With its revolving stage and a limited number of rows, there is literally not a bad seat at the South Shore Music Circus.
The best cheap seat in the house
You don't need premium tickets for prime viewing
With its revolving stage and a limited number of rows, there is literally not a bad seat at the South Shore Music Circus.
As both an everyday music fan and music journalist, I've been going to concerts in the Boston area for 28 years. I probably have sat in every seat available, from the front row to the very last, behind the stage. Clearly, somewhere between those two spots is where you want to be.
Tight times call for tough decisions when it comes to concertgoing, however, and this summer while you're shopping around for tickets, it's worth remembering that sometimes the difference between paying a fortune and saving a few bucks is just one row.
My rule of thumb for a good cheaper seat is that you're not dependent on the video screens to enjoy the show, but you'll probably need them for close-ups of onstage business and solos. Ideally, these seats are near the sound board.
If you're hoping to be showered in Kenny Chesney's sweat or to party with your friends on the lawn, the following recommendations aren't your spots. But if you want to see, hear, and save some money, then you're in luck.
There are several ways to do this. If you go to the box office or purchase by phone, you can inquire about specific sections. If you're bound to your computer, simply choose your price bracket from the drop-down box on the Ticketmaster site or use the supremely handy "Click 'n Pick Seat Map" that Live Nation offers for certain shows. The service lets you see which exact seats are available in a given section at a given price level.
For example, we discovered via "Click 'n Pick" that if you wanted to buy a ticket in our recommended section 4 at the
Comcast Center: Sections 4 or 5, rows A-S. These sections are frequently the beginning of the second level of pricing in Mansfield. You'll save $20 per ticket to the all-day metal fest headlined by Marilyn Manson and Slayer on Aug. 4 if you sit here instead of standing in the general-admission pit in front of the stage. Considering the show will be more than eight hours long, saving $20 and having a seat to call your own between bouts of headbanging sounds like a good deal to us.
Gillette Stadium: C sections. OK, unless you're in the first 50 or so rows straight back or the first few loges to the side at any stadium, you're not in prime real estate. But if you want to shave a whopping $80 off your bill to see Elton John and Billy Joel on July 18, you will be content to sit in these back sections of the floor.
South Shore Music Circus: Any section, row K or farther back. Thanks to a revolving stage and every seat being 50 feet from it, there is literally not a bad seat at this venue, which hosts everyone from Tony Bennett to Bill Cosby to LeAnn Rimes. So by all means, opt for the second tier of pricing at this tent when it's available. You can save $31 a ticket for the Melissa Etheridge show on Aug. 27 by choosing row O over row K. 
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