Springsteen fans are on fire over ticket prices for St. Paul show and other 2023 dates

The glory days of seeing Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for less than $150 are seemingly over.

Fans of the once blue-collar rock legend from New Jersey saw red on Thursday morning when tickets for his March 5 show at the Xcel Energy Center went on sale through Ticketmaster’s VerifiedFan program for prices as high as $2,000 and with very little under $250.

“I saw the awards, burst out laughing and went on with my day,” said Steve Rood, a regular at Prior Lake gigs.

Those costs are three to four times what Twin Cities fans paid the last time Springsteen and E Street played at the Xcel Energy Center in 2016, when ground tickets cost around $120 before fees. They were also much higher than the cost of its 2023 European dates, where many places were available for less than 200 euros (about 200 US dollars).

A look at the prices for the next Xcel Center show revealed these deals around 11 a.m. Thursday: $2,050 plus fees for second-row seats upstairs; $950 plus general admission “pit” in front of the stage; $790 plus fees for the fifth row in section 103 (“lower bowl”) near the stage; $370 to $275 for other floor seats; and $150 plus fees for random seats within 200 levels (“nosebleeds”).

Other US cities on its 2023 see floor seats top $4,000, sparking a lot of outcry on fan site Backstreets: “It’s not fair. Almost $10,000 for two tickets halfway to the arena,” the @BlogItAllNight superfan posted on Twitter reacting to the awards in Tampa, Florida.

With Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, being the promoter of the US tour dates, the VerifiedFan program was implemented for the tour ostensibly as a way to prevent ticket brokers/resellers from picking them up at the place of the fans. However, many fans and industry observers are beginning to see VerifiedFan as Ticketmaster’s way of join resellers rather than beat them, because the company raises prices based on demand.

These prices are comparable to those charged by the Rolling Stones at US Bank Stadium last year. Another recent show that caused a lot of sticker shock: VerfiedFan’s general admission tickets to see fiery teenage pop newcomer Olivia Rodrigo at the Armory in April were around $450.

In such cases, ticket prices usually drop closer to the concert date. However, given that this is the Boss’ first tour with his former crew in six years – and there may not be many such outings left in the 72-year-old rocker’s career – from many fans don’t want to risk being shut down. out.

“Expensive, but this might be the last time,” said Kristi Edwards of Eagan, who paid $317 for her spot in Section 119 as she watched the scene from the side.