Bruce Springsteen’s manager is doubling down on ticket prices for the 72-year-old rocker’s latest tour, which have some seats costing as much as $5,000 apiece.
In this economy, such prices have left fans shocked that the musician who once championed the working man has allowed his ticket sales to “rip the bones from their backs.”
In what has become a controversial “dynamic pricing” method under Ticketmaster’s monopoly system, which determines ticket prices by the demand to discourage scalping — The Boss’s manager defended Team Springsteen, despite the number of “platinum” tickets hitting excessively high costs.
“In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing,” Jon Landau said in a statement, per The New York Times. “We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others.”
Ticketmaster broke down the sales to combat consumer misconception of the astronomical ticket prices representing only 11.2% of the total number of tickets sold. Prices for mid-floor tickets costing more than $1,000 were at only 1.3%, per their last statement earlier this week.
The rest of the breakdown calculated that 56% of tickets were sold for less than $200, and 27% ranged between $100-$150. Another 18% sold for under $99, and the remaining 11% of tickets went for roughly $150 to $200.
Springsteen’s manager said, “regardless of commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more,” the true average price for the concert stands at approximately $250 a stub.
“I believe that in today’s environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation,” Landau said.
Still, whether or not the American rockstar holds legendary status, the average fan might have to think twice before purchasing a ticket as the country enters a recession.
“I saw nothing under $299 and as I tried for those the seats suddenly shot up to $515 and higher,” one fan wrote. “I had no idea what was going on. Whole rows, then sections shooting up in price, then gone. It took a minute to realize prices were changing like the National Debt ticker. $750 for 2.”
Another fan said in a tweet that a single nosebleed seat cost her $125, which she asserts is usually the price for a floor seat.
Although The Boss has yet to address his fans, E-Street’s guitar and mandolin player Steve Van Zandt made sure he stayed out of the controversy when asked on Twitter if he’s seen the ticket costs.
“I have nothing whatsoever to do with the price of tickets,” Van Zandt said.
“Nothing. Nada. Niente. Bubkis. D***,” Van Zandt, who also played the infamous Silvio Dante in HBO’s hit series “The Sopranos,” added.
Tickets for Springsteen and his E-Street Band’s 2023 tour went on sale Wednesday. The group, who haven’t performed together in six years, begins touring early next year with shows scheduled in arenas and stadiums across Europe and North America.
Amanda Harding and Greg Wilson contributed to this report.