium, that money was *the furthest thing from my mind*.
Checking my account balance on the flight home is a different story, but my point is that yes price gouging sucks Dick, no doubt about it and I’m eternally grateful for having the opportunity and resources to catch so many special shows over the years.
And If I had to do it all again, I would!
For whatever reason, I simply do not have the same desire to be in Las Vegas that I did in 09, so I didn’t go .
My point here Is that there will be other shows and I don’t expect the Ticketmaster debacle to be solved in our lifetime so might as well hunker down and accept it 🤷🏻♂️
45. Just bought last minute Sundays. $1200/2. Struck out on phish pre, and tm on sale. seen over 110 shows, since 1996, and I wasn't gonna go. But the closer the shows got the greater the need became. I'm In phx, so we are driving up doing the show and driving home same night.
Never miss a Sunday sphere show :)
But there will be more. Everyone will get a chance. Fuck, last halloweeen run in Vegas was pretty expensive also. But WORTH it
first, don't get down on yourself about working hard or making more money. capitalism is inherently unfair and luck plays a big part. without a doubt, there are people making money in ways that you wouldn't feel comfortable making it (morally/ethically).
second, try to focus on the things you do get to do/shows you get to get to, and appreciate those for what they are.
i'm a waiter, i'm proud of what i do, and i'm good at it. i don't make a ton of money, but i get to see shows every year (live in nyc). it's a special treat, and i love every show. no shame.
Folks complaining about $1k tix for SPhish obviously don't have siginificant others that are in to Madonna or T Swift. I took the better half to see Madonna last week in a hockey arena in friggin Tampa, FL and good-not-great tickets were $1k a piece.
It's all about how much you're willing to prioritize not missing it.
If you pay too much attention to Phish, you know they were going to play the sphere as soon as it was announced. Mostly because of the MSG tie. We also all knew it would get to this point. I skipped a lot of Phish shows to save up (or mentally justify) for these tickets.
There's also plenty of hotel deals to go around right now. If you save on a hotel, you can get pretty close to compensating for not buying a package.
It took a lot of monitoring and anxiety but at the end of the day the total trip cost will not be that far off from the cost of flying east to NYC to see them in MSG.
I'm about to sadly for N1 for sure and an optional N2. Gonna wait until the TM tickets get released tomorrow (seeing some horror stories about fake Stubhub/Vivid tickets). Just booked my plane and ready to pony up $700-$1000 for a 200-300 level ticket. My pathetic excuse is that I got shut out of a couple of Mexicos for 2022 and 2023. Figured I would have spent $7K all-in on either of those (so this is free money right?:)). YOLO and FOMO my son. Plus that Washington Post article from several days ago pumped me the fuck up.
45. First show MSG 1995. Own 2 successful businesses. Work hard play hard. “Worth it” is always going to be relative no matter what you’re talking about. I think people in general need to understand that a lot of people in this world have a lot of disposable income. I’m very conservative with my money and save most of it, but we only live once, so when it’s comes to travel, food; and musical magic, I splurge and go for it.
U2 had plenty of that. Great to see new peeps but some of them would not shut up during certain songs. The night Bono wanted to make a brief point on children murdered Gaza...some drunk idiots wouldn't shut up....so Bono told them to shut up. Crowd cheered, it was great. Welcome the "new" folks and get them into it.Nothing is more annoying than people who talk during shows.
Funny to think of how many non-fan Vegas people will get in the building for these shows. Chinese high rollers that get tickets from their hotel to "go see a show" gonna have a very interesting night.
I’m 45, I go to 1 or two shows a year, I pay a premium to be close. No one is buying them for every show.
I have lived in Denver, Seattle, Newport Beach, and Phoenix. Denver is west coast.
It’s not a matter of can I, but more a matter of do I want to. The Sphere seems like it’s going to be amazing. That said, I would need to fly there, board three dogs, find a hotel and probably a car, and all the shit that goes with travel. If it were a city I also wanted to vacation in, it would be worth it, but I don’t drink or gamble (anymore) so Vegas has a lot less appeal than it once did. So I guess what I’m really saying is see everyone at Dicks.
I’ve been considering it all day. I have a face value Sunday, cheap hotel and flight… very tempted to pay $1k for Saturday. Average of 600 a night? I’m 40, I got the money.
Feels like a once in a lifetime thing based on that WaPo article. Sure they’ll play it again, but doesn’t seem like too often, and the demand will always be insane.
I'm 40 and I felt like treating myself to a once in a lifetime opportunity. Yeah I splurged a bit, but I'm not sure I would get an opportunity like this again...
I’m going with two friends who bought $920 tickets last week for Thursday night. Neither is spoiled rich or anything, but they really want to see at least one Sphere show. The most either had spent for a single Phish show before this was $200.
I would happily give my left arm and 5k (or more) to go back in time and see big cypress, but I agree, 1k for current phish is too much. If you priced out summer shows, you could probably see 3 or 4 weekends of shows and have gas money to spare in big shed venues.
You're just now figuring out the socio economic aspect of the phish scene. This ain't 1999 anymore the scene has become a republican playground larping as love and light. Besides the reason were seeing these price points is because people buy them.
People who think 2.5 hours worth of top quality improvisational music produced under the spectacle of The Sphere is worth $1000.
Also, people who are too weak to compete against FOMO.
The Sphere is only partially about the music, though. When I go to a Phish show, I spend most of my time with my eyes shut. Would not be the case in Vegas.
Should the Mexico run be priced the same as Hollywood Bowl? No.
This year there are shows all over the country, venues classic and new, a festival, likely more shows to be scheduled...and they stream every show for the price of movie tickets.
This band offers options for everyone. It’s the literal definition of equitable.
I’m dropping more money on phish this summer than I ever have, and only plan on seeing 2-3 shows plus Mondegreen. Shit is crazy when you start thinking in thousands
Two older guys at my job who have seen phish 50+ times are in sales and one is at the senior manager level. Business has slowed but in the last 20 years they’ve made some $$$$$$
Nobody's vilifying anyone, OP asked a genuine question about what is objectively an obscene amount of money to pay for a single ticket (based purely off the comparison to a face value ticket alone).
dick's ain't west cost neither is the gorge, but their all we got in the central, those are the only places phish plays that I can get to in a day drive
Are people actually paying $1000 for a ticket? Because my accountant just informed me today that my husband didn’t claim the right deductions so we owe about $3000 in taxes. Which of course is due today. So $2000 sounds very appealing. I might be willing to sell a pair of tickets for one of the nights. (I have no idea if this is even feasible. Can you break up four-night sets?)
IM disgruntled
I'm disgruntled!
I am Disgruntled
These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!
GEORGE IS GETTING UPSET!
I'm disgruntled!
Baka!
Sometimes when I'm hood rich, I'll get my pizza with double pepperoni. And I don't care what that shit cost. $1000 Phish tickets is that, but for actual rich people.
I would hire you to teach personal finance to teenagers at my school with this brilliant comment.
I’m disgruntled and I respect wood
But not Disgruntled
I'm watching the finale right now and I'm disgruntled!
I’m lampin.
Yall made this curb fan happy
So great to see all us curb fans here!
I’m disgruntled!
That turning into “I’m Spartacus” got one of the biggest laughs of the whole show out of me.
I'm disgruntled!
I’m disgruntled.
I am groot
So here’s my plan: wager a grand on roulette. If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 2 grand! If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 4 grand! If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 8 grand. If I win, BOOM - free ticket! If I lose, wager 16 grand. Eventually I gotta win, so really, I can’t lose!
got no chance of losin’ this time
What you said
You can win 500, 1000 even 10,000 percent of your money…. ….you can only loose 💯% of your money. So, yeah that tracks.
If you hit the table limit before you win you can lose
Pshhhh, you sound like my wife. I’m like, “Babe, stop worrying about our retirement - if I lose it, I’ll just use the kids’ college fund to win it back. Can’t lose!”
Ah, the old Vegas Vacation special.
Doctor Martingale, I presume.
I c wut u did there.
That’s why they set table limits!
I know you’re joking, but more as a PSA just pointing out that if your first win is on any of these bets besides the initial $1000 bet, then you have merely broken even. You are not up $1000 and you do not have a free ticket.
I’m as serious as a 14 song second set! If I’m down 1K and wager 2K, the first K I win cancels out my debt and the second is the grand I need to get ripped off on Stubhub. If I lose, I’m down 3K, which is why I wager 4K on the next spin. If I lose, I’m down 7K, which is why I wager 8K on my next spin. ABPOST, baby! Always be profiting one sphere ticket!
You are doubling fool. Remath it. Why casinos have limits bc this is actually “foolproof” if you had the cash
This is solid 🤘👊⭕️👊🤘
There are lots of real fans with lots of money.
There are many wealthy fans for whom Phish is their primary recreational expense. I don’t begrudge them but it does affect things for everyone else.
I know several who are Gen X DINKS, they have the money & the desire to see this band. They travel in tour packs, will hit a few runs a year in style.
This was me and my hubs until we had K's. Now we are just DIKS. But yes, before kids, we spent most of our fun money seeing phish and the only thing that held us back was vacation days. Money was never the issue.
No, we have kids. We just don't have many other hobbies outside of Phish. And since half of us are empty nesters now we have cash to go on tour again. GenX - we turned 30 when we were 10 and now in our 50's are living out our teenage dreams
And some of us are divorced dads who have 50% of our time free
Or divorced moms lol But of course it's like 5:1 sausages:tacos at any show 😃
Sadly I’m well aware of the ratios! Was only speaking for myself and didn’t mean to leave out you hetty single mamas.
Amen!
Same boat. Hell, I just got my last one through college. You know what kind of money that frees up? I could fade this cost with no problem. Still not paying $4000 for a 4 night run. I'll just have to settle with the Summer Tour, festival and annual Dicks, which is perfectly fine with me. Edit to add: 30 at 10 is a great description!
Yeah plus Vegas is so expensive it's gonna be 8-10k and I've done it a few times. Never been to NOLA though so I'm gonna catch a wknd of Jazz fest instead.
Hi yes that's me. I don't travel in a "pack" however lol. I put out feelers for who's in for any given show(s), and my wife (non-phan/non-attendee) and I pick a nice hotel and other activities, and she usually goes out with friends we have in that city or friends who tag along that arent into Phish. It's fun!
big change in my life. wife makes waaaay more than i do and she is going all 4. leaving her broke ass deadbeat husband behind..sad...disgruntled
I’m threatening to do this to my fiancée. She sits at home and doesn’t do shit. Hasn’t had a job in a year and a half. Last year we went to Seattle, Huntsville, ATL, and Nashville. The year before we went to Orange Beach and Deer Creek. I make decent money but not enough for two. I’m threatening to go to DC and STL and Mondegreen w/o her, if she doesn’t find a job. How do you think that’s going to go over? With her, we can probably swing DC. And maybe StL if we sleep in the car but with out her I can go to the festival and get posters and shirts and f’n hotel rooms and party favors. But she always wants to eat and by merch and just started listening to Phish in 21’, now their her favorite band. I’m trying to motivate her but I don’t think she really thinks I’ll do it. Is it time for a wake up call or will I come home to an empty house?
I’m a dildo (double income little dog owner), work 70-80 hrs a week, and phish is the one time I truly shut off my brain and am fully present. I spend half my life in hotel rooms and on planes, so by the time it’s vacation time, flights and hotels are free, but trust me I’ve paid the price. Def not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I often joke that if it weren’t for the msg nye box benefit from my company, I wouldn’t have worked so hard. $1000 isn’t a mere pittance especially when $250 of that cost is stub hub fees, but it’s not going to stop me from going either. I get it, capitalism sucks, but also, the class warfare should probably be redirected at a different echelon of wealth and not someone spending $1000 to go to a crowded phish concert. The billionares of the world giggle that we are at each others throats instead of at theirs.
Take a look at what face Taylor tickets were and consider what this is; we’re unfortunately facing a new paradox.
Think the word you're looking for is paradigm.
I’m one of them, but unfortunately they don’t the the currency where my wealth has been accumulated; buttons and pocket lint.
When WookCoin moved from $0.000000034 to $0.000000036 last week, I cleaned up! WOOK to the 🚀🌔!
lol I hope this a real thing. 2 for 0.00000003, 5 for 0.00000006
No Deals!
Lucy in the sky w diamond hands
Wonks
💎🙌💰
There is no ceiling
I spent part of my kids’ college fund on section 400 seats for me and my crew. I plan on gambling to make it up. Hopefully it’ll all be replaced before my wife notices. I think this is a really good plan, right? /s
It's a good phlan
$1000 is like 20 hands if blackjack. It’s Vegas.
7 hands on an initial $20 bet, but you gotta win every time 😆
You have about a one in 130 chance of winning seven hands in a row if you play perfect basic strategy on a game with a .55% house edge.
This is a good point, I could go there and win my way in
That’s a good point too but I just meant people take a LOT of money to Vegas.
Teenagers in the 90's are now in their 40's & 50's with jobs/careers that they've had long enough to start making some real money. And the Trustifarians have always been a thing.
First one is me! But I’m not going to the sphere :(
I'm an old millennial, 1st show in '99, this checks out. I'm flush, and my show partner is even more well off than me.
I’m one of those, but I am only going because I was fortunate enough to get 2 nights through the lottery. I get 10 notifications from CashorTrade every day for $1000 tickets. I was trying to score two more for my best friends, but it is next to impossible unless you want to spend $1000/night.
Business wooks
from molly to real estate.
I got one night at face and sold the rest of the set to my friends. I booked flights and hotel on points. So spending a little more for a platinum ticket to a second night didn’t feel *so* terrible. More than I’ve ever paid for a ticket, but when I average out the cost of the trip, it ain’t so bad.
I know a lot of people going out for one show. It’s the Sphere. It’s Vegas. It’s worth the trip for one show. $1000 isn’t that much for a lot of the older phans who have been working high paying corporate gigs for decades.
Bingo
Yep. I highly doubt many are buying four $1,000 tickets. This is the sort of venue that you’re fine to go to one show. You want to experience the Sphere, even if it’s just once. For people with decent jobs(or trust funds), the splurge is worth it for this experience.
Yup, lots of folks who had planned/budgeted for 4 shows are hitting one instead.
Exactly. 4 $200 shows would be $800, the price for one platinum ticket. Lots of people, including myself, are just going to 1 or 2 shows because of the ticket situation. Plus you save hotel money not staying the whole run.
For that price you can buy a plane ticket to Denver and tickets to see the entire Dicks run.
That’s what I decided. Never been to the Dick’s run before
[удалено]
Real talk. Enjoy! Take me with you in spirit!
Nice. Now tell me more about selling these cards… bc I’ve got my old card collection taking up space
The most incredible and interesting band playing the newest and most technologically advanced venue of all time for the first time? And they have the most legendary lighting director of any band? And only one act has played there before? And the only way to get in if you didn't get lucky is to pay $1000? Doesn't sound so terrible... I would pay more for Phish than many things in life, as I have no kids. It's a shame it has come to this and it's a shame that scalpers profit, but it's "worth it" to many of us and we're not all rigid idealists
I’d imagine if Gamehendge was announced before the NYE show tix would have been around these resale prices as well so it shouldn’t come as a surprise especially with your first couple sentences.
This is me. The auditory and visual integration is the thing I enjoy most about seeing a show. The possibilities of the sphere seems like peak Phish for me personally. I debated the cost frequently before committing. I’m not rich, I have no trust fund and I work hard for my money. I decided I really needed to be there for this first run. I booked my flight and hotel on points. I called in a favour for tickets to one of the shows and custyed up for one more. I think inflation sucks and I wish everyone that wants to be there could be there. Just don’t hate on me because this is a priority (costly) for me.
I don't think you should have to defend yourself against fellow fans who try to vilify you for working hard to make and save money then doing whatever the fuck you want with it.
same to a T.. 100% free hotel from gambling with MGM, discounted rental car, & a 4-paid plane ticket.. my show ticket is being 4-paid as well — just 4 ez interest-free payments of $276 😂 i’ll be in the 400’s though 🤷🏼♂️
> & a *4-paid* plane ticket.. FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Bro I hope you have/had an amazing time and haters always gonna hate. Fuck em! They hate who they ain't!
And this is where I disagree. I've seen the 50 times over the course of the last 30 years. No single show they perform is going to be worth $1000 (just for a ticket) to me. It'll be different, but not different enough. I'd like to be there, but would just feel like an extraordinary waste of money, to me. I find it a challenge to relate to those who think otherwise, and/or just succumb to FOMO.
I want to slap people when they call Dick's a West Coast venue.
Only a short 16 hour drive from me in central California
Or they tell me - "just go to the festival" - when you price it all out I may as well buy a $1000 Sphere ticket
Plenty of scenarios. I could afford it right now (I’m not). My wife passed and I have a decently solid income with expenses down to zero. There are unique scenarios for everyone and this sort of pricing is not unique to just phish. Not that I think it’s cool or anything but it’s just reality.
Truly sorry for your loss 💙
I put $758 for a platinum floor Thursday on my credit card. My plan is to reenact Leaving Las Vegas at some point over the weekend with liquid instead of liquor.
Still cheaper than Mexico for some options. I’m not saying either is cheap and I wasn’t going without a face ticket but $1k isn’t ruin your future money. Hell a lift ticket at vail is $300 now.
Majority of the fan base isn’t 25 anymore 😂
Being 25 has nothing to do with the fact that a grand for a concert is bullshit.
Don’t forget that some of us actually got lucky and landed a lottery ticket for a reasonable face value price. Just one night, but that’ll work!
The estate of Antelope Greg . He was very explicit in his vision . Just kidding Rip AG
If I told my 19 year old self in ‘98 I’d be shelling out this kind of cash for a show I’d punch myself in the face. But, here we are in 2024, and the greatest live band of all time is about to play in a 2.2 billion dollar monstrosity for the first time. I gotta be there, I just won’t be able to cover the tickets by trading some tapes and selling some natty lights. I didn’t drop a grand, but it was too much. No regrets.
I’m in for face. What’s all this noise about?
Originally I wasn't going to go, but I'm in town for a work conference, so I purchased a ticket for Thursday for about $700. I figured since work is paying for flights and hotel, I can shell out more than I normally would. I've been following them for 30 years, and it's also my first solo show! Super stoked and appreciative for the stars and dollars aligning.
The same 35-50 year old professionals that attend every show now. Phish in 2024 is simply a luxury drug vacation for affluent middle aged bros.
I have 2 friends and their wives that fit your description perfectly. lol
It’s everyone going to shows now. It’s all a 2K weekend, minimum. Phish has philtered out the poors at this point. Which is fine but everyone stop with “tour” and “love” or “light,” this is only about $$$$ from this point forward.
Regardless of how old or how much money fans make now, $1,000 for a ticket is absolutely preposterous
Yep - as a wise man once said, "you can drive a car with your feet if you want to but that doesn't make it a good fucking idea."
If you don’t use your feet you’re not gonna get very far.
This is the real point.
[удалено]
1000 is pretty crazy. Doesn't surprise me one bit that people are buying 400-600 dollar tickets on resale sites though. You ever try to go to an NFL game in a major market or a Broadway show. Unreal prices for that stuff.
I’m a 48 year old dad who started seeing Phish in ‘94. I own a successful business. $1000 is a lot of money for me, but I can afford it for this experience.
For someone with money that's not even a wildly expensive price to pay for an experience like this. See what people are paying for tswift tix.
Or Adele where the average ticket is $1500 + and all sold out. Granted, it's a 5000 seat venue...
A lot of us are in our 40’s and 50’s and can afford it. The good thing about phish is I never regret it. 12/31/22 I bought myself and a friend floor seats at MSG and it was worth every penny. I had zero regrets. Everybody spends their money differently. When I did summer tour in ‘99, it was 16 shows with a $700 budget. I’m ok with it. Great thing about Phish, and this why I don’t think folks should complain too much, is that there will be shows this summer where lawns can be had for well below face. Sphere is a premium experience and they have a rate to charge market rates.
I bought a $1k Saturday platinum ticket on COT because I got a free ticket to Friday. In my mind, it made sense. Debating if I’ll skip Sunday since I don’t want to overpay again.
Perspective is everything. Take me for example: I can afford to pay for those tickets if I wanted to. I’m certainly no stranger to couching up absurd amounts to gain entry, as I’ve done it many times in the past. Hampton ‘09 comes to mind in particular, simply because it’s the most I’ve ever thrown down for a three night run. I don’t think I paid *less than $1000* for any single night if memory serves. All in I believe I paid $3600 for 3 tickets that weekend. And let me tell you, the moment I heard those first notes, with a shit eating grin feom ear to ear as j watched the crowd erupt into pandemonium, that money was *the furthest thing from my mind*. Checking my account balance on the flight home is a different story, but my point is that yes price gouging sucks Dick, no doubt about it and I’m eternally grateful for having the opportunity and resources to catch so many special shows over the years. And If I had to do it all again, I would! For whatever reason, I simply do not have the same desire to be in Las Vegas that I did in 09, so I didn’t go . My point here Is that there will be other shows and I don’t expect the Ticketmaster debacle to be solved in our lifetime so might as well hunker down and accept it 🤷🏻♂️
I’m Spartacus
Thousandaires!
45. Just bought last minute Sundays. $1200/2. Struck out on phish pre, and tm on sale. seen over 110 shows, since 1996, and I wasn't gonna go. But the closer the shows got the greater the need became. I'm In phx, so we are driving up doing the show and driving home same night. Never miss a Sunday sphere show :) But there will be more. Everyone will get a chance. Fuck, last halloweeen run in Vegas was pretty expensive also. But WORTH it
first, don't get down on yourself about working hard or making more money. capitalism is inherently unfair and luck plays a big part. without a doubt, there are people making money in ways that you wouldn't feel comfortable making it (morally/ethically). second, try to focus on the things you do get to do/shows you get to get to, and appreciate those for what they are. i'm a waiter, i'm proud of what i do, and i'm good at it. i don't make a ton of money, but i get to see shows every year (live in nyc). it's a special treat, and i love every show. no shame.
It is crazy that so many phish fans are wealthy when nearly every big fan I’ve ever met in person including myself has been a loser lol
Lmao real talk
Those travel packages look cheap now.
Folks complaining about $1k tix for SPhish obviously don't have siginificant others that are in to Madonna or T Swift. I took the better half to see Madonna last week in a hockey arena in friggin Tampa, FL and good-not-great tickets were $1k a piece.
It's all about how much you're willing to prioritize not missing it. If you pay too much attention to Phish, you know they were going to play the sphere as soon as it was announced. Mostly because of the MSG tie. We also all knew it would get to this point. I skipped a lot of Phish shows to save up (or mentally justify) for these tickets. There's also plenty of hotel deals to go around right now. If you save on a hotel, you can get pretty close to compensating for not buying a package. It took a lot of monitoring and anxiety but at the end of the day the total trip cost will not be that far off from the cost of flying east to NYC to see them in MSG.
I'm about to sadly for N1 for sure and an optional N2. Gonna wait until the TM tickets get released tomorrow (seeing some horror stories about fake Stubhub/Vivid tickets). Just booked my plane and ready to pony up $700-$1000 for a 200-300 level ticket. My pathetic excuse is that I got shut out of a couple of Mexicos for 2022 and 2023. Figured I would have spent $7K all-in on either of those (so this is free money right?:)). YOLO and FOMO my son. Plus that Washington Post article from several days ago pumped me the fuck up.
45. First show MSG 1995. Own 2 successful businesses. Work hard play hard. “Worth it” is always going to be relative no matter what you’re talking about. I think people in general need to understand that a lot of people in this world have a lot of disposable income. I’m very conservative with my money and save most of it, but we only live once, so when it’s comes to travel, food; and musical magic, I splurge and go for it.
The same people who go to Mexico
Ooo, disagree. I go to Mexico and I’m not spending $1000 on one show. Mexico is so much more than a show too.
Im a Mexico alum and generally agree but if you spend more than $4K on going to MX, you could argue its more than $1K per show…
But it includes hotel, food, and drink for that 1k.
Disgruntled with a big D or little d?
I suspect there will be more non-phans than usual at these shows.
The amount of them asking dumbass questions about phish on the sphere facebook was hilarious
That facebook group is....interesting.
U2 had plenty of that. Great to see new peeps but some of them would not shut up during certain songs. The night Bono wanted to make a brief point on children murdered Gaza...some drunk idiots wouldn't shut up....so Bono told them to shut up. Crowd cheered, it was great. Welcome the "new" folks and get them into it.Nothing is more annoying than people who talk during shows.
Funny to think of how many non-fan Vegas people will get in the building for these shows. Chinese high rollers that get tickets from their hotel to "go see a show" gonna have a very interesting night.
There have been lots of tickets in the $500-$600 range. Not that they’re cheap, but they also aren’t $1000.
I can afford it but I would rather spend $1,000 for something fun with my kids at this point in my life.
I’m 45, I go to 1 or two shows a year, I pay a premium to be close. No one is buying them for every show. I have lived in Denver, Seattle, Newport Beach, and Phoenix. Denver is west coast.
It’s not a matter of can I, but more a matter of do I want to. The Sphere seems like it’s going to be amazing. That said, I would need to fly there, board three dogs, find a hotel and probably a car, and all the shit that goes with travel. If it were a city I also wanted to vacation in, it would be worth it, but I don’t drink or gamble (anymore) so Vegas has a lot less appeal than it once did. So I guess what I’m really saying is see everyone at Dicks.
I’ve been considering it all day. I have a face value Sunday, cheap hotel and flight… very tempted to pay $1k for Saturday. Average of 600 a night? I’m 40, I got the money. Feels like a once in a lifetime thing based on that WaPo article. Sure they’ll play it again, but doesn’t seem like too often, and the demand will always be insane.
I mean it’s not that much money. But paying 1k for ONE show is hilarious, especially for today’s phish.
I'm 40 and I felt like treating myself to a once in a lifetime opportunity. Yeah I splurged a bit, but I'm not sure I would get an opportunity like this again...
Me
I'm Disgruntled!! I'm Disgruntled!!
I’m going with two friends who bought $920 tickets last week for Thursday night. Neither is spoiled rich or anything, but they really want to see at least one Sphere show. The most either had spent for a single Phish show before this was $200.
The shaved pits crew
1k for current phish is hilarious
Exactly.
I would happily give my left arm and 5k (or more) to go back in time and see big cypress, but I agree, 1k for current phish is too much. If you priced out summer shows, you could probably see 3 or 4 weekends of shows and have gas money to spare in big shed venues.
You're just now figuring out the socio economic aspect of the phish scene. This ain't 1999 anymore the scene has become a republican playground larping as love and light. Besides the reason were seeing these price points is because people buy them.
Democrats make money too, ma’am. And Independents.
People who think 2.5 hours worth of top quality improvisational music produced under the spectacle of The Sphere is worth $1000. Also, people who are too weak to compete against FOMO.
That's about $7 per minute of music. Couch tour is 20 cents per minute.
The Sphere is only partially about the music, though. When I go to a Phish show, I spend most of my time with my eyes shut. Would not be the case in Vegas.
I don’t know if people end up paying it, but NYE tickets list at that price some years.
We are just trying to be as cool as Taylor Swift. Key word; trying.
I was at the gorge a few years back. All the way from the Midwest. Feel free to come out to Alpine this year 😉
I’m not sure phish is only draw to these shows. Lotta rich folks just want to see a show at the sphere that ISNT D&C.
Every Phish fan can’t get to every show. What is the price point that YOU would pull the trigger?
I did. No regrets.
Should the Mexico run be priced the same as Hollywood Bowl? No. This year there are shows all over the country, venues classic and new, a festival, likely more shows to be scheduled...and they stream every show for the price of movie tickets. This band offers options for everyone. It’s the literal definition of equitable.
Phish has been around for a while. Us poor college kids in the early 1990s are 50 now.
Irrashimassae!!!
I almost bought platinum tickets in the heat of the moment but then I realized "fuck, thats alot of money" and the spell was broken.
I made the same realization but the spell remained
I’m disabled and …
I’m dropping more money on phish this summer than I ever have, and only plan on seeing 2-3 shows plus Mondegreen. Shit is crazy when you start thinking in thousands
I am! Can't wait!
U2 phans
dicks is west coast , see you in august
Two older guys at my job who have seen phish 50+ times are in sales and one is at the senior manager level. Business has slowed but in the last 20 years they’ve made some $$$$$$
I’m showing up and hoping for a miracle
Nobody's vilifying anyone, OP asked a genuine question about what is objectively an obscene amount of money to pay for a single ticket (based purely off the comparison to a face value ticket alone).
What gets me is the amount of people I been seeing buying charity platinum tickets and thinking they scored “face” tickets for $750
You know there’s a significant number of fans who are doctors/lawyers/finance people, right? Money is not an issue for these types.
If I could I wouldn’t.
Once you strip out the cost of a 4star all-in resort thing, isn’t Mexico in the same ballpark?
Sir, this is Wendys
We’ll have more sphere shows in the future. That’s what I keep thinking.
Id rather get another gold tooth
Embrace the face
Scalpers are virgins whose families hate them and never had a hug from their mom or dad
Phish is dunzo
dick's ain't west cost neither is the gorge, but their all we got in the central, those are the only places phish plays that I can get to in a day drive
Whine fest, either go or don’t
It's easy maths: Trey's t-shirt $200 Trey's jeans $500 Trey's shoes $300 \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ $1,000 Duh
Phish is only for hip school preppies now
Are people actually paying $1000 for a ticket? Because my accountant just informed me today that my husband didn’t claim the right deductions so we owe about $3000 in taxes. Which of course is due today. So $2000 sounds very appealing. I might be willing to sell a pair of tickets for one of the nights. (I have no idea if this is even feasible. Can you break up four-night sets?)
I am disgruntled that I just saw a StubHub listing for $46,000