It’s not groundhog day, but it may feel like that for some Bruce Springsteen fans this week, as tickets begin to go on sale for his second set of North American tour dates and we’re hearing the same complaints about ticket prices. The “Boss” appears to have once again chosen to use Ticketmaster’s “dynamic” surge ticket pricing scheme for these shows, in connection with the Verified Fan registration system that gives tour organizers extensive user data regarding potential demand to fuel the pricing systems.
“I was so excited at the prospect of seeing @springsteen in concert again,” reads one tweet from a fan shopping for tickets on Wednesday. Signed up for my verified fan status. Got my invitation. Logged in to buy tickets. They START around $500 each, in the nosebleeds, and go above $2K. These aren’t scalped prices. I just can’t justify it.”
There was some question regarding whether or not Springsteen’s team would go back to using dynamic pricing for this next set of dates after the overwhelming complaints the singer saw when the first leg of shows went on sale in 2022. But it appears that even seeing open revolt among his own fans – a key example being the longtime fan publication “Backstreets” shutting down after more than 40 years in protest – didn’t discourage the singer from using the systems, which are credited with Live Nation for fueling their massive increases in revenue since the return of live music after the COVID pause.
In reaction to that first batch of criticism, Springsteen himself downplayed the feelings of betrayal felt by his longtime fans over the pricing, telling Rolling Stone “I take a lot of things in stride. You don’t like to be criticized. You certainly don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices. It’s the last thing you prefer to be. But that’s how it went.”
Fan anger was once again easy to find on social media as shows have gone on sale this week.
I was so excited at the prospect of seeing @springsteen in concert again. Signed up for verified fan status. Got my invitation. Logged in to buy tickets. They START around $500 each, in the nosebleeds, and go above $2K. These aren’t scalped prices. I just can’t justify it. /2
— John Hale (@JohnHaleCrimLaw) February 23, 2023
Bruce Springsteen concert Calgary here are the current ticket prices. I am willing to bet some of that @abdanileesmith $20 billion to Alberta oil companies will be spent here while the rest of us real @springsteen fans sit out his tour. pic.twitter.com/UAtlTjh2wf
— 🌻🇨🇦 Merlin 🇨🇦 🌻Wear an N95 #COVIDisAirborne (@MerlinofCanada) February 23, 2023
The prices on this tour are insane and an insult to a loyal lifelong fan base. But.. someones paying it apparently.
— harry sharp (@hwsharp) February 23, 2023
I heard that Ticketmaster was copying Uber’s surge pricing. Basically for some events they let demand trigger the price. This might be the end of live music. Same seats in Toronto, same prices. pic.twitter.com/xcC869GMzA
— Illigitimi Non Carborandum (@marketwizardimg) February 23, 2023
Me looking at Bruce Springsteen ticket prices pic.twitter.com/NLAu8IWszd
— chelsea 👽 (@Chelsolo) February 23, 2023
As recent shows have pointed out, the flip side for consumers to the dynamic pricing model is that it typically means there will be a massive drop in ticket prices as shows get closer and unsold inventory remains easily available. A recent performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma saw tickets available for less than $10, as did shows in Texas and Washington, despite outrageous prices being the norm during the initial onsale period. The trick for consumers was shopping on ticket resale marketplaces not directly controlled by the artist, evidenced by floor pricing keeping resale tickets at 10 times the price other ticket resale marketplaces were seeing prices drop to compared to Ticketmaster.
“I tell people to go in there when they go on sale,” Michael Elliott told New Jersey’s Asbury Park Press this week. “If there’s something in your price range, grab them. If you see tickets you can’t afford, don’t buy them. Just wait until closer to the show.”
“They like to make you think a show is selling out,” said Elliott of Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing system. “So it’s either miss your favorite artist or get caught up in a feeding frenzy of what the dynamic ticket prices are. It’s a fear tactic, and … fans don’t want to miss out on our favorite artists, so we’re willing to pay more than we can afford or more than the ticket is worth just to get that concert fix.”
For those who are willing to wait out the feeding frenzy, links to ticket resale marketplaces for Springsteen shows (and a full tour schedule for the ongoing run with the E Street Band) are below:
Ticket Links
Bruce Springsteen tickets at MEGAseats| 10% off use code TICKETNEWS
Bruce Springsteen tickets at ScoreBig
Bruce Springsteen tickets at SeatGeek
Bruce Springsteen tickets at StubHub
Bruce Springsteen tickets at Ticket Club | Free membership using code TICKETNEWS
Bruce Springsteen tickets at Ticketmaster UK
Bruce Springsteen tickets at Vivid SeatsBruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Tour Dates – 2023
North America – Leg 1
Feb. 25 – Portland, OR | Moda Center
Feb. 27 – Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena
Mar. 2 – Denver, CO | Ball Arena
Mar. 5 – St. Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center
Mar. 7 – Milwaukee, WI | Fiserv Forum
Mar. 9 – Columbus, OH | Nationwide Arena
Mar. 12 – Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun
Mar. 14 – Albany, NY | MVP Arena
Mar. 16 – Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center
Mar. 18 – State College, PA | Bryce Jordan Center
Mar. 20 – Boston, MA | TD Garden
Mar. 23 – Buffalo, NY | KeyBank Center
Mar. 25 – Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum
Mar. 27 – Washington, D.C. | Capital One Arena
Mar. 29 – Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena
Apr. 1 – New York, NY | Madison Square Garden
Apr. 3 – Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center
Apr. 5 – Cleveland, OH | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Apr. 7 – Baltimore, MD | Baltimore Arena
Apr. 9 – Belmont Park, NY | UBS Arena
Apr. 11 – Belmont Park, NY | UBS Arena
Apr. 14 – Newark, NJ | Prudential CenterEurope and the UK
April 28, 2023 – Barcelona, Spain | Estadi Olímpic
April 30, 2023 – Barcelona, Spain | Estadi Olímpic
May 5, 2023 – Dublin, Ireland | RDS Arena
May 7, 2023 – Dublin, Ireland | RDS Arena
May 9, 2023 – Dublin, Ireland | RDS Arena
May 13, 2023 – Paris, France | La Défense Arena
May 15, 2023 – Paris, France | La Défense Arena
May 18, 2023 – Ferrara, Italy | Parco Urbano G. Bassani
May 21, 2023 – Rome, Italy | Circo Massimo
May 25, 2023 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Johan Cruijff Arena
May 27, 2023 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Johan Cruijff Arena
May 30 – Edinburgh | BT Murrayfield Stadium
June 11, 2023 – Landgraaf, The Netherlands | Megaland
June 13, 2023 – Zurich, Switzerland | Stadion Letzigrund
June 16 – Birmingham | Villa Park
June 18, 2023 – Werchter, Belgium | Festivalpark Werchter
June 21, 2023 – Düsseldorf, Germany | Merkur Spiel Arena
June 24, 2023 – Gothenburg, Sweden | Ullevi
June 26, 2023 – Gothenburg, Sweden | Ullevi
June 28, 2023 – Gothenburg, Sweden | Ullevi
June 30, 2023 – Oslo, Norway | Voldsløkka
July 2, 2023 – Oslo, Norway | Voldsløkka
July 6 – London | BST Hyde Park
July 8 – London | BST Hyde Park
July 11, 2023 – Copenhagen, Denmark | Parken
July 13, 2023 – Copenhagen, Denmark | Parken
July 15, 2023 – Hamburg, Germany | Volksparkstadion
July 18, 2023 – Vienna, Austria | Ernst Happel Stadion
July 21, 2023 – Hockenheim, Germany | Hockenheimring
July 23, 2023 – Munich, Germany | Olympiastadion
July 25, 2023 – Monza, Italy | Prato della Gerascia, Autodromo di MonzaNorth America – Leg 2
August 9 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
August 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park – Onsale: 2/28
August 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park – Onsale: 2/28
August 24 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium – Verified Fan Onsale: 2/27
August 28 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park – Verified Fan Onsale: 2/28
August 30 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
September 1 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
September 7 – Syracuse, NY @ JMA Wireless Dome
September 9 – Baltimore, MD @ Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Verified Fan Onsale: 2/28
September 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
November 3 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
November 6 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
November 8 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
November 10 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre
November 14 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
November 16 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
November 18 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
November 20 – Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell
November 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
December 4 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
December 6 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
December 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
