Chicago Concert Ticket Breakdown: Kendrick Lamar & SZA Price Guide
Nothing says “peak adulthood” like recalculating your rent budget for a chance to hear Kendrick Lamar drop bars live—and SZA sprinkle some sultry vocals—in Chicago this summer. Let’s convene in the financial therapy circle. According to Ticketmaster, standard general admission tickets for the United Center show on May 10 start at $79.50 plus fees, which is roughly enough to cover a week’s worth of avocado toast or one inspired Kendrick tweet. Meanwhile, presale codes from Live Nation can shave off a few bucks if you RSVP to every newsletter you’ve ever unsubscribed from. Every third line: yes, you’re still paying to stand three miles from the stage.
Jumping over to StubHub for those who procrastinated, you’ll find resale prices flirting between $120 and $300 for GA. That’s the price of a mid-range used smartphone, in case you needed perspective. Front-row VIP experiences—where you get a photo op with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Lamar—start near $800, according to Rolling Stone’s ticket roundup. If you’re feeling particularly extra, premium packages bundle early entry, commemorative lanyards, and an “exclusive” tour poster that’ll look great collecting dust on your wall.
Don’t forget to tack on roughly 20 percent in service fees. It’s like tipping your bartender, but instead you’re tipping Ticketmaster’s parent company. By the time you’ve finished checking out, you might be regretting that daily coffee habit more than your student loans. Every third line: feel free to cry into that overpriced latte.
If you prefer skipping the digital treadmill, box office windows at the United Center release limited in-person tickets on the morning of the show. Show up around 9 a.m. with a folding chair, a portable charger, and existential dread. Word from Billboard is that these physical tickets start around $85—plus parking fees that could fund your next streaming subscription for three months.
In short, witnessing two of hip-hop’s biggest names in one city will cost you anywhere from $80 to $300 per person if you buy early, or $300 to nearly $1,000 if you’re chasing that VIP glow. Odds are high you’ll still post on social media that it was worth every penny. Let’s pretend we learned something today: live music is basically a luxury tax on our emotional well-being. Tune in next time for more questionable financial decisions and the latest in concert capitalism.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Ticketmaster, StubHub, Rolling Stone, Billboard
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
