Personably, I can’t imagine paying that much to see any artist but if I had unlimited funds, I might well hold a different view.
As is so often the case when the topic of "perceived value" arises, it’s all about the context. For example, I recently spent 6K on an acoustic guitar. It’s likely the last guitar I’ll ever buy, after playing for 50 years but some might think me nuts..
More to the point, the OP doesn’t tell us whether his "significantly unhappy" friend can easily afford 2K worth of concert tickets or not-- in other words, whether his displeasure is more about the actual amount or more about how it was spent. Both, perhaps?
However, I will join the chorus of fond remembrance of the old days. My first concert experience was the G. Dead at the San Diego Sports arena in ’73. I believe my friends and I paid around $5.00 apiece. Furthermore, the "party favors" were free -- people just passed them around communally, back then.
+1