Leslie Odom Jr. performed with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center on July 21.
In last Thursday’s (7/25) Vindicator (Warren, Ohio), Andy Gray writes, “I’m jaded from decades of buying tickets for rock concerts. Last year [we] went to go see six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald sing with the Cleveland Orchestra. We had a great time …This summer’s Broadway star joining the Cleveland Orchestra was Leslie Odom Jr., best known for playing Aaron Burr in … ‘Hamilton.’ It seemed like the perfect excuse for a Blossom orchestral encore…. The cost for a seat in row M of section 12—one of the three sections closest to the stage …was $39. That’s less than a buck a musician to see what is generally regarded as one of the best orchestras in the world … But then came that moment that all concertgoers dread … I advanced to the screen showing me the service fees. $2. That’s not a typo. That was the service fee for the entire order. I bought two $39 face-value tickets for a live performance online and the total … was $80…. The Cleveland Orchestra has … discovered the magic formula that allows tickets to be sold online without adding at least 50% to the total price.”
