I’m jaded from decades of buying tickets for rock concerts.

Last year 3/4 of the Grays went to go see six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald sing with the Cleveland Orchestra. We had a great time, and I wrote a column about the experience. It ended with, “(W)atching the orchestra could blossom into a habit.”

This summer’s Broadway star joining the orchestra was Leslie Odom Jr., best known for playing Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” As huge fans of the musical, it seemed like the perfect excuse for a Blossom orchestral encore.

Those tickets for McDonald last year came free for being a member of The Summit public radio station and were on the lawn.

Knowing my wife would prefer to be in the pavilion where it happens and as close to Odom as possible and that my back would prefer the support of a chair over sitting on a blanket, I decided to check on the prices for pavilion seats.

I was stunned. The cost for a seat in row M of section 12 — one of the three sections closest to the stage, not dead center but not so far off to the side that half of the orchestra was obstructed — cost $39. That’s less than a buck a musician to see what is generally regarded as one of the best orchestras in the world (some would argue it’s the best).

I couldn’t put a pair of tickets in my cart fast enough.

But then came that moment that all concertgoers dread — starting the process when you find out the true cost of that $39 ticket.

My cynicism soared when I got hit with an unexpected step, being asked to make a donation to the orchestra before checking out. What? You want a donation on top of the ticket price and the sure-to-be astronomical service fees? Nope. Not gonna do that.

I hit “skip” and then advanced to the screen showing me the service fees.

$2.

That’s not a typo. That was the service fee FOR THE ENTIRE ORDER. I bought two $39 face-value tickets for a live performance online and the total charged to my credit card was $80.

Someone needs to let Ticketmaster know that the Cleveland Orchestra has cracked the code and discovered the magic formula that allows tickets to be sold online without adding at least 50% to the total price. They must not know, right? Price gouging and callous disregard for a captive customer base would be the only other possible explanation, and that can’t be true.

Odom wasn’t quite the draw that McDonald was last year, but it was a wonderful performance. He sang some of the originals he’s recorded as well as standards (“Fly Me to the Moon,” “Unforgettable,” “L-O-V-E,” “My Favorite Things”). He also found material beyond the Great American Songbook, like a beautiful version of Ingrid Michaelson’s “Keep Breathing” and a majestic, full-orchestral reinterpretation of Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” that was as amazing as it was unexpected.

Odom, who played Sam Cooke in the movie “One Night in Miami” did a roof-rattling rendition of “A Change Is Gonna Come” and he also performed a song from the short-lived television series “Smash,” on which he was a regular pre-“Hamilton.”

And, of course, he didn’t ignore the musical that won him a Tony Award and made gigs like Sunday’s concert possible. “Wait for It” was part of the first set, and he sang all the parts (minus the women) for a version of “Alexander Hamilton” as an encore.

I’d forgotten how good those front pavilion seats at Blossom are. In row M, we were about as close to Odom as Aaron Burr would have been to Alexander Hamilton when he pulled the trigger.

I’m glad we didn’t throw away our shot and not go. And when I got home, I made a donation to the Cleveland Orchestra.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com.