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Welcome to the Live Music Renaissance (Now Pay Up)

This past summer, everyone you know either posted Aperol Spritz pics from Europe or meticulously curated outfit pics from their idol’s concert (not that Idol, please). They return with a sun-kissed glow from the Amalfi Coast or an XXXXL t-shirt from the two-hour wait in the merch line. (Those of us who consider ourselves “experiential revenge travelers” opt for both.) While a Mediterranean getaway is a classic summer experience, the stadium concert boom is a new phenomenon.  According to a report by Morgan Stanley, spending on Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour, Swift’s Eras Tour, and movie tickets for the summer’s hit films Barbie and Oppenheimer, (Barbenhiemer, but you knew that), is expected to add about $8.5 billion to the economy in Q3 of 2023, with Beyoncé and Swift’s tours making up two-thirds of that amount. Records might be breaking so quickly because prices are skyrocketing (more on that below), but concerts are a few hours of euphoria where we get to sing, dance and transport ourselves from the stresses of life, no matter the cost. Concerts are, quite literally, good for your health: The brain releases positive endorphins that essentially work to block pain (US News Health). Within a few songs, you’ve already exercised the equivalent...