
To say that I love music would be an understatement. I have a heart made out of music notes tattooed on my wrist and was in the top 0.5% of Spotify listeners with the highest number of minutes of music listened to in 2022.
Everyone has their vice, and music is mine. So, though I'm a very cautious spender and don't splurge on clothes or jewelry, last year I let myself say yes to every music experience I wanted to go to.
An important disclaimer is that up until this February, I lived with my parents and my living expenses were significantly lower than the average person's. I knew that wouldn't be the case for much longer. My goal was to move in 2024, so my biggest year in concerts was either now or never.
I went to a total of nine concerts and music festivals in 2023, experiencing icons like Usher and Beyoncé live, and spent more than $3,000 on tickets alone.
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I spent $3,235.12 on concert tickets in 2023: Here's the breakdown

This cost doesn't factor in travel and hotel expenses. I'm based in the New York/New Jersey area and traveled to Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Los Angeles for some of the experiences.
Money Report
I felt energized and inspired after each experience
I spent a lot of money to see my favorite artists last year, but it felt justified because I was seeing many of them live for the first time.
That was enough to get me to open my wallet, but what I didn't expect was to return home feeling so full of energy and motivation. But there's a scientific explanation for that.
"Neurotransmitters, or happy chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, increase significantly when you [attend] a concert or do other activities you enjoy — which can cause you to feel more inspiration or admiration," Tierra T. Ellis, a clinical and community psychologist, told CNBC Make It in September.
And spending your money on experiences is one way that money can actually buy you happiness, social scientist and happiness expert Arthur C. Brooks teaches in his course at Harvard University.
Going to concerts and music festivals also helped me to reconnect with friends from college who enjoy live music experiences just as much as me. I attended Camp Flog Gnaw, a music festival organized by Tyler, the Creator, with a group of my college friends last year; now we have a group chat just for sharing concerts and making plans together.
I won't be going to as many concerts in 2024
Now that I pay rent each month, I can't justify attending nearly 10 concerts. We're halfway through 2024, and I've been to one concert and one music festival, compared to five by this time last year.
One of my festival-going friends pointed out just how many of our favorite artists touring in 2024, and we all agreed that we wouldn't be able to attend concerts for each artist — it can cost between $200 and $500 to see just one act these days.

Stereogum recently reported that arena tours aren't selling as many tickets this year as they have in the past. Certain music artists have been forced to cancel tours while others, like Taylor Swift, have broken records in ticket sales.
Though higher costs on necessities like groceries and gas are slowing down, the last thing I'm thinking about these days is who's performing where. I'm opting for seeing clips of my favorite artists on social media from the comfort of my home over dropping $1,000 or more on live experiences.
Maybe I'll change my mind next year.
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