Community, Leadership, Experimentation, Diversity, & Education
Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
Friday, August 01, 2025
Lollapalooza asks: Do you love music enough to deal with this crap?
Chicago Reader: The world’s biggest live entertainment promoter, Live Nation, produced Olivia Rodrigo’s 2024 tour in support of her second album, Guts. The tour included two Chicago shows that March, both at the United Center, which hosts Live Nation events. At the start of the tour, Chicago tickets cost north of $200, and high demand led to outrageous price spikes—Forbes reported on a fan who spent nearly $2,000 on two seats.
Something I have ranted to my friends about a lot is the accessibility of theater/live entertainment. I feel like live entertainment has become more of a money making scheme rather than making art to share with the world. It is no longer about wanting to actually see these shows but more about showing you have the money to have the “privilege” of attending these events. The arts should not be a privilege but a right for all to have equal access to. When you make live entertainment into a money scheme, you rob people who would be able to connect and get more out of the shows the chance to do so. Entertainment is meant to be a way for humans to connect with each other and I feel like it is more and more becoming a popularity contest. Instead of appreciating the art, people are waving around their experiences like it makes them better than people who do not have access to the tools they need to be able to participate.
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