For Kate Henshaw, from Malahide, Dublin, concerts are a guilty pleasure.
The 24-year-old estimates that she spends well over €1,000 a year on tickets but believes that they are “the best night out you can have as a young person in Ireland”.
Henshaw is one of Gen Z’s Ticketmaster warriors, who count ticket purchases as their “biggest expense” but worth every cent.
The significant spend is not unusual. Irish adults spent an average of €757 on music events in 2024, according to research published last week by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (Imro).
This figure includes both festivals and individual concerts, accounting not only for the price of tickets but also additional costs incurred such as transport and accommodation.
Those in the 25-34 year old age bracket spent the most on live events in total last year, averaging at €849 per person, while those aged 45-54 and 18-24 weren’t far behind, at €823 and €811 respectively. There was a notable dip in spending here for 35-44 year olds – €615 on average – which Imro chief executive Victor Finn suggests may be due to social factors such as an increase in “care responsibilities”.“That tends to be a high expenditure period in people’s lives in general,” Mr Finn said.
According to her calculations, Henshaw attended 16 gigs last year and a whopping 19 live music events in 2023. She recalls a 30-day concert marathon during summer 2023, which saw her going to nine events. “I was exhausted.”
“I think they’re my biggest expense. I justify it because I buy them so far in advance. Then it feels like they’re free,” she said.
She estimates she spent a total of almost €1,500 on tickets alone in 2024, “if I was being truthful with myself”.
But she believes “Irish crowds are unmatched. I think concerts are the best night out you can have as a young person in Ireland.”
Being from Dublin certainly comes with its advantages as a music fan, with several large-scale gigs on Henshaw’s doorstep. She avoided the crowds attempting to flee Malahide and return to the city centre after Charli XCX’s recent performance.
“Public transport could link in better with some of the major events,” Imro chief executive Victor Finn commented. “They’re well flagged in advance so there could be better collaboration here. If there was better transportation I think it could cut down on other costs.”
Henshaw has observed a surge in ticket prices since a return to regular scheduling post-pandemic.
“I used to go to quite a lot before Covid and it was so much cheaper.”
[ Oasis sell out Croke Park after fans wait hours to buy tickets costing over €400Opens in new window ]
Demand is certainly high, a factor which, coupled with inflation, has driven ticket prices to new levels.
“There’s a sort of social shift in experiencing live events and I think that’s feeding into live music events as well,” said Finn, noting this demand.
He has seen a “very positive bounceback with live ticket sales” since Covid.
“Was it something to do with people wanting to get out and socialise more after the pandemic? There certainly seemed to be a need for people to get out and enjoy themselves and music has benefited from that.”
While admittedly a big spender on music events, Henshaw said VIP tickets are where she draws the line, calling them “a scam”.
“I have never paid VIP for a gig and I never will. Back in the day VIP used to mean soundchecks and meeting the artists, now it’s a gift bag.”
[ My three nights at Taylor Swift cost me €47 an hour. Cheaper than therapyOpens in new window ]
She points to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour VIP package as a recent example. Merchandise bundles included items like postcards, stickers, souvenir tickets and a commemorative tote bag, which doubled if not tripled ticket prices for fans.
Henshaw said she paid approximately €200 for her front-standing Eras tour ticket, while a friend who opted for VIP paid almost €700 for an equally good view of the pop star.
There are “only a few” artists, she would pay to see “over and over again”, with Irish singers Hozier and CMAT among the favourites.
Johnny Wang (23) a student from Ballsbridge, Dublin is “not surprised in the slightest” that Irish adults are spending big when it comes to live music.
“It’s such a rip-off in Ireland at the moment. All the big acts people go to, they are going to get rinsed,” said Wang, who spent “at least” €700 on concert tickets in the last year.
“Big venues are still charging people exorbitant amounts so I’m not surprised in the slightest.”
Having attended about 10 gigs in the last 12 months, he says his most expensive purchase was for Lido Festival in London which saw alternative acts such Arca, Jamie xx and Panda Bear take to the stage in Victoria Park in June. General admission started at £75 (€87).
Wang enjoys going to smaller gigs, sometimes to support friends such as Child of Prague, who recently performed in the Workman’s Club. Tickets for the indie rock band’s gig in May cost €12.50.
“I’d love to work in music so I enjoy seeing the technical aspect of performances,” he added. Wang played bass in another young band called Reco, who won a performance slot by popular vote at Trinity College’s annual ball in 2023.
Aoibhinn Clancy (22), from Dublin, said that gigs most likely “take up the bulk” of her expenditure as a student who works part-time.
She estimates that the 14 concert and festival tickets purchased in the last year cost her approximately €1,100, “which is a lot, but I have never regretted spending money on a concert”.
“I’m someone who really enjoys spending money on an experience and it’s for that reason I like the investment and having something to look forward to,” Clancy said.
“I’ve seen some really cool people in the last year, like, I went to see Elvis Costello with my mam.” Other highlights included Lana Del Rey at both the Aviva in Dublin and Wembley Stadium in London, Charli XCX in Birmingham and at Malahide Castle, and Primavera music festival in Barcelona.
“I think that concerts in Ireland can be quite expensive,” she says.
The most Clancy paid for a single concert ticket last year was €150, for Lana Del Rey.
“I would say it was worth it.”
With above-average annual spend on live music events, Clancy recognises herself as an outlier.
“I am definitely in the upper echelons of concertgoers among my age group … Going to concerts is kind of my thing, my hobby.”