Bruce Springsteen’s Manager Releases Statement on Ticket Price Controversy

Bruce Springsteen and his 2023 tour with the E Street Band are still a hot topic in the music world due to Ticketmaster's pricing structure that led to some tickets being priced upwards of $5,000. Following Ticketmaster releasing a statement on the matter, Springsteen's longtime manager Jon Landau has now addressed the controversy.

In a piece for The New York Times, Landau said, "In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing. We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others. Regardless of the commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more, our true average ticket price has been in the mid-$200 range. I believe that in today’s environment, that is a fair price to see someone universally regarded as among the very greatest artists of his generation."

As we previously reported, Ticketmaster clarified the going price for most of the tickets being sold stating the average ticket price for Springsteen's tour was $202 with the pricing range running from $59.50 to $399 before fees. About 88% of the tickets sold fall under this pricing.

As for the outrageously expensive tickets that led to all of the backlash, Ticketmaster says 11.8% of tickets fell under their "dynamic pricing" program where pricing fluctuates based on ticket demand, and only 1.3% of those tickets sold for over $1,000.

Bruce Springsteen fans are very angry about the ticket pricing for his upcoming tour with the E Street Band.

Per Variety, many fans were stunned by prices with some tickets going for upwards of $5,000.

"It was an introduction for many fans to Ticketmaster’s 'dynamic pricing' program, in which 'platinum tickets' — which may be placed anywhere in the arena, from the front section to the back rows — fluctuate in price, in what is said to be ongoing reaction to demand," noted Variety. "The system lets ticket prices quickly rise to a level it’s believed resellers would get for them, keeping that extra money in-house for the artist and promoter. But as Wednesday’s ticket sales went on and went up, even some concert veterans who know and accept the idea of variable pricing wondered: Would even scalpers ask close to $5,000 for a good but not directly front-of-house seat?"

Neither Springsteen nor Ticketmaster has issued a statement on this matter, but that didn't stop fans from sounding off on Twitter. Here are some notable reactions.