Will Fans Pay for Pricey Concerts? Some, Anyway

I am not betting that concert tickets have reached their top price-wise (“Concert Prices Taken to the Limit? Don’t Bet on It,” March 31). I just do not see Barbra Streisand losing any of her star drawing power as a singer and actress yet, and God knows her skill in the director’s chair has only just begun.

It is to Streisand’s credit that she could have gotten the top-dollar price of $1,000 here as well as in Las Vegas but was in favor of the “more accessible” choice-seat price of $350 that her fans in the local glamour market could afford.

Let’s keep it straight. These tickets are affordable to her fans because she is worth the price.

I can’t afford to be there, but I certainly intend to go on buying her records and seeing any movie she is in, and I wait for that next film she helms as director.

ALLAN BENJAMIN

Los Angeles

When I awoke to read “Concert Prices Taken to the Limit?,” I realized the days of my going to concerts may quickly, and sadly, be coming to an end.

As a fan of all types of music, I was considering purchasing tickets to both the Streisand concert and the Eagles concert. Not anymore! $350 for a good seat? $50 for nosebleed seats? I could understand if this were a benefit concert. But the only person this seems to benefit is the significantly richer and less nervous Streisand. And hell will freeze over before I spend $115 for a ticket to the Eagles.

Perhaps Woodstock was the beginning of the end. And, as we face the 25th anniversary of that legendary event, it’s time to re-evaluate pop and rock ‘n’ roll. With Woodstock, rock ‘n’ roll became a highly commercial enterprise. Will concert tickets soon go the way of Broadway shows and opera? Has rock ‘n’ roll been so “yuppified” as to forget the fans who want to see their favorite artists in favor of those who can afford it?

I hope there is truly a concern in the industry about gouging fans. But no longer will I attend 15 to 20 concerts a year. Instead, I’ll be highly selective if faced with outrageous ticket prices. I’ll be making decisions based solely on “have to see,” not just “this would be fun.” This can only lead to a downsizing of the audience.

CRAIG L. BYRD

Los Angeles

“Concert Prices Taken to the Limit?” speculates that ticket prices may rise in the wake of the Streisand concerts. Meanwhile, in the Business section, another article is headlined “Survey Finds Sharp Rise in Working Poor” (March 31).

We all know that homelessness rose to new heights since 1980, and, while living in a depressed area, I can honestly report that panhandling is beginning to reach ridiculous proportions. Unemployment remains high. The gap between rich and poor is still widening.

Rock ‘n’ roll concerts as entertainment for the average American? Those days are gone. It’s no wonder that raging rap music has stayed popular for so long. Mainstream rockers have long since sold out. NANCY WILSON

Hollywood