On Thursday, September 21st, Lana Del Rey is coming to Madison’s very own Orion Amphitheater! This is a very exciting event for the younger population of Madison considering how quickly the tickets sold out. Within a matter of minutes, all tickets to the show were sold out and were then being sold for a much higher price on other resale platforms.

If you who don’t know who Lana Del Rey is, here’s some background information. Elizabeth Grant, better known as Lana Del Rey, is originally from Manhattan, New York. When she first started releasing music in 2005, she went under the name May Jailer when she signed with production company, 5 Points. Then in 2008, she rebranded to Lizzy Grant when she released her EP “Kill Kill.” In 2010, she rebranded again and went by the name we all know and love, Lana Del Rey. Some of Del Rey’s most popular songs include “Summertime Sadness,” “Radio,” “Young and Beautiful,” “Born to Die,” and “Brooklyn Baby.” 

When Del Rey’s tour was first announced on August 22nd, young fans in the Madison and Huntsville area were ecstatic. An artist as well known to the younger population as Lana Del Rey has yet to visit the Orion Amphitheater and this is an opportunity many do not want to miss out on. Unfortunately for a lot of people, the tickets were set at a much higher price than what was originally thought and they sold out before they could get their hands on them. Bob Jones student Quinn Littenburg shared, “I’ve listened to Lana my entire life. She’s always been one of my favorite artists, and when I found out she was going to be performing only a few minutes from me, I was absolutely elated. When I further found out the tickets were easily within my price range, I was starting to see a real possibility of seeing an artist I’ve wanted to see for years. However, the use of online ticket purchasing and reselling completely took the opportunity away from me.” While a lot of people were not able to get tickets to Del Rey’s show, there were a few who were able to and have shown their enthusiasm to get to experience this opportunity. Bob Jones media teacher Brandy Panagos shared, “My husband and I didn’t get tickets initially because they sold out, likely to scalpers, so quickly. Super bummed. Eventually, the resale tickets dropped to a reasonable price, and I’m super excited that we’re going. I am also super excited that The Orion booked a performer that I saw so many high school students excited to see. That was a first. Also, if you didn’t get tickets and wanted to go, the prices continue to drop, so keep checking each day.”

Lana Del Rey might have been the first Orion performer to stir so much conversation at Bob Jones. Who else would Bob Jones students like to see at The Orion? According to a group of Bob Jones students I surveyed, some artists who they would dream of performing at the Orion include The Veils, Tame Impala, Sleep Token, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift. While these are artists that a lot of people would love to see perform at the Orion, the number of people who would want to see them perform exceeds the capacity of the Orion greatly. Some artists that might more realistically perform at the Orion and that were also listed by a group of Bob Jones students include Mehro, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Arctic Monkeys, Noah Kahan, The Beaches, Catie Turner, and Maddie Zahm.