Profiteering on Broadway: How Springsteen Alienated “Verified” Fans

by Steve Milton

Today, the final slew of tickets for Bruce Springsteen on Broadway went on sale. Ticketmaster will once again be the butt of fans anger, and maybe with just cause.

I will write about the Verified Fan process when it’s all done and dusted, however, today the villain of this Broadway play is not Ticketmaster, but Mr. Springsteen himself.

And while many fans absolve Bruce of any blame, and heap scorn on long-time manager, Jon Landau — this time Bruce has to carry the can.

In 2016, Springsteen played to 2.4M fans, grossing $268M, charging — on average — $111 per ticket.

World Tours are expensive. For the 2016 The River Tour, the Springsteen crew numbered 100+ full-time people who had to be ferried, housed, and paid for their work — from the lowest paid Humpers right up to Little Steven. Then there was all the local crews.

At Wembley Stadium in London it cost Springsteen $150,000 alone to hire the floor to cover the hallowed turf alone.

And Springsteen put in a shift. These were the longest shows of his career, and no one begrudges the rewards that come from 76 nights work.

However, for Broadway, Springsteen is simply profiteering.

Defenders argue that Broadway tickets cost more than Concert tickets, that Hamilton The Musical is more expensive than Springsteen on Broadway, and that its what the market will bear.

This may all be true, but there is simply no need for Springsteen to hustle for $850 tickets.
Yes, there are costs of putting on a Broadway Show, but nowhere near the investment required to go on the road.

Springsteen will Gross approximately $535K per night. That’s over a quarter of a million dollars an hour. Think about that compared to your hourly pay rate.

The irony is that those Wall Street-types from Bankers Hill — you know the ones — the ones that Bruce raged against on the Wrecking Ball album? They will be sitting in the front row when Bruce walks onstage on October 12.

Think about that Bruce.

And where is Bruce? OK, he’s been seen at various local events near where he lives, but the silence remains DEAFENING.

There’s an old mantra: Never apologize, never explain, which Springsteen has taken to its word.

As I wrote last week, in 35 years of following Bruce I have never seen so many fans prepare to desert the man they have looked to, and admired.

I have thought long and hard about writing this article, because I am not a hater, or a troll — I’m a loyal loyal fan, who’s life has been lived to the soundtrack of Bruce’s music, but this time around, Springsteen has let himself down, but worst of all, he’s let his fans down.

This post was originally published at Medium.com.