Affordable Springsteen Tickets: A Requiem

(And it has nothing to do with dynamic pricing.)

I’m going to start this by saying that Bruce Springsteen is free to charge what he wants and I am not forced to pay it. There is no gun to my head and no one made me click “Buy Now” on tickets to any of the shows I’ve been to. It was a free choice that I made multiple times. And while the amount of times I’ve done it (75) may seem crazy and excessive to an outsider, I have zero regrets.

I will also say up top that while the current prices are disappointing, I do not believe they undo a legacy of good will, great songwriting, and transcendent performances. It also does not even remotely undo a history of charitable donations, concern for the lower class, and inviting food banks to his show in an effort to get them attention and funds.

I also want to say that I am realistic about the state of music, the economy, and touring. There is an unfortunate reality that the cost of touring for a band has risen exponentially since E Street’s last tour seven years ago. Inflation is crippling huge parts of the economy, gas prices are costly for truckers driving the stage to the next stop, the same is true for air travel for the band and crew as well. Likewise, most of the music industry is dead thanks to streaming, so the record company is now trying to get in on the merch sales, ticket sales, and the like. Also, promoters and venues, having missed a ton of money from COVID quarantine, are probably still making up for lost revenue from that year plus of truly nothing coming in. In summation, expenses are way up and there are more fingers in the pot than ever. And naturally, when all those costs go up, it has to be made back somewhere and it all gets put back onto the consumer. This is understandable and I take absolutely no issue with it. I hate it, but I understand and accept it. So if someone reading this essay gets the itch to respond that I don’t grasp the concepts of supply & demand, market rates, expense clearing, etc. please circle back to this paragraph.

A bit of background on me for context: I’m 35 years old and, again, I have seen Bruce Springsteen 75 times. That’s a surprising number for a 35 year old (I’m even a little taken aback by it). I’ve been seeing him over a 20 year period. This isn’t just E Street Band shows though — it’s also Bruce solo, Broadway shows, appearances at the Light of Day benefit, Stand Up For Heroes, The Wonder Bar, and more. I’m counting basically any time I’ve seen him play music. That said, of those 75 times, I would venture to say that about 50 have been to the 3–4 hour rock and roll marathons that he’s known for. Why do I see him so much? Because he’s the best. And while I’m not in the music business — I have experience with what’s happening in these markets and the industry first-hand as a frequent consumer.

And just for full disclosure as well, I am going to his European tour in Sweden and a single show in Washington DC. If anyone would like to rebuttal to this by saying that I’m going to Gothenburg and how can I be that mad about prices? My reply is: The European dates went on sale first, were priced very differently (about $120-$130 USD after fees), and the cost of the whole trip is both understandable and justifiable. A lot of big Bruce fans are also doing this. Europeans (and South Americans for that matter) tend to really bring the energy and passion for E Street — dream crowds for die hard American fans. Plus, when U.S. shows cost so much, why not just go to Europe and get a vacation out of it too?

So I acknowledge up top that I will see him this year, I am not broke, and these are very privileged, niche complaints that I have. I also will not bring up dynamic pricing because God knows enough has been written about it. And as much as it sucks, it will be an ever-present evil in the industry moving forward because it sells and it works. Even a small local theater near where I grew up is using it. I also think a lot of the outrage around his use of dynamic pricing, specifically, was the result of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and a total miscalculation on his management’s part of what would exactly happen.

My issue is the face value tickets on non-dynamic, floor & lower-level seats jumping from $150 to $400 between two tours. That’s every single desirable seat in the building doubling or more. The mid-range lower bowl doubled to $300. The nosebleeds are now $200, which is what I expected/hoped the floor area would be, given his track record of how his prices increased.

I get the sense that someone reading this wants to bring up the market to me and the cost of touring. Please refer back to paragraph three if that’s the case. I get it. But also know that those $150 tickets from 2016 would be $188 adjusted for inflation in 2023. Why not call it $200, make a little extra on top of it what you normally do, and call it a day?

And again, I reiterate, he is free to charge what he wants. His shows have never been what I would call “cheap”. That said, by his own admission, his past pricing policy has been:

“I tell my guys, ‘Go out and see what everybody else is doing. Let’s charge a little less.’ That’s generally the directions. They go out and set it up. For the past 49 years or however long we’ve been playing, we’ve pretty much been out there under market value. I’ve enjoyed that. It’s been great for the fans.”

This is true. I’ve been seeing him since 2003 and, when comparing him to other big, successful bands, he was noticeably the most affordable act in town. He was also (and still is) the best of them all. So when you have the greatest performer alive, charging affordable rates, it’s a beautiful thing and, if you plan it out right, you can go to multiple shows, be close, in it, and among friends. The price went up steadily, but not crazily. Just speaking in terms of the floor I’ve seen it go from $100ish, to $110ish, to $120ish, to $150. There were obviously TicketMaster fees and other costs associated, but this was roughly what I’d spend. Similar to the cost of a nice dinner out, except instead of a fancy meal, I chose to go see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They are obviously two very different experiences, and Bruce offers something far greater than a good dinner, but I’m merely trying to show a level of accessibility his shows had. I could see him and, while it would be a lot, it would not break the bank. It’s worth noting too that until recently I was able to do this while making $44k from managing a soup kitchen. It was tricky, but I did it, and it wasn’t even that hard. That is how accessible it was.

Those prices listed above were for the general admission, floor, & lower bowl seating. Basically, anywhere you’d actually like to be if you wanted to be close, experience the music, and be in as much of the action as possible. So when it leaked that on this tour that the general admission area, the floor seats, and the good lower level seats were now $400 I was instantly put off. I no longer manage the soup kitchen, make a lot more, and suddenly can’t really afford the floor.

Why the change? What was different this time? What happened? A number of things. First of all, please refer back to paragraph three for a discussion on touring expenses and a crazy market. Now let’s continue with Bruce’s own words. While before he adjusted himself to the market, then went a little lower, he now thought,

“‘Hey, we’re 73 years old. The guys are there. I want to do what everybody else is doing, my peers.’ So that’s what happened.”

He is referring here to dynamic pricing, but what he also means is he finally priced himself like other big rock acts. The Eagles, Paul McCartney, Elton John — legendary acts that put on great spectacles. However, these people are not Bruce. With these performers, you go once, pay an arm and a leg, sit in your seat, they play every single greatest hit you’d want to hear, and you go home, never coming back, at least not for a while. I’m not saying these acts don’t have big, die hard fans that go to as many shows as possible, every band does. I don’t even mean to call them out specifically (except The Eagles), I simply mean to say that he was now pricing himself like a legacy act.

Not only are Bruce’s shows different than most legacy bands, but his audience is too. They share a lot more in common with the audiences of The Dead and Phish than they do with The Eagles. These are bands that have people so dedicated and happy to see them because the setlist varies, there will be new songs, old songs, obscurities, outtakes, audience requests, and, yes, the hits. In other words, it’s things big fans want to hear, but two thirds of the casual audience is thinking, “Why isn’t this ‘Born In The U.S.A.’?”. He’ll get to it, but you’ll hear “Be True,” “Stolen Car,” & “This Depression” first. You’ll probably also get a soul cover, a random song they haven’t played since they were 19, something unreleased, and an audience request by a new father holding up a sign for “Long Time Comin’”. And in the past, Bruce’s crowd would have a lot of people cheering these obscurities. Now, can all of these people afford $400 good seats? Yes, but maybe once and just for a single person. Who can afford them more regularly? Retirees and corporations schmoozing clients. That is not to say these people aren’t fans, especially the retirees, and if they can go they should go. But with these new prices, I worry that there will be an influx of people up front, sitting in their seats, looking bored and at their phones, thinking, what the hell is this? Play ‘Glory Days’. In other words, the vibe will change.

Another reason people follow those bands (and Bruce) is because of the community that they’ve built up around them. Close-knit, lifelong friendships are made between people who meet at these kinds of shows. Truly, I have some of my best friends in life because of Bruce Springsteen’s music and concerts. The relationships that people develop around them tend to be very bonded because they share something that they are extremely passionate about. Likewise, and I will get a tad abstract here, but when an artist such as Springsteen has music that is not only fun, but also about striving towards transcendence, anger at injustice, and the broad desire for something greater, that tends to resonate with his audience and understanding and feeling those things are what the people in those friendships have in common as well. In short, it may be a concert and just music & noise, but it’s a lot more too.

How many of these people can afford $400 seats? A few, and again, once at that. They won’t bring their kids because it will be too expensive, they won’t bring their friend that’s looking to check it out because it won’t be worth the risk if they don’t enjoy it, and if they want to do those things they are relegated to getting a $200ish nosebleed with small seats and a disconnect from the stage. And if they want that, have at it, but it just won’t be quite the same. The friend tagging along has a higher risk of not enjoying it, Bruce will look like another elitist big star to them and their desire to see another big act will diminish. The true power and inspiration of his songs, especially when played with the band, will have a harder time reaching those new people. Likewise, the child that came along will be more distracted up there, more fidgety, and the dad that spent money on it will be more frustrated. I say again, the vibe all around will change.

Another part of Bruce’s argument and thinking for the price increase is that this will make things harder for brokers, scalpers, and scammers.

“Let’s say this: I can set the price of my tickets, I can’t set their value… and that money gets sucked up by the ticket brokers. I said, ‘Hey, let’s have the money go to the guys who are sweating up on stage for three hours.’ If that’s controversial for you, I don’t know what to say.”

And he has a point. He was again referring to dynamically priced tickets here, but the overall sentiment applies to the face value tickets as well. The thing is, though, I’ve never used a broker and don’t know any other big fan who has either. What generally happens if we miss getting a ticket at an on sale is to reach out to anyone in our network of fans/friends, see who has extras, post about it on Backstreets or some other site, then sell for face value at no increase in cost. This is now messed with because no one is buying extras, people are hesitant to even buy one $400 seat, and if you have to sell it it’s a crapshoot if someone is going to actually want it at that price. I’ll also say, people expect to get gutted if they go to a broker. They do not, and should not, expect to be gutted by their favorite artist. It’s a battle between the artist and the broker but we, as fans, are unfortunately in the middle of it.

I’ll be clear about this too — I have no issue with him wanting to challenge brokers, scalpers, and the like. It’s his right, they’re taking his money, and I would not like that either. Where I take issue is the decision to charge himself like his peers. Bruce and Jon Landau are probably wondering “we’re doing what everyone else is doing, why are we getting shit?” and my response is that what everyone else is doing sucks.

I’m a big Guns N’ Roses fan. I have been since high school. I supported the band when Slash left, rigorously defended Chinese Democracy from its detractors, and even stuck with Axl when he no-showed at a Philly concert (and a riot ensued) when I was 15. Anyway, now they’ve reunited and a few years ago were playing Madison Square Garden for $400 mid-tier seats. I live in Jersey City, can get there easily, and I could have afforded those shows. However, I went to zero. Why? Principle. I can justify $400 for four shows. I can’t justify $400 for one, especially not when it cost $100ish until fairly recently. To put it another way, imagine you’re a middle class guy who wants to take your wife and two kids to see Guns N’ Roses with Axl & Slash now that they’ve reunited and sit somewhere decent. That will cost you roughly $1200+ before fees, before parking/travel, before getting your kids a soda and food at the show. Yes, the market dictates all this (mostly), and there are big expenses to cover, but when rock and roll is costing more than a mortgage payment there’s a problem somewhere.

It’s really not unlike rental property in New York City. Sure, you can charge $4,000/month for a 400 square foot place that has a bathtub in the kitchen. And if the market is right, somebody somewhere is going to pay it. And if someone is going to pay it, why shouldn’t you charge it? I don’t have a good argument against that. Go for it. But can we just acknowledge, out loud, that, on some level, it is fucking crazy to both charge that and pay it? Can we just call a spade a spade, market price or not? It is also worth noting too that the market, itself, is not always fair and is sometimes quite savage.

There are also several negative effects towards giving in to these kinds of markets. Taking the New York apartment example, pricing like this:

1. Further erodes the middle class in the city

2. Makes living in NY a more and more elitist thing

3. Makes you kind of a jerk for charging that.

Is this really what we want for rock & roll, music, and live performance in general? Also, please refer to paragraph three here if you’d like to respond about the market and expenses.

I fully expected and accepted that the cost of a Bruce Springsteen ticket would go up. That said, not this much.

What could he have done instead? I’ve thought about this and have some suggestions. I am not a music professional, but I have been to a lot of shows and am an avid music fan, so this is based off of what I’ve seen others do. I also do not like criticizing without offering a solution, so here are a few I thought of:

Live Stream Each Show

Certain bands do this. I’m just theorizing, but hypothetically, charge $40 to view each concert and stream it to anyone in the world. I do think people would partake each night, I know I would find it hard to resist on nights I couldn’t be there. I would bet that they’d worry that it would give people incentive to not come in person, but I doubt it. Fundamentally, the audience would know that it would be a better experience to be in the room with the E Street Band than just at home. Likewise, people watch sporting events on TV and still go to games. And I don’t have to mention that they’d be opening up a new revenue stream that literally most of the world can get in on.

As an addendum to this, the other night I watched a guy livestream the opening night of the tour on Facebook from behind the stage. The quality was bad, you could hear him singing off-key, and every quick side comment to his friends was audible. That said, I gladly watched and was thankful to do so. So were the 1300 other people on that stream and the countless others who were doing the same on other accounts. I sent him $5 for his trouble. This is a golden opportunity to cash in because if people could have watched it professionally for a reasonable fee I’m sure they would have. If all 1300 people on the stream I was watching paid $40 that’s $50,000 right there.

The company that they use to release their official show recordings, Nugs, already offers livestreaming for other bands, so I have to think, on some level, this would be a relatively simple (and obvious) move.

VIP Packages

For the longest time I appreciated that Bruce did not do these — to be honest, I still do. But if it meant helping lower the cost of the average ticket, I’d be more than happy to have them. I may even participate once as a treat to myself.

I’m told that they’re being extra careful this tour because of COVID, insurance, etc. so likely no meet & greets could be a part of this, but maybe packages could include a recording of the show, side stage seating, entry to the E Street Lounge, backstage tour, sitting in on soundcheck, a signed setlist, merchandise, a buffet, open bar, and things like that. I would think fairly well-off people would spring for this each time, businesses would buy these packages for the potential clients that they’re wining and dining, and the average middle class person would treat themselves once or twice to them.

Sponsorships

As you may expect, I would hate this option the most. I think everyone would, including Bruce. I am simply throwing it in as an alternative to what’s being done. And, surprisingly, I got the idea from Kid Rock.

In 2013, he set out on a “$20 Best Night Ever” tour. Regardless of your opinion of him, his music, or his political views, all music fans should know what he was able to do and how he did it. 90+% of the seats in every venue he played were $20. On top of that, t-shirts were $20, beers were $4, parking was $20, and four hot dogs & two cokes were $20.

How did he do this? Several ways.

One was Jimmy John’s agreeing to do tastings outside the venues. Another was that he had Harley Davidson and Jim Beam doing sponsorships. In turn, they helped keep the costs low to be able to advertise there. Please note: I have no idea what they actually did in terms of advertising, but I bet that they could just set limits on it contractually and not do anything Bruce is uncomfortable with.

It doesn’t have to be egregious (I’ve been at shows where it is and it’s cringey). It can be subtle — a shirt, a banner, a thank you, something. Perhaps a major restaurant chain could have tastings, trucks, and products outside in the lot before and after a show. Plenty of places would love to be associated with this and be seen at such a high profile, sold out event. There are loads of advertisements inside the arenas already — what’s one more outside if it’s keeping things accessible?

Scalp Your Own Tickets

This is another idea I got from Kid Rock’s “$20 Best Night Ever Tour.” I would bet this is being done on some level already (it’s basically what dynamic pricing is). He took 1,000 of his own tickets at every show, put them on StubHub, and over-charged for them, just to see what the market would determine they were worth. This is a practice I would normally gag at (and so many artists are guilty of it), but when it’s being done in the interest of helping to keep the rest of the tickets at an affordable and “normal” range, I would be fine with it. If they must use dynamic pricing moving forward, perhaps they should consider using it for off-setting the cost of everything else.

Lower his guarantee

I’ll state again, Bruce is entitled to make any and all money that he wants. He is worth it, he deserves it, and he’s earned it. But there have been rumblings (see: insider industry info.) that one of the reasons for dynamic pricing being used to such a high degree (and thus, I would guess, high face value tickets) was that promoters would not put up the risk to host an event in the age of COVID with Bruce’s guarantee being so high.

Even though it’s industry standard, I personally find the idea of guarantees not based on ticket sales to be self indulgent, but that’s beside the point. And what’s another thing Kid Rock did for his $20 tour? Lowered his guarantee.

“[LiveNation said] you’re going to have to take a pay cut. No problem, I make a lot of money. All my friends are taking pay cuts that are in the unions, that are farming in Alabama, whatever it is, I can take a pay cut, not cutting down my shows or the people who work for me. I can take a pay cut.”

Obviously no one wants to take a pay cut. And I truly do not agree with the attitude that some have of Bruce having so much money and not needing more. While that’s true on some level, he can take and earn as much as he wants, but if the amount you’re taking is going to raise the ticket price this much, or put a big burden/risk on the promoter, then I’m going to suggest that there is an issue with the amount you’re taking.

Worth noting too, while he made a little less than he usually did on his tours, Kid Rock still made a killing on the $20 tour and it was so successful they evidently did it a second time. It may sound oxymoronic, but there is money in making things cheaper.

I’ll note that not all of these suggestions are cool and some outright suck. But again, would I be okay with most of them if I knew it was making it affordable for me & my friends to go to multiple shows, plus that working class guy who wants to take his kids, and the single mom who loves Bruce? Sure, I’d accept it. I think others would as well. Frankly, I’m open to anything that will prevent Bruce from slipping into that category of obscenely priced rock legends. His songs are too great, too important, and his shows are too different to do that.

But do I expect Bruce & Co. to go through all this just to help people like me go to several shows? No.

Do they think it’s weird that me and others have gone to so many? Probably.

Was it our choice to see him so many times? Of course.

Are “superfans” a burden to them sometimes? For sure. But again, it’s important to note that there are lines with my fandom. I don’t go to his house, I wouldn’t approach him if he was eating dinner with his family, I wouldn’t ask for a selfie if I was jogging past him. I’ve spoken to him, but only after shows at The Wonder Bar or before one in Pittsburgh and during his book signing. And while he certainly deals with stalkers, crazed fans, and people who don’t understand personal space, I’m not one of those and, frankly, there are tons of people like me who simply love the shows, the community, and the music. And again, the overall point is that while they wouldn’t, and maybe shouldn’t, consider a person like me when making business decisions, I simply wish they had.

And the reason this is a requiem is because I don’t expect it to get much better. They will be announcing tickets to a stadium run scheduled for late summer & early fall soon and though there will be more tickets available to those, I don’t see the pricing being much better. Why? Because despite the influx of bad press Bruce and Jon Landau got this last time around, they’ve given no indication that they regret it. They will also be making more money from this arena run than they likely ever have before. I am sure they also have promoters, TicketMaster, and other people in their ear saying, “Price it at this level, the outrage will pass, and you guys will bring home the dough.” If I were them, that would sound appealing. It’s also correct — the outrage has passed, they’ve made a killing, and there’s no reason to not do it again. And, as I mentioned, he wanted to price himself like his peers. And what are his peers doing for decent seats in stadiums? Well:

Paul McCartney — $300, back of the lower bowl (much more up front)
Elton John — Average price $513 for the floor
Guns N’ Roses — $407.55 for General Admission
Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks — $485.00, lower bowl

Provided, many of these are Platinum tickets and different artists with different audiences, but you get the point. Most of the examples are the low end of what I’d call decent seating too (lower tier, though GN’R was the GA price). And once you start looking at the floor seating prices (what I would call good seats) — all bets are off as far as how high pricing goes. I’m not exaggerating when I say that some floor seats to those shows are now a month’s rent for me.

It’s funny, I was at MetLife Stadium when Bruce came out to play with Paul McCartney. I was of course elated. However, McCartney has very expensive tickets. When Bruce was on stage I was watching him look out into the crowd and was thinking, “Don’t you dare get any ideas!”. Welp, he got ideas.

While I love a lot of acts that price themselves like this, I surrendered myself to having to sit in the nosebleeds for them (or not going out of protest) and Bruce was the last hold out for allowing for an intense, close, and affordable show. Alas, not anymore.

Do I blame him? Not really.

Is he still my favorite? Absolutely.

Is he one of the best songwriters and performers in history? That’s inarguable.

Is he entitled to go for whatever money he feels he, his band, and his people are worth? For sure.

Is he trying to get as much money as he can for everyone & their families since there is a finite amount of time left for E Street? Most likely.

Am I sad that one of the joys of my life is now compromised by them wanting to get paid in a crazy market under a TicketMaster monopoly? I am. Again, that’s why this is a requiem — an act of remembrance for something that was so joyous, meaningful, and life-affirming.

Why did I write this? So I could get it out of my system and focus on the great tour that’s starting to unfold. This was getting in the way.

And I don’t mean to be a downer, really. The 2023 tour will be great, the setlists have been really good, and it’s a given that the band will be on fire and the magic will be there. I will have a blast in Europe, DC, and I’m sure I’ll find a way into some of these other U.S. arena shows (corner stage, obstructed view, day-of drop, for $200 before fees — whoopie). But the middle class guy who wants to bring his family won’t be able to, the college kids who want to check out one of the greatest rock acts alive won’t either, nor will the single mom who has had Bruce’s music get her through rough times. And anyone that does click “Buy Now” will likely feel some anxiety and stress, thinking “Can I really afford this?”, instead of “Oh my God, I’m going to see Bruce Springsteen!” and it’s the latter feeling that I’m hoping I’ll get to experience again one day.