But if you went to see Clapton in Philadelphia this past September, a similar seat would have cost $397.70. Plus fees! And no, you can’t blame inflation. That $6.50 ticket would cost about $21.50 today.

Why were tickets for top musicians so reasonable then yet so stratospheric now?

“In 1983, artists made the majority of their income from recorded music,” says Andy Gensler, editor in chief of Pollstar, a concert trade publication. So concert tours were a means of album promotion. But the rise of streaming music and its relatively paltry royalty payouts has altered the equation. 

There’s another factor at play here: It’s much easier today to resell tickets legally. “A scalper will take the tickets and sell them for whatever the market will bear. The recording artists now want the money that the scalpers are getting, since they’re the performers,” says Larry Magid, a retired concert promoter.

But there are still some cheaper options:

Discover discounts. You can find senior discounts for some concerts on major sellers Ticketmaster and AXS. If they’re available, you’ll see the discounts as one of the pricing options. The deals platform Groupon also offers some discount tickets.

Wait. “Day-of-show prices on the secondary market sometimes come down below market prices,” Gensler says.

Try a tribute band. Scan a concert calendar in just about any town and you’ll find groups that perform a specific artist’s catalog. “It’s a much less expensive way to hear your favorite music, sing along and commune with like-minded fans,” Gensler says. —Ed Condran