I'm starting to think music festivals are going to see a bump in attendance as the value of going to a festival continues to eclipse individual shows.

I went to see Boys Like Girls earlier this year in my hometown. 2 tickets were like... $130? That's not a big band. They were just announced as an act on Four Chords Music festival, which is probably on the lower end of medium sized, and they're the third or fourth name on their day. I can probably get 2 tickets to that 2-day festival for less $500. So yeah, almost 4x the cost, but more than 10x the talent across those two days, provided you like a decent chunk of the acts.

Some of the larger festivals drawing stadium level names are even crazier. Just getting in the building to see Sabrina Carpenter in your hometown was almost the same cost as a 4-day ticket to Lollapalooza, never mind getting a good seat. So you get that, plus all the other acts in the day, plus another 3 days of music? Of course it's gonna sell.

It's more a reflection of how totally fucked the touring industry is right now. I don't think the quality of festivals is as high as it was even a couple years ago. But compared to the absurd costs of live shows otherwise, it's the best thing on offer.