My excitement level went through the roof when Rihanna announced she would be performing at San Diego State’s Viejas Arena on May 9.
The singer, whom I’ve always enjoyed listening to, made it more accessible for me to finally see her in concert.
The only downfall was the ticket price.
Being a typical broke college student, my finances don’t allow me to afford the $165 ticket.
The idea of taking my boyfriend along, which I had originally intended, was just out of the picture.
But what I don’t understand is why a concert arena held on our college campus makes it pretty difficult for students to afford the shows in the first place.
Shouldn’t there be a discounted price for SDSU students?
Students are offered discounted rates at various amusement parks all across California, such as Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios.
Tickets for those parks can be purchased at the Viejas Arena box office.
Students are also offered one free ticket to any home SDSU basketball or football game.
However, performances at the arena remain to be full price for students.
With prices on the rise, students are discouraged from attending shows and are disappointed, like I was, when their favorite musician or band comes and they are unable to go see them perform.
Which made me wonder: Who and what is responsible for determining the price of a concert ticket in the first place?
Relatively speaking, ticket prices are determined by supply and demand in the free market.
However, promoters and other concert venues have successfully demonstrated that there is some wiggle room in allowing a slight price decrease.
“We don’t want to squeeze every dollar out of every show. We want people to be able to afford to go to a lot of shows,” said Nate Kranz, general manager of First Avenue Nightclub.
It is (or should be) necessary to maintain an affordable ticket price, he said.
This is a tip that those in charge of Viejas Arena might want to consider.
“Music gives people common ground, it brings them together to enjoy a few incredible moments away from the harder, less pleasant parts of life,” Haleigh McGill wrote in her story “College is expensive – Red Rock Should Offer Student Discount.”
“Right now, college students are being predominantly priced out of that experience,” she wrote.
To recap, a concert arena on campus should be geared toward students who attend school on that campus.
After all, students already pay a large amount of money on tuition and they should have priority over non-SDSU students in terms of ticket prices.
In doing so, students will likely attend more concerts on campus, benefitting both the arena and the students in a big way.
Music brings people together emotionally and spiritually.
It allows students to escape the stresses of school and indulge in blissful artistic expression.
As Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
