Springsteen VIII - 2014, tour, album, etc.

[Hewson]

even though i first brought it up - i'll also add that some of this is contractual. you either do it, or you find venues that don't require ticketmaster. that's the problem Pearl Jam ran into.

for those who've gone through the process already - is every seat in the house dynamic or just a select number of rows?

2 points.
1. This is not contractual if the artist doesn't sign off on it.
I'll bring up the example of one Garth Brooks (mentioned this to Mrs. S yesterday), this year for his shows, every ticket was a face of approximately $85.00 with a TM fee of 7 bucks and change (you know kind of how Bruce used to price his shows). Now those were stadiums so I wouldn't expect prices that low for Bruce in arenas, but he could have kept things very reasonable, and he absolutely could have refused to allow both dynamic pricing and Platinum. That's what Brooks did, no dynamic, no platinum, no VIP packages, none of it.

2. Every ticket is subject to dynamic pricing based on Ticketmaster/Live Nation algorithms when set up. Saw someone post a screen shot of a 13th row balcony seat in Boson with a face of $355.00 plus fees bringing it to $436.00, was not a resale, ticket, was a blue dot. Doesn't mean they will all fluctuate, but all are subject to the possibility based on how the algorithm interprets demand. During a Springsteen onsale, you can imagination what the algorithm is interpreting.
Platinum is not everywhere, but it used to be strictly a small percentage of the very best seats, now you find Platinum in balconies and mediocre sections. Its expanded massively in recent years.

 

[Hewson]

say $250 and $150 for the house, people might’ve been annoyed but most would’ve understood. Bruce just signed a half a billion deal for his catalog rights. The optics are shit.

I would think pricing like that for Bruce in arenas would not get criticized one iota.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

2 points.
1. This is not contractual if the artist doesn't sign off on it.
I'll bring up the example of one Garth Brooks (mentioned this to Mrs. S yesterday), this year for his shows, every ticket was a face of approximately $85.00 with a TM fee of 7 bucks and change (you know kind of how Bruce used to price his shows). Now those were stadiums so I wouldn't expect prices that low for Bruce in arenas, but he could have kept things very reasonable, and he absolutely could have refused to allow both dynamic pricing and Platinum. That's what Brooks did, no dynamic, no platinum, no VIP packages, none of it.

2. Every ticket is subject to dynamic pricing based on Ticketmaster/Live Nation algorithms when set up. Saw someone post a screen shot of a 13th row balcony seat in Boson with a face of $355.00 plus fees bringing it to $436.00, was not a resale, ticket, was a blue dot. Doesn't mean they will all fluctuate, but all are subject to the possibility based on how the algorithm interprets demand. During a Springsteen onsale, you can imagination what the algorithm is interpreting.
Platinum is not everywhere, but it used to be strictly a small percentage of the very best seats, now you find Platinum in balconies and mediocre sections. Its expanded massively in recent years.

ehhhh you can't really compare a stadium show to an arena show.

in pearl jam's case they opted in to the limited platinum dynamic seating in order to keep the 10c seats cheaper and available. - so it was negotiated in the contract.

not sure what bruce's excuse is here other than that he seems to be cashing in on his last hurrah.

and i can't wait to see the flip out from the 6 remaining interference members when U2 introduces this next year

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

U2 will definitely be doing the same thing

 

[Hewson]

and i can't wait to see the flip out from the 6 remaining interference members when U2 introduces this next year

U2 will definitely be doing the same thing

But will Larry be on board?

 

[Hewson]

ehhhh you can't really compare a stadium show to an arena show.

And I did make that point. But Bruce could still have opted to either not do any of it and had face vales that ranged from like $150-250 or even 300 and the backlash would be zero, or he could have done a similar move to PJ and said he'll allow some Platinum and Dynamic, but the trade off being GA has to be sold at a reasonable face value only, could have set up a fan club situation. Something to give the appearance he cares about his core fans.

Brucie boy looks to just be cashing in. Cause after the catalog sale and the Broadway revenue, his coffers are surely bare.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

https://www.ticketnews.com/2022/05/...ous-over-ticketmaster-platinum-ticket-prices/

This is a good article re the whole issue

 

[Irvine511]

Hey, everybody I was selected for the so-called verified fan TM presale scam for Denver and was provided an access code only to discover resale tickets starting at $800 and up for mediocre seats were the only thing available the minute I got in, which, granted, wasn't right away. So I waited as I saw tickets kept coming and going and coming again, so then I finally scored a $319 lower level decent seat for a second before it was snatched out of my hands and immediately put on resale for $750.

What a shitshow. I don't even know what tickets were supposed to cost. Maybe $319 was the actual cost for a lower? I could have gotten a nosebleed for $129 or something but if I'm going to drive 6hrs for a show I'm not sitting in the nosebleeds where I can neither see nor hear, due to the terrible acoustics, so I am kinda picky. I guess I'll try again in the general this afternoon but I'm not hopeful.

Hope you all have better luck!

i got verified for Portland ... any advice for people stepping into the fray tomorrow?

 

[trevgreg]

i got verified for Portland ... any advice for people stepping into the fray tomorrow?

Refresh 14-13 minutes before the sale starts, not ten minutes before as they claim. The queue usually starts a tad earlier!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Rob a bank?

 

[Hewson]

i got verified for Portland ... any advice for people stepping into the fray tomorrow?

 

[lazarus]

and i can't wait to see the flip out from the 6 remaining interference members when U2 introduces this next year

U2 will definitely be doing the same thing

Are y’all convinced they’ll finally abandon the “GA pricing is equal to the cheapest seats” rule they’ve had for almost 20 years?

I don’t care how much they charge for the douchebag seats as long as GA stays low.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i think GA will stay relatively inexpensive - but there will be some level of verified fan / platinum seating going on - and there will be glorious meltdowns because of it.

 

[joyfulgirl]

i got verified for Portland ... any advice for people stepping into the fray tomorrow?

Portland was my second choice for verification. Since I got nothin' for Denver I might try for Portland in the general sale, or closer to the show. I saw The River tour there and it was easy (although travel is no longer easy).

 

[Irvine511]

Portland was my second choice for verification. Since I got nothin' for Denver I might try for Portland in the general sale, or closer to the show. I saw The River tour there and it was easy (although travel is no longer easy).

would be great to see you again! fingers crossed.

 

[PRB216]

Depending on your market there still is a Bruce stadium tour coming to the US next fall. Hoping those larger venues bring about some less-insane pricing.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Depending on your market there still is a Bruce stadium tour coming to the US next fall. Hoping those larger venues bring about some less-insane pricing.

i was thinking the same thing - that there has to be a stadium leg to follow.

i have full intentions of going to everything i can on this tour - because let's be real, there won't be many more (if any) after this.

 

[DeVaul]

i think GA will stay relatively inexpensive - but there will be some level of verified fan / platinum seating going on - and there will be glorious meltdowns because of it.

I liked that the Red Zone thing exists and it hasn’t been in front of/ positioned better than the regular floor tix. If they’re gonna VF/Platinum up the stands, folks will be annoyed. Dynamic Pricing seats into the thousands is the major piss-offer.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Not for nothing but this is a major check mark in favor of stadiums

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I liked that the Red Zone thing exists and it hasn’t been in front of/ positioned better than the regular floor tix. If they’re gonna VF/Platinum up the stands, folks will be annoyed. Dynamic Pricing seats into the thousands is the major piss-offer.

Yea there's no good answer to this issue.

I'll be perfectly honest in that clearly I have a dog in this fight - if the building makes more our business does better, if our business does better I get a bigger raise/bonus at the end of the year. Alas..

It's certainly isn't unfair to allow the venue and artist to collect on demand that otherwise would go to the secondary market. The crazy prices were always being charged - they were just being charged by the secondary market.

Alas - I understand as a fan why it's absurd to see these crazy prices on day one on Ticketmaster.

Having dynamic platinum seats can also causes the tickets to go for even more than they might on the secondary at the initial on sale point due to the sheer volume of people logging on at once. It's a little like Uber surge pricing. If you go right when everyone is leaving, the the prices are absurd. If you give it a half an hour, they're going to come down a bit. But that initial surge makes for great screenshot social media fodder.

But some of it is perception and shifting of blame and anger - instead of being angry at the secondary market for scooping up these seats and selling them at crazy prices the fans are now angry at the artist and Ticketmaster for beating the secondary market to the punch.

When Bruce charges $150 and the tickets all end up on stub hub for $2000, it's Stub Hub and Ticketmaster's fault.

When Bruce charges $2000 to avoid the secondary market, it's Bruce and Ticketmaster's fault.

So moral of the story is that it's always Ticketmaster's fault .

 

[Hewson]

https://www.ticketnews.com/2022/05/...ous-over-ticketmaster-platinum-ticket-prices/

This is a good article re the whole issue

Here's a new one that's Bruce specific, explains the whole thing reasonably well, even mentions my Garth Brooks example.

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2022/07/21/the-springsteen-ticket-fracas/

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Here's a new one that's Bruce specific, explains the whole thing reasonably well, even mentions my Garth Brooks example.

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2022/07/21/the-springsteen-ticket-fracas/

Well I'm not buying a Tesla or living in a 4,000 square foot home, I don't live in that person's world. And all I feel "entitled" to is a concert at a fair price for average people like me, not insane prices to see any performer. I don't idolize him or any other performer, I like things about him and I love his music.

I went to Las Vegas three years ago to see Lady Gaga jazz and piano, got picked in her ticket lottery to buy a ticket at a reasonable price. Cross country flights, hotel for two nights, ticket, and other expenses cost me less than a "dynamic" Bruce ticket.

Yes I believe she is doing this type of pricing now too. All I can do is say that I am grateful for my previous affordable experiences. And say that I admire the heck out of Garth Brooks for the way he does it.

 

[phanan]

$350 for nosebleeds at Mohegan. Yeah, not happening.

Oh well. Guess we’ll see what happens the closer we get to the actual shows.

 

[Hewson]

Well I'm not buying a Tesla or living in a 4,000 square foot home, I don't live in that person's world. And all I feel "entitled" to is a concert at a fair price for average people like me, not insane prices to see any performer. I don't idolize him or any other performer, I like things about him and I love his music.
.

Yeah, the author overemphasized some stuff to make his point for sure.
While there are certainly some fans of Bruce who drive 4000 sq ft Teslas, it's by no means the majority. Most are regular middle class folks like you and me. While I certainly have more income than when I was younger, I don't have enough of the disposable variety to justify 4 figures for a concert ticket. And even if I did, I don't know that I'd pay $1,500 for a GA for Bruce, just seems like an unreasonable amount for any concert experience, even one of the all time best performers.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Here's a new one that's Bruce specific, explains the whole thing reasonably well, even mentions my Garth Brooks example.



https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2022/07/21/the-springsteen-ticket-fracas/

This is really well done.

The only part I actually disagree with is the idea that he's playing arenas because he can't fill stadiums. He'll likely do a stadium leg after this one, as he usually does.

Part of the issue is fans getting used to this new system, and changing the rush to get there first to an understanding that you probably can wait it out and still get tickets. It's different from 50 years of ticket buying - so it's going to take some time to adapt.

 

[Hewson]

The only part I actually disagree with is the idea that he's playing arenas because he can't fill stadiums. He'll likely do a stadium leg after this one, as he usually does.

Yeah. He can easily fill stadiums in the northeast and some other places. There are some markets where arenas are likely his ceiling, but overall, he's a stadium act for most of the US and Europe.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Yeah. He can easily fill stadiums in the northeast and some other places. There are some markets where arenas are likely his ceiling, but overall, he's a stadium act for most of the US and Europe.

yea - and Garth Brooks is also a bit of an outlier here. he didn't tour from 1998 to 2014, playing only Vegas and the occasional one off charity gig. he's certainly been making up for lost time since 2014, but COVID aside Bruce has been touring regularly for close to 50 years.

garth now is more in line with Bruce starting with the Reunion tour through, say, Magic.

 

[Irvine511]

In the waiting room now …

 

[Irvine511]

2000+ people ahead of me …

 

[Irvine511]

I don’t think this is going to go well.