Field tickets for Frost Music & Arts Festival this weekend have sold out, and students who decided against attending have turned to reselling tickets at much higher prices. Lower bleacher and upper bleacher tickets are still available.
According to Stanford Concert Network (SCN), the festival’s new tiered seating system was introduced as a result of moving the concert from its usual venue, Frost Amphitheater, to the Stanford Stadium this year. The amphitheater could not accommodate the event because it is under construction.
“The bleachers are going to be incredibly fun,” said SCN Executive Leader Robert Webber ’19. “It’s going to be kind of like a football game vibe – people standing on the chairs, very high energy; and the field [will be] similarly high energy, a little closer but not necessarily any different.”
To accommodate the change in venue, SCN built a stage inside Stanford Stadium that is elevated to allow attendees on bleachers to be at eye level with performers.
“The stage is not very far from the bleachers,” said SCN Executive Leader Rosalind Lutsky ’18. “It’s not like a football game, and it’s not going to be on the other side of the field, so you’re still really up close, and you probably have even a clearer view from the bleachers.”
According to Webber, the design of the stage ensures that each audience member receives equal – or as similar as possible – levels of audio mix and visual opportunity.
Because of the new stage production, along with the complications of installing security at an unfamiliar venue, production costs for SCN have increased dramatically, according to Webber and Lutsky. Ticket prices for Stanford students, though, are only a dollar higher than they were last year at $24; upper bleacher tickets are $19. General admissions tickets cost roughly twice as much.
“One of our goals was to not increase the prices on students if [possible], so whatever slight increase there was, was just the bare minimum to absolutely make this thing happen,” Webber said. “Our main priority is to make sure that it’s accessible to students.”
Despite SCN’s efforts to keep ticket prices low, students are willing to pay extra for access to the field. Many students were unable to obtain field tickets before they sold out. Jackie Becker ’17, who had originally purchased a lower bleacher ticket, decided to buy a field ticket from a student who now plans not to attend the festival.
“[It was] almost twice original cost,” Becker said. “But I figured it’s still about the same amount I would pay for other outdoor concerts, so I was fine with it. I still would have rather paid original price though.”
Becker said that being on the field was important to her because most of her friends had field tickets and because of the mobility the field provides without seating.
“Running around is key,” she added.
Interest in Frost is particularly high this year due to headliner Zedd’s big name in electronic dance music (EDM) and his popularity in the Bay Area. When SCN asked students in a survey what artists and genres they prefer to see at Frost, EDM received 38 percent more votes than the next contender.
At the moment, SCN wants to encourage people to buy bleacher tickets before all tickets run out completely.
“I’d like to really get across the message that it’s not about bleacher or field or anything,” Webber said. “It’s about sharing in this live music experience, and there’s not going to be a bad seat in the house.”
Contact Emily Jusuf at ejusuf ‘at’ stanford.edu.