Should my friends technically pay me back when they bail out of concerts, gigs etc?

You are very gullible, I don't mean to offend you, it's just the truth. If it were me, I would learn from my mistake the first time and not pay for them, and yet after experiencing this MULTIPLE times you are still asking yourself this question, whether you should ask them for the money you spent.
From the description about your friends, they sound like gold diggers and two-faced assholes, so confront them, and if they stop being "friends" with you, they didn't want friendship in the first place.

Yes you are. If they want you to buy the tickets, they should give you the money first.

i think they should pay you back

You and your friends need to decide on the concerts you want to attend well in advance of booking them. Collect the money first. You don't owe anyone any apologies; if they don't attend at the last minute, they've lost their own money, not yours.

Of course you are in the right, and you, perhaps, have learned a hard lesson: that any time you loan money to ANYONE, you will be better off if you consider it a gift. With friends like these, you don't need enemies.

Yes youre right next time get the money up front. I did a group thing once and couldn't make it and the group made me pay. I hated it but knew it was only right. Your friends are wrong for not wanting to pay. Make them pay.

Either get the money up front or stop paying for theirs.

DEFINATELY YOU ARE RIGHT!..... IF they had booked tickets for ya'll to go, and YOU cancelled at last minute, she would expect YOU all to pay her back for the $$ she dished out..even if u didn't make it to the concert....u were committed when tickets were being ordered!................From now on..tell ur friends to book their own tickets OR pay you upfront instead of YOU covering them..that way they'll make sure they attend or they will lose out on the $$ when can't go to concert!.....................but it's happend more than once so time to STOP booking for them....let them pay first n u can order tickets...but dont pay for them expecting they'll pay you back if they can't make it to the show* they'll see that they've paid for them already they shld really try to make it to the concert* YOU are not at fault by any means...n these so called friends that have burned you for the $$ you've had to put out n U don't get it back* That's not a true friend* so STOP booking for them,! n perhaps find new friends*

You are the fool. Instead of putting money out for them to go with you, you collect the money for the ticket BEFORE you order the ticket.

No they don't need to pay you back, you need to stop paying for their tickets and get them to pay their own way for the gig so that way if they decide to bail out it's their lost.

Why do you feel the need to have company if you go to a gig? You can enjoy it just as much on your own ! Next time, tell them how fantastic it was after you go to a gig, If they ask why you didn't invite them, tell them you thought they would suddenly cancel , anyway.

Yes, I think that they should pay you back.

You can just stop buying tickets for other people. Problem solved.

Take it in turns to book the tickets. or get their money before you pay for the tickets.

They need to sell their ticket or pay you for the ticket.

i think they should pay you back

Yes and you need to find some better friends.
They cancelled that's on them it doesn't cancel their responsibility to pay.
Do not ever book anything for them again they are taking advantage of you.

How do they "technically" pay you back? They either pay you back, or they don't. There's no "technically" about it.

This is the thing with loving music and wanting people to go, I would say they're not as into it as you are and maybe feel pressured to say yes at the time but don't commit in the end.
The best thing is to either go by yourself or find ''gig'' friends.
I used to love going to concerts but always had problems finding someone to go with, in fact I paid on occasion for friends to come. Now I have a few people who I know will always go and we trust each other to pay for tickets.

Simple solution: stop offering to buy the damn tickets! Either that or go to concerts that have general admission or general seating and tell them if they want to join you, they have to buy their own ticket.
Third possible option: They're trying to be polite with you but you might be talking too much during the concert which is ruining it for them.
Since you're only out $30, I'm guessing these aren't exactly high-end bands you're seeing.

So she doesn't want to pay for something she can't go to...but expects YOU to pay for something she can't go to?
They aren't your friends. They're using you, because they know it works. They've done it before. Why did you pay for their bookings ONE TIME much less again when they didn't pay you back after the first cancellation?

Let each of them pay for their own booking.

If your so-called friends keep calling off at the last minute, they really are not good friends. You can still make plans, but if they want to go they should pay their own way.

Either make them pay before you buy the tickets or stop buying anyone else concert tickets. It doesn't sound like these people you hang out with are good friends if they will not accept responsibility for them agreeing to pay for tickets and then backing out.

You're right but you need to unfriend them and move on. Although you should've known better than to help them again when they ditched you the first time. All you can do now is move on.

In a real world yes, they should since it has happened more than once. Please learn from this allow them to purchase their own from now on.....You seem like a nice person, sorry they pulled this on you more than once.

I don't understand why you are the one buying them their tickets in the first place.
Just let them buy their own ticket.

Not only technically but figuratively. With money.

You need new friends.

Yes you spent money on them for them not to go.

Cheap lesson for you in the long run. In the future, get the money from them upfront. No money, you don't buy the tickets.