Springsteen VIII - 2014, tour, album, etc.

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I did GA in Hartford in 2012 and I'm fairly certain this was the policy.

In the past Bruce gave people the option to come get a numbered wristband and then set a time that you have to come back. There were more GA tickets than there were wristbands. The folks who came and got wristband were first in, anyone without goes in after the wristband people.

When everyone comes back they pull a random number and whoever has that number becomes the start of the line. So if 125 was drawn, 125 goes first, 126 second, etc. Numbers 1 through 124 go to the end of the wristband line. Non wristband folks can go in either once the wristbands are in or just go in whenever like everyone else.

I took my sister to her first Bruce show and we made a call before hand that if we got lucky in the lotto we'd go in early and get a good spot, I'd we didn't and were towards the back of the wristbands we'd go back to the bar and go in closer to showtime.

They ended up picking me to '"pull" the number that went first and it was something like 20 or so spots before our numbers, so we stayed. Ended up front row on the left side of the stage.
In the past arena shows he had the whole floor GA and a section at front separated, so the numbered wristband system determined what order you line up and essentially who got in the front section (Similar to the heart and ellipse for U2).
This tour he has reserved seats on the rear two thirds of the floor, so I think the wristband thing might not be part of this tour. Who knows?
 
In the past arena shows he had the whole floor GA and a section at front separated, so the numbered wristband system determined what order you line up and essentially who got in the front section (Similar to the heart and ellipse for U2).

This tour he has reserved seats on the rear two thirds of the floor, so I think the wristband thing might not be part of this tour. Who knows?



Can’t be charging $400+ and expect people to line up. Front pit only is a great experience if you can get it: even in the back of the front, it feels intimate.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I thought the show was great and I actually like(d) those albums a good deal. I just know it’s not the same as getting the real deal. Of course, one could argue that without Clarence and Danny, no one is getting the real deal ever again.
 
I saw that tour in Boston and it was very good. Show was right before the end of the NA leg, so band had been together for some time by then.


I caught one of the Worcester shows, which was immediately after they came off the long Meadowlands stand, and they were on.

It was also a week before U2 rolled into Foxboro with the Zoo TV tour.

What a great stretch that was.
 
I'm currently watching the '79 No Nukes concert DVD. My god Clarence is the fucking best. I'm hoping Bruce will still be bringing Jake Clemons out on tour next year.
 
It's a bad response to a legitimate issue.

In theory it makes sense that the artist, promoter, ticket vendor and venue are getting screwed by the high prices charged by vendors on the secondary market.

Dynamic pricing and verified fan is supposed to combat that - and it does to some extent, but it doesn't prevent all of it and ends up creating this crazy system where the prices skyrocket immediately because everyone is so used to trying to get in on tickets the second they go on sale.

There have been situations with dynamic pricing where if you just have the patience to wait a few hours, few days or sometimes a few months you can get the same tickets that were a few thousand for face value, or on some cases under face value. But for really high demand artists like Bruce it ends up just screwing everyone.

I don't fault them for trying this - and it does technically work exactly as it's supposed to - but the optics around the prices skyrocketing immediately is really bad.

This is an excellent point re: people being used to logging in the second the tickets go on sale. That's a habit that is going to take a long time to break- lots of people have been doing this since the late 1990s. And of course, it was the most similar, straightforward replacement to lining up at the box office or department store outpost.

We're clearly entering a different phase these last few years, and I think, as you alluded to, one that may work itself out to some extent over time. Even for me, a relatively young U2 fan/concert attendee (I started buying tickets in 2005), it's a reminder.

It's not 2005 anymore. 17 years is actually a long ass time. I'm actually getting really old. Etc, etc. LMAO!

I think/know U2 will employ a form of this, but I do believe it will be better thought out. Along the lines of Pearl Jam or even something more innovative to play with the dynamic/premium structure.

For all the (very legitimate) criticisms I have of U2, unfairly soaking the fan base by design or just not thinking beyond the bottom line is absolutely not one of them. To me, they've always been sensitive to this issue. At least to a reasonable person. There's some people who will just plain never be happy. Others who don't realize what it takes to break even or turn a profit in today's touring dominated music world. The list goes on.

The only relevant comparisons to me are U2 vs Bruce and the handful of other acts (we all know them) who can fill these venues multiple nights across the world. And on that count, U2 have always been a bargain to see live.

I've seen multiple shows per tour since 360. I live in very expensive Boston and have never made 6 figures in a year. I always have to plan for a tour year, but I've never missed a car payment to see U2.
 
I'm currently watching the '79 No Nukes concert DVD. My god Clarence is the fucking best. I'm hoping Bruce will still be bringing Jake Clemons out on tour next year.

How is it you've not seen him? I'm curious. You're a big fan, you live in a major US city IIRC and you're around my age.
 
How is it you've not seen him? I'm curious. You're a big fan, you live in a major US city IIRC and you're around my age.
I've never seen him in concert before. Never got around to it. What do you want me to say?? Like, what answer are you looking for here?
 
Clearly you need to throw yourself upon the mercy of the Concert Court.

25834778-aac7-42da-b696-3e4c5c8fbe2b_text.gif
 
To be fair to GAF these concerts are always pretty long and that has to factor into the decision making process, having to deal with the stress of getting your date back before curfew and all.

:applaud:

I don't know, I think the fact that Bruce has the word "teen" in his last name would have made this an automatic ticket purchase for GAF.
 
I'm not trying to attack you or put you down or make you feel bad in any way, I'm just really curious.
I just never pulled the trigger on tickets. Going to a Springsteen concert isn't like taking a fucking stroll down to the corner store. It takes effort. And it's expensive. I just never did it.

Plus, he hasn't toured with the E Street Band in five years. So I literally haven't even had the chance in five years. A few friends and I planned on going to the River Tour but they sold out immediately and I never followed through on secondary market tickets. The tours before that (which at this point were a very long time ago) I was young and broke and I guess always figured I'd see him at some point down the road. Which I am going to now.

I'm confused why you're so curious. You think there's some other explanation other than I just never bought tickets to see him in concert before? Again, what answer are you looking for? There's no possible interesting answer to your question other than "I just never bought the tickets." Which I already told you.

You are one of the single most baffling people I've ever interacted with in my life.
 
Ok, I'm sorry I've upset you. I was not meaning to. I love you, and I know you're a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. You wear your heart on your sleeve, particularly when it comes to music and sport, and so I was just genuinely curious to know what circumstances had meant that you'd not seen him before. I think part of me finds it interesting because I live in Australia, and something like seeing a huge act like Bruce Springsteen is quite different here - they don't come often, it's hella expensive, they very rarely play more than two shows in one city and often only do shows in Melbourne (which I'm very grateful to live in) and Sydney (and maybe Adelaide and Brisbane), and then they piss off.

I just never pulled the trigger on tickets. Going to a Springsteen concert isn't like taking a fucking stroll down to the corner store. It takes effort. And it's expensive. I just never did it.

Plus, he hasn't toured with the E Street Band in five years. So I literally haven't even had the chance in five years. A few friends and I planned on going to the River Tour but they sold out immediately and I never followed through on secondary market tickets. The tours before that (which at this point were a very long time ago) I was young and broke and I guess always figured I'd see him at some point down the road. Which I am going to now.

I'm confused why you're so curious. You think there's some other explanation other than I just never bought tickets to see him in concert before? Again, what answer are you looking for? There's no possible interesting answer to your question other than "I just never bought the tickets." Which I already told you.

You are one of the single most baffling people I've ever interacted with in my life.

This is a great answer, tells me everything I was curious about. I consider you someone I know and care about (albeit through the internet) so I wanted to know a little more. I found it interesting to know, more so than "I never bought a ticket". Knowing your passion for Bruce and live music, and knowing that big acts like Bruce tour the US more often (and many of them are American), I was curious as to the circumstances that had meant you hadn't seen him. I'm super stoked you now will, I hope they play every track you want, and I hope you get Jake Clemons, not sure if they were still doing it but the Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out tribute was very special, and I was lucky enough to see him do his father's Jungleland solo on a couple of occasions.

I also don't know the US very well at all. My assumption is that it's easy to see artists live, because they tour often, and they hit all the main cities in the main states, and that it's relatively easy for an American to see an artist they love when they swing through your area, and that in many cases it's cheaper than seeing the same artist in Australia because they live in the country and don't have to organise flights and accomodation and all the rest of it and have easy access to all their crew and gear. I'm sure I'm wrong about all of this.

I am sorry if my initial question came across as aggressive or something. I'm not trying to be a dick or "baffling" dude, so I'm a bit taken aback by your response. You're well within your rights to tell me to fuck off or think my curiosity is invasive, but yeah.
 
I also don't know the US very well at all. My assumption is that it's easy to see artists live, because they tour often, and they hit all the main cities in the main states, and that it's relatively easy for an American to see an artist they love when they swing through your area, and that in many cases it's cheaper than seeing the same artist in Australia because they live in the country and don't have to organise flights and accomodation and all the rest of it and have easy access to all their crew and gear. I'm sure I'm wrong about all of this.

I believe you that you're genuinely curious, so I'm just gonna throw this out there. The US is kind of a tale of two countries - cities vs rural America. That's oversimplifying it, but it's a dichotomy that's easy to observe in our politics and other areas.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I didn't attend a concert until I was nearly 20, and it was a crappy one. The largest city near me was a five-hour drive away, and even then, it's a small city that bigger touring acts would regularly skip. Even to visit my family these days, it's a three-hour drive to their house after I get off the plane.

I think a lot of interferencers live in big cities, but there's a whole section of our country for whom going to concerts is no easy feat. As an example, if I wanna see The Killers this month, all I have to do is fork over the money for the ticket. If my sister wants to see them too, she's gonna have to book a flight and do the long drive to the airport and all the rigamarole.

Not saying that any of this is related to why GAF never saw Springsteen, but I hope it helps give some perspective.
 
I believe you that you're genuinely curious, so I'm just gonna throw this out there. The US is kind of a tale of two countries - cities vs rural America. That's oversimplifying it, but it's a dichotomy that's easy to observe in our politics and other areas.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I didn't attend a concert until I was nearly 20, and it was a crappy one. The largest city near me was a five-hour drive away, and even then, it's a small city that bigger touring acts would regularly skip. Even to visit my family these days, it's a three-hour drive to their house after I get off the plane.

I think a lot of interferencers live in big cities, but there's a whole section of our country for whom going to concerts is no easy feat. As an example, if I wanna see The Killers this month, all I have to do is fork over the money for the ticket. If my sister wants to see them too, she's gonna have to book a flight and do the long drive to the airport and all the rigamarole.

Not saying that any of this is related to why GAF never saw Springsteen, but I hope it helps give some perspective.

i believe all of this is very much true of Australia as well.
 
Doesn’t GAF live in Chicago tho

That's why I wrote my last sentence. This likely doesn't apply to GAF, but it might help Cobbler understand that the US isn't the land of milk and honey and easy concerts for all.
 
It's true of Australia, but a bit different. There are less major cities, and any touring artists will only visit Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Sometimes, but extremely rarely, they might visit Tasmania. Most often, it's Melbourne and Sydney. Tyler, who I saw last night, did two Syd shows, two Melb shows and a Perth show. No touring artist will ever do a show outside of the major cities, unless it's something special like A Day on the Green or Hanging Rock, and even those are relatively close to the major cities. For someone in Darwin or Alice Springs or Canberra, or any of WA's non Perth-towns, you're looking at major drives or flights. What I'm trying to say here is that if you're Australian, and you don't live in Melbourne or Sydney, it's very difficult to see touring artists, whereas in my view (which is somewhat ignorant) it's easier if you're in the States.

I believe you that you're genuinely curious, so I'm just gonna throw this out there. The US is kind of a tale of two countries - cities vs rural America. That's oversimplifying it, but it's a dichotomy that's easy to observe in our politics and other areas.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I didn't attend a concert until I was nearly 20, and it was a crappy one. The largest city near me was a five-hour drive away, and even then, it's a small city that bigger touring acts would regularly skip. Even to visit my family these days, it's a three-hour drive to their house after I get off the plane.

I think a lot of interferencers live in big cities, but there's a whole section of our country for whom going to concerts is no easy feat. As an example, if I wanna see The Killers this month, all I have to do is fork over the money for the ticket. If my sister wants to see them too, she's gonna have to book a flight and do the long drive to the airport and all the rigamarole.

Not saying that any of this is related to why GAF never saw Springsteen, but I hope it helps give some perspective.

Yeah it does, thank you! Where did you grow up? It's wild to hear that you were a five-hour drive from a large city but that it was a small one that artists would skip.

I obviously knew a lot of this stuff - you can't look at a map of the US and be like 'oh everyone's five minutes from a major city' haha - but it's a perspective I hadn't really considered.

Doesn’t GAF live in Chicago tho

Which is why I was curious! I imagine if you go back over his last five or whatever tours, whether he's with the band or not, Chicago gets at least one show every tour (and would Illinois get more in other cities?)
 

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