Seth, you remind me of the 50something guy in my office who still likes to go to rock and roll shows. When he asks me if I'm going to this show or that show, sometimes I tell him the price is too steep for me. He'll arrogantly reply "Oh price doesn't matter to me. Doesn't matter if it's $5 or $50, if I want to go, I'll go." Of course, he makes 2.5 times as much as I do, so I can see where he's coming from.
Yes, we live in a city where a lot of people of professionals, and a lot of those professionals make such good salaries that they don't even have to question their spending. But some do.
I totally agree with what Yank, Vansmack, and Jag had to say. To exemplify what Vansmack said, I'm going to 7 shows in the next two weeks, many of them by some of my favorite artists. This is more than I usually go to, but with so many good acts at affordable costs, I just had to do it. I've got" DRive By Truckers ($12), Pernice Brothers ($10), Bob Mould (free) Slobberbone ($10), Jayhawks ($25 ouch!...but of course it's at the 9:30, what do you expect?), Rhett Miller and Nickel Creek (free), and Steve Earle (free). All in all, seven shows for $57.
If I can get 7 great shows for $57 (which is still above my budget) why on earth would I pay $40 to see a show? You might argue that if I really liked the band, I'd be willing to pay...but not true. Wilco is my favorite band, and I refused to pony up $30+ to see a show.
And Myuman...interesting idea about the season tickets. But I don't think it's economically feasible. Seth will basger us about counting our dollars, but I'm sure he would do the same thing himself and see that season passes would not make sense. 500 passes at $250 would only generate $125,000 in guaranteed ticket revenue. The club could generate that much with 6 sold out $25 shows. It would be way too much of a hassle for the club, with no financial benefits. And that's the bottom line.