Concert tickets can be exceptionally expensive nowadays, with most around $100 for a single seat. If you are going with your family, it can get pricey quite quickly. Most people go to concerts with their friends, get into showy outfits depending on the artist and have a good time.

But the question is: who should be getting tickets to concerts? I’m personally a huge fan of Morgan Wallen, and his concert at Soldier Field this summer was an experience I won’t forget. I remember singing my heart out with my sister and when I looked to my right, there was a couple next to us.

They stood there, simply watching. They didn’t know any of the words to most of the songs. Look, don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to know every single word of every single song that an artist has released–but it just felt so odd that they knew only a select few songs while my sister and I knew every song.

I feel like social media normalizes concerts as a place where friends can go just to say they went. There is almost a bit of a flex to going to a concert; it screams, I have money, and you don’t. I went to the Morgan Wallen concert, and you didn’t.

Whenever I look at my Instagram feed, I see hundreds of posts of people at concerts. It makes me begin to question whether these people actually enjoy an artist’s music or are just there to prove they went.

During Ariana Grande’s 2018 Eternal Sunshine tour, fans rushed to get tickets in order to see her again. But a problem arose–as the tickets went on sale, the site crashed.

The show had sold out in minutes, and most fans didn’t even get the chance at tickets. Most were bought by resellers who then took them and sold them to make a profit. If fans want tickets, they will most likely have to pay more than double the price for them.

Fans are missing out on shows and having to pay more to see them because concert tickets have become a commodity. They are bought and sold, with little meaning, leaving what once used to be a fun experience a difficult one.

Years ago, people would wait in lines for tickets. They would spend their time and effort toward getting to see their favorite artists. Now, tickets can be bought and sold in seconds to anyone, anywhere.

Yes, this reduces effort and simplifies the process, but it also gives tickets to people who don’t always deserve them.

Another example of this is when Taylor Swift went on her Eras Tour. Taylor Swift is a huge artist, so it made sense these tickets became hard to get and even sought after. The demand was so high for these tickets, the price skyrocketed.

My aunt and uncle are huge fans of Taylor Swift. They would always listen to her with me in the car growing up, and they had previously gone to her Reputation tour. They were dying to get tickets.

Unfortunately, the resale market was quite intense. The tickets were all so expensive and the people selling them most likely didn’t care for Taylor, or the concert, but were instead trying to make a profit.

Eventually, they did get tickets, but they were in a space with a limited or obstructed view. Plus, these tickets were still expensive. They both had a great time at the show, but it makes me question who else was there.

Was it all people who actually enjoy Taylor Swift, or was it people going to be part of a crowd, or fit in, or just to prove that they’re better than everyone else because they were at a pricey concert?

I’m not saying people shouldn’t go to concerts with their friends, or have a good time. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t be going to a concert to brag about it on the internet or to say you went.

So next time you are thinking about going to a concert, think of all the other people who might have wanted tickets. When you walk up the stairs, or down to the pit to sit down in your seat, take the time to enjoy everything because there are people who would have loved to go to that concert in your place– who didn’t get the chance to.