I feel the same way - I have friends coming in town to see Architects at the Ritz and they want 90 dollars a ticket. Holy fucking shit. 90 dollars to see a band that isn’t great live and I don’t really care for to begin with is not something I’m looking forward to.
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Plot Twist: LiveNation and Ticketmaster are leasing all the empty ground floor retail space in downtown Raleigh to “activate” everything. @Jake now torn between patronizing ground floor retail and opposing extortionary concert ticket pricing. JK wink wink
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On more local level, we LOVE the Raleigh Ringers (yes we are dorks). Not that long ago, you could purchase tickets directly from RR (I sent a paper check in the mail and they sent me paper tickets back) for around $12 each. Then TicketMaster stepped in and required that you purchase through them for ALL tickets at the performing arts center. Due to fees, the price more than doubled. After a few rounds of the extra fees, the prices kept ticking higher and higher each year. What used to be an annual family outing, has turned into something we haven’t done in 8(?) years now strictly due to the increased ticket price and fee costs directly related to TicketMaster. They completely ruined our support for a local group. Additionally, they used to do 3 Christmas concerts a year, now I believe they only do 2. I wonder if there is a correlation there 
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The revenue stream for artist changing is 100% Spot on. Streaming has changed the business for the worse for artists.
The comment about bigger production costs is a bit more nebulous. I am sure that holds true for some. But some of the tours in the 90’s like Pink Floyd and U2 had all of that.
But I think the biggest reason is the ticketmaster monopoly, along with all these scalpers sites like Stubhub that mass purchase tickets and then resell at inflated prices. That was not possible when you had to stand in line (or camp out the night before) at your local record store to buy a concert ticket.
Last concert I went to was probably about 10 years ago. I just can’t justify dropping $100, 200+ bucks for a concert where I will be standing behind everyone blocking my view with their phones trying to record the concert so they can post their crappy video on social media. (but that is a different issue).
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RALEIGH N.C., MAY 6, 2026 - The Raleigh Convention Center is excited to unveil the renderings of the coming expansion’s interior. These new renderings preview the experience that attendees will enjoy in the space.
These drawings highlight the elegant 18,000 sq. ft. ballroom with warm claret tones, tasteful lighting, colorful abstract carpeting, with bronze metal mesh accenting the ceilings. This space provides versatile options for event planners who are looking for something more refined for an elevated occasion, but that can also accommodate more casual event configurations.
The new 50,000 sq. ft. flex hall will give event planners a dynamic space to create something special at their next event. Renderings of this space preview the large, panoramic windows with black-out abilities. This space can be transformed from a dinner for 3,000 people, to volleyball courts, exhibits or general sessions. From the views of downtown to the modern, yet grounded design, this space represents the unique character and energy of Raleigh.
The expansion will feature 13 meeting rooms to provide options to meet the needs of a diverse range of events. With soothing yet upscale colors and finishes, guests will also enjoy welcoming pre-function and registration areas for the free flow of foot traffic, or for gathering, networking, or conversing between event sessions.
The “Shimmer Walk” on the third floor will allow visitors to see the famous Shimmer Wall art at an equal elevation never before possible. This walk will connect bridges allowing observation of the art as you travel one building to another as well as panoramic views of the downtown.
Conventions and public events are a chance for personal gathering and sharing. The designs in the new center have reflected thoughtful spacing and seating arrangements to allow this interaction to easily and naturally occur when attending the venue. Much like the present center, there is an elevated effort to encourage comfortable interaction, highlighting the humanness of this industry.
The present and future convention center will complement each other to seamlessly allow guests to use one or both buildings within one visit. The east side features lighter-tone décor and the west will complement with darker colors that together marry the future expanded venue.
“We worked hard with our architects and project team, got feedback from clients, and designed a space that really is right for our event partners” said Kerry Painter, Executive Director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “We’re not just adding footage to add footage, so much thought and intention went into this to build something that was beautiful, functional, and exactly right for Raleigh and all the people who our venue bring here.”
These renderings are the latest development in an ongoing exciting transformation of downtown Raleigh, with the newly renovated Lichtin Plaza at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, the new Red Hat Amphitheater in 2027, a new 600 room Omni hotel in 2028, and the expanded convention center in 2029.
Construction on the new space is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026.
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Really excited about the Shimmer Walk. Glad we are maintaining the wall.
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Let’s hope that the expansion can improve the experience of the Shimmer Wall by projecting color from the expansion across the street.
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Probably better to keep it backlit. The whole point is to have shimmering sections and the profile of the oak tree.
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It’s not all backlit today.
Also, I think that the shimmer wall would benefit from some artificial “wind” to ensure movement of the individual tiles.
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Oops maybe its up-lit (is that a word?) from the roof level at the base.
From what I understand, the lighting was upgraded to include some front floods because it wasn’t impactful with just the back lighting. Again, I think that it would benefit from some artificial wind to move the tiles and make it flutter more regularly. It’s a much more interesting piece when it’s moving.
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…and if they can integrate those into the expansion directly across the street, they’ll have more opportunity to curate the Shimmer Wall experiences.
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