How to stretch your summer concert budget

Birds are chirping, the temperature's warming, and calendars are starting to fill up with summer concerts.

Festivals like Bumbershoot have announced they're returning after years-long hiatuses.

On the flip side, people are fuming about ticket prices and availability for big arena shows like Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen. It's a time of making difficult decisions about how to spend your money.

So, we called in the experts: live and studio sound engineer Bunnie on the Board, KISW's Kevin Diers, and The Inlander's music and screen editor, Seth Sommerfeld.

They're all excited to see a few shows in the coming months, from Drake at Climate Pledge Arena to Boy Genius at The Gorge, and even Northwest Terror Fest at Neumo's and Barboza.

"It's a bit heavier, might not be everyone's taste in music, but it's going to be really, really awesome for anyone that likes ... loud abrasive music," Diers said.

All three panelists also lamented the high cost of tickets for large arena shows, but mentioned a few ways to save some money.

One recommendation: seek out local venues.

"I tend to be like, 'Go to seek out places like Barboza, Vera Project, places that have those shows that you can get in for $10. And if it ends up being a bust, you're out $10,'" Sommerfeld said.

Another option is going to shows alone and looking for tickets on the day of the show.

"Your memories are for you. And secondly, my most of important advice is, if you're going to regret not going, go — period," Bunnie said.

Listen to the full segment by clicking play on the audio above.