This week has been a tough one for Ticketmaster. Before, canceling the sale of general tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour due to high demand — fans of rock legend Bruce Springsteen had a list of grievances to share with the entertainment company.
After discovering the inflated ticket prices for his upcoming Only The Strong Survive tour with the E Street band, they called for the “Born In The U.S.A.” singer to take action. Fans assumed the ticketing outlet had a hand in select cities’ $5,000 price tag. While Springsteen remained silent, the company issued a statement (reported by Variety) to defend its pricing model, “[the most expensive tickets] represent only 11% of the overall tickets sold.”
In an interview with journalist Andy Greene of Rolling Stone, Springsteen finally addressed the backlash. When asked if he had any regret over the tour’s price points, Springsteen replied, “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,” adding, “but ticket buying has gotten very confusing, not just for the fans, but for the artists also.”
Springsteen doubled down on Ticketmaster’s statement arguing, “The bottom line is that most of our tickets are totally affordable. They’re in that affordable range. We have those tickets that are going to go for that [higher] price somewhere anyway,” continuing, “hey, why shouldn’t that money go to the guys that are going to be up there sweating three hours a night for it?”
The singer understands his fan’s anger but ensures they will receive a show worth every penny, “I know it was unpopular with some fans. But if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.”
To view the full tour schedule, click here.