"By the time I heard earlier this week that Paul McCartney had added a show in Santa Barbara to the front end of his soon-to-kick off Got Back Tour, I proudly announced to anyone who'd listen (the dog sleeping next to me) that nothing would stop me from going. Not an online ticket lottery system nor a scramble to finish work on a Friday in time to pick the kiddo up"
"But as I loaded a pair of tickets into my cart (the max allotted), the proverbial record needle scratched on my "Spies Like Us" soundtrack LP. Floor seating started well over $400, preferred floor about $100 more than that. The cheaper tickets (starting around $300) were gone, and other, slightly better, general admission seats went for well over $700. Two tickets to Macca paradise in the cart plus fees was well over a grand."
"Now here's the part where the bargaining starts. Could I put the tickets on a credit card, finish work early, grab a $10 Chubbies burger combo and sing "Hey Jude" along with my son and a cohort of Santa Barbarians? Of course I could have. But the reality I faced was that after state and federal tax, social security, health care, union dues and a tiny bit stashed away for retirement (ha!), that amount also represents the entirety of one of my paychecks."
A devoted fan secured a spot in the online queue for Paul McCartney's Santa Barbara show after announcing determination to attend. Ticket prices quickly proved prohibitive: floor seating above $400, preferred floor about $500, cheaper tickets gone, and general admission exceeding $700, pushing two tickets plus fees past $1,000. The fan weighed charging the purchase to a card against family financial responsibilities. After accounting for taxes, social security, health care, union dues and modest retirement savings, the total equaled a full paycheck. The fan concluded that spending on rent, groceries, orthodontics, and children's activities could not be sacrificed for the concert.
Read at SFGATE
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