Bruce Springsteen is hitting Broadway with a series of 79 shows that promise to be intimate, in a theatre that seats fewer than 1000 customers. The initial run of tickets sold out in just one day. Originally the run of shows was meant to last until November, but with the huge demand for tickets, it has been extended into February 2018.
Springsteen, known for landmark rock albums such as Born To Run and Born in the USA, has been out of the media loop for some time now. In his prime, he was playing to hundreds of thousands of fans in huge stadiums.
This seems like an attempt to go back to basics and play music for a much smaller crowd.
However, if fans want to buy a ticket, they may well be in for a shock when they hear what the show costs. Tickets start at $75 but do go up sharply to $850 for the very best seats. What is perhaps even more alarming is the price that a ticket tout will probably sell a ticket for. So far, some tickets have gone on sale for $12,000. As things stand, it will be very difficult for fans to buy a ticket from the show organisers, and they may have to rely on touts and agencies.
The White House gig
Springsteen played last year, and unlike many contemporaries on the touring circuit, he pulled off a marathon stint.
Billboard magazine reported that he had the second-highest grossing tour of 2016. The tour ran for 76 gigs, and the artist added $40 million to his bank balance.
While he has not been in the limelight to the extent he was in the eighties, he has been playing some extra special concerts. In January of this year, he played for none other than President Obama at the White House.
The once-in-a-lifetime performance was for the President, his family and some of the white house staff.
The Broadway residency (which is due to start Tuesday 3rd October), is the smallest he has ever done with each night managing to hold 960 customers. Springsteen himself has a special reason for such an intimate, low-key series of concerts.
He wants to have a better connection with his audience and feels that the venue will allow this.
The Boss, costs
Springsteen is charging a lot of money for the best seats though. Last year the average price of a ticket for one of his shows was $111. Now, he's charging up to $850 for a ticket. There has been some pain over this, with many long-time fans saying they would not be going to this year's concerts.
According to The Guardian, when announcing the new tour in August, he had this to say about the way he performs and why he is putting on the smaller shows:
“My show is just me, the guitar, the piano and the words and music. Some of the show is spoken, some of it is sung. It loosely follows the arc of my life and my work.
All of it together is in pursuit of my constant goal to provide an entertaining evening and to communicate something of value.”
So fans can expect The Boss at his very best. Whether or not this will be remains to be seen.
