I grew up under the old system, and have not heard a
convincing argument as to why it should change.  Resorting to
reductio ad absurdem - where does it stop?  We "comp" the Crown.
then the Coronets ... the cooks ... the musicians ... the gate crew
... the hall crew ... the marshals ... the heralds.  Who's left to
pay?  Do we have a problem getting people for certain chores?  And
if so, is waiving the entrance fee the right way to fix this?<p>
         I have heard events described as participatory theater; we pay
for our moments of enjoyment by making sure others have their own
moments.  I like that model.