Bruce Springsteen is set to launch a tour with his E Street Band in 2016, but the classic rock icon, also known by his nickname “The Boss,” is already making headlines. Even before ticket sales for the concert, which will promote Springsteen’s reissue of 1980’s The River double album, have officially gone on sale, ticket prices have already begun to soar, prompting at least one investigation.
The New York attorney general’s office is looking into whether the practice of offering “speculative” ticket listings through a secondary party constitutes deceptive advertising. According to ABC News , Attorney General Eric Schneiderman initiated the probe by sending letters to StubHub, TicketNetwork, and Vivid Seats, which asked about the practice of offering tickets that the sellers may not physically possess.
The investigation was launched when rising ticket sale prices for Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour drew the attention and criticism of fans.
“Even though tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour haven’t even gone on sale yet, our investigation’s seeing that tickets on the secondary market are going for up to $5,000 apiece,” Schneiderman said.
Even though $5,000 is enough to make most of Springsteen’s fans take pause, that’s not even the highest of the tickets being offered. While the top ticket price for Bruce’s Newark, New Jersey, show, scheduled for New Year’s Eve, is $7,500, TicketNetwork is offering luxury box seats to Bruce’s concerts for $24,000 apiece.
Schneiderman says that such behavior is predatory and creates mistrust in the industry. In addition to driving up ticket prices, the New York attorney general says he’s concerned over incidents where consumers are left with no tickets at all. When ticket sellers sell tickets they don’t have, it’s the consumer’s money that they gamble with and the consumer who all too often gets burned.
It’s recommended that consumers be wary of buying tickets that can be printed at home, as the less reputable sellers may be selling the same ticket to multiple buyers. It’s also suggested that tickets be purchased with credit cards, as opposed to cash, wire transfers, or prepaid spending cards, because credit card purchases enable buyers to dispute their purchase.
Springsteen has had his eye on a new solo project, but, just as Bruce was about to jump into it, he realized the lengthy work of the project would keep him from touring with his E Street Band for two to three years. Instead, Bruce decided to take a break and spend 2016 playing with the band on a new tour. The 24-date tour will begin next month in Pittsburgh and will coincide with the reissue of The River , according to Ultimate Classic Rock .
Springsteen says that the re-release of The River as an expanded box set prompted the idea of touring. At first, there were no plans to tour, says Bruce, but plans evolved from a few dates to the extended tour that is now in the works. As the prospect of touring with the band and promoting The River ‘s reissue became a reality, Springsteen says he has felt excited to get back on stage.
“It’ll be nice to get some playing in so you don’t wind up being two or three years between E Street tours,” Mr. Springsteen says. “This will give us a chance to get out there and stretch our muscles a little bit.”
The E Street lineup joining Bruce Springsteen for this tour will be downsized from the 2014 High Hopes edition. Joining Springsteen and the E Street band this time around will be guitarist Tom Morello, Jake Clemons (Clarence Clemons’ nephew), and violinist Soozie Tyrell.
[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]
