‘They’re in that affordable range’: Bruce Springsteen defends ticket prices for live tour

Some of rock singer’s ticket prices were up to $5,000 due to Ticketmaster’s ‘dynamic prices’

Bruce Springsteen has addressed fan outrage over ticket prices for his forthcoming live tour, arguing that “most” are “totally affordable”.

When tickets for his 2023 tour first went on sale in July, many were shocked to see that some were priced at $5,000 (£4,000).

Shortly after, Ticketmaster responded to the controversy claiming the high prices were due to its “dynamic pricing” programme, which responds to ticket demand. The company increases or decreases prices in line with what others would resell them for, keeping the money in-house for the seller and artist.

Now, speaking to Rolling Stone in an interview published on Friday (18 November), Springsteen was asked if he knew in advance about the dynamic prices and whether he had any regrets.

“What I do is a very simple thing. I tell my guys, ‘Go out and see what everybody else is doing. Let’s charge a little less,’” he answered.

“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.”

However, the “Dancing in the Dark” singer explained that this time he wanted “to do what everybody else is doing”.

“So, that’s what happened,” Springsteen added. “But ticket buying has gotten very confusing, not just for the fans, but for the artists also. And the bottom line is that most of our tickets are totally affordable. They’re in that affordable range.

Bruce Springsteen (Getty Images)

“We have those tickets that are going to go for that [higher] price,” he acknowledged, before saying that typically “the ticket broker or someone is going to be taking that money”.

After questioning why that money shouldn’t be going “to the guys that are going to be up there sweating three hours a night for it”, the 73-year-old rocker said: “It created an opportunity for that to occur.

“And so at that point, we went for it. I know it was unpopular with some fans. But if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.”

Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour begins with its US leg from 1 February to 14 April.

UK concerts are scheduled for Edinburgh, (30 May), Birmingham, (16 June) and London’s Hyde Park (6 and 8 July).