I will start this by saying that I don't have any kids. But I can understand the desire to not only make them happy, but to give them a life that is better than yours. Hey I'm fine with that and am in the same boat. I will also say that yes I have been to a lot of concerts. I enjoy it a lot...so I often pay and go. I read this article the other day and thought WTF? $1200 for concert tickets? Who has that kind of money? What kind of kid asks for that? When I was growing up I would ask for things (all kids do) but I had the concept that money didn't grow on trees. My Father drilled that one into my head at a very young age. I didn't start going to concerts until A) I had the money from the job I was working at the time B) I could convince one of my friends with a car that it was a show we should be at. I guess looking back on it I could have asked my Father to give me a ride to the show or even come to a show with me ( I should also add that I grew up in a small town that never had concerts. So I would have had to go to T.O. Basically)But really what teenager wants to be seen with their Dad driving them to the show or even worse going to a concert with my Dad! That would have been a nightmare in my world at that time. (Sorry another sidebar.  I recently took my Father to see Springsteen and it was not only an amazing show but we both had a great time.) Anyway back to the point at hand here. I can't imagine anyone paying that much for a ticket to a concert ever! It's not Led Zeppelin, Not the Stones, hell it's not the risen from the dead Kurt Cobain for a one off show. It's a Disney star that I hate to say it, but will most likely be lip-syncing! I'm sure that you would do anything for your kids, but I hope that this seems a bit much to you as well.

If you loved me, you'd buy me $1,200 tickets

It's the must-have gift of the season - a seat at a Hannah Montana concert - and parents are torn between debt and disappointment

SIRI AGRELL

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

December 4, 2007 at 9:20 AM EST

Jonathan Laurens thought of himself as Super Dad last month when he began searching for Hannah Montana concert tickets for his two daughters.

The girls, 13-year-old Maxine and nine-year-old Sarah, watch the Disney Channel show religiously and were desperate to see its star, Miley Cyrus, live at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on Dec. 15, the only Canadian stop on a sold-out tour.

But after posting want ads on Craigslist and scouring the offerings of Internet vendors such as StubHub, Mr. Laurens was shocked to see ticket prices as high as $1,200.

Now he must choose between shelling out big bucks for a little girls' rock show, or letting his kids down even though they have made it clear this is the must-have gift of the season.

Tickets for Miley Cyrus's tour sold out within minutes, leading desperate parents to pay as much as $2,500 so their children can see the Hannah Montana star perform (Jeff Christensen/The Associated Press)

"Begging isn't even the right word," he said. "I mean, they'll die if they don't have them."

Toronto is just the latest city to experience Hannah Montana ticket madness. Tour dates sold out within minutes here and across the United States, leading desperate parents to pay as much as $2,500 so their children could hear a 15-year-old girl sing songs such as Livin' the Rock Star Life!

In Tampa, Fla., last month, 35-year-old Jody Powell hung onto a statue of Hannah Montana for almost six days to win tickets for his fiancée's daughter, Hannah. The New York Times reported that celebrity parents like Sylvester Stallone have also pulled strings to get backstage at one of the shows.

All this can put a lot of strain on regular moms and dads - and their finances.

"It's devastating because you don't want to disappoint them," Mr. Laurens said. "They can't be bad seats, either, because all the kids want to sit closer to the stage than each other."

While Mr. Laurens agrees the ticket prices are "insane," he worries they will only get higher the longer he waits. He has not considered telling his kids they are staying home that Saturday night.

"No, I have not," he said. "I told them I might have to take a second job."

Sharan DeGaetano of Richmond Hill, Ont., is relying on her husband's job to land tickets for her seven-year-old daughter, Anjali.

Ms. DeGaetano posted an ad on Craigslist that read: "Looking for 3 Hannah Montana tickets in exchange for services from Licensed Plumber."

"Plumbers are very expensive so I thought this might work," she said. "He's willing to do two days' work."

Her ad has been up since Nov. 21 but she has received only one e-mail, offering tickets at $400 a pop. She knows parents who have paid $1,000.

"I just won't buy into that," she said. "My daughter wants to go, but it's not a necessity to her happiness. She won't even remember it."

Ms. DeGaetano has taken Anjali to concerts before, paying $200 to see The Cheetah Girls, another Disney creation. She believes parents are willing to do just about anything to satisfy their children's demands.

"I guess we just like to see them happy," she said. "We will do whatever we can for her, within our boundaries."

This time around, Anjali's parents have told her the show is too expensive, and promised to take her to Disney On Ice instead.

But not everyone is taking the disappointment in stride.

There is a Facebook group called "I died inside when I heard that Hannah Montana was sold out," and others where ticket holders flaunt their victory.

A posting on one group calling for a "Hannah Montana Boycott" defends the young star's worth: "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Is An Amasing Singer," it says. "And yes, the beatles were HUGE, and they still are, but its hannahs time now."

In the United States, ticketless parents have complained to police about price gouging and called for the government to regulate prices. This led economist Doug Campbell to blog that "the ticket company didn't inflate the price; the forces of supply and demand did."

Lise Monette, chief marketing officer of Toronto law firm Ogilvy Renault, said her department has received several requests from employees and clients for the coveted tickets.

"There's definitely interest," she said, "although there are more people who want to see the Spice Girls."

Mr. Laurens said his daughters have never put him on the spot like this before - another reason he is determined to make their wish come true.

"The disappointment would be palpable," he said.

But even if he is successful in his quest, the father of three (his son is not interested) will not be attending the show.

"I'll get my wife to go," he said. "There's certain limits to my generosity and one of them is that I could never actually sit through that. That would be torture."