@SmurfNugget said:

There is definitely a generational divide when it comes to over paying for tickets.
In the past (80’s and 90’s) it really was a moral issue. “Scalpers are scum” was a common refrain. If you bought tickets from a scalper, you were considered part of the problem, not the solution.
These days it’s a lot different. There is a lot more tiered seating. 3rd party websites allow people to get into the show or upgrade their seats from home. The hostility towards resellers has abated because it is a convenient way to score tickets after they’re sold out. In the old days, I would NEVER pay over face for a ticket, New Years or not. Nowadays, I do it when I have to because life is short and I want to rock!
It’s an interesting generational divide and it’s worth understanding why people are averse to it. Equality baby! Equality!

I don't want to drag this out, but this take is simply untrue. Scalpers have been scalping tickets at Phish shows as long as I've been seeing them, which is 25 years now. To suggest that the person buying the ticket is the problem is ridiculous. If no one bought them, then I guess there wouldn't be a market, but there IS a market for the tickets, especially since there's only a finite number of them and there are more people who want to go there there are tickets. That's simple supply and demand. I agree that hustling for tickets is far preferable to paying a huge markup, but if I can't wrangle a ticket through normal means, I'm not missing the show to satisfy your moral code, and if you feel so strongly about it, you can go ahead and sell your ticket to someone who's looking for one at face value.