Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Tour 2023

[jingram058]

Anyone going? I'm going tomorrow night at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood, Florida. Last time I saw them was 1981 on The River Tour. That ticket was $10. This time around, 42 years later, cost a good bit more, but nowhere near what some of the reports stated. I have been following the details for the Tampa (1st show of this tour), Atlanta and Orlando (last night) shows. It looks like it should be great. I see after the show, I can get an actual ticket to keep for a souvenir, and I hope there are guys outside selling t-shirts like at all the most recent concerts I have been to...Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (2012), Fleetwood Mac (2014), and U2 (2017).

[BobbyStrawberry]

Are you comfortable sharing how much you paid? I'd be interested in going if tickets were reasonable

[Seven]

I'm going to try to attend one of his dates in the Tri-State Area. His tickets are borderline impossible though up here. Tickets in general, for both concerts and sporting events are way too pricey nowadays.

[jingram058]

Mine were $200 change each, that's with fees and tax included. In line with what all the other heavies cost these days. Certainly not the $1500 horror stories I heard about. Springsteen has a helluva band, and plays every show like it's the last one he will ever do. I'm looking real forward to it.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Mine were $200 change each, that's with fees and tax included. In line with what all the other heavies cost these days. Certainly not the $1500 horror stories I heard about. Springsteen has a helluva band, and plays every show like it's the last one he will ever do. I'm looking real forward to it.

Yeah that's not crazy in today's environment. Plus, he won't be touring forever

[Snapolit1]

$200 is nothing. Prices in NY are are insane. $850 to sit behind the stage. No thanks.

We are supposedly in an an economic disaster in this country. But everytime I look for tickets for a show all of a sudden $500 doesnt get you even a crappy seat. And everyone is driving to the show in a car far better than mine. Makes one wonder.

Seen Bruce more than a dozen times. Not paying $2000 to go with my wife.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

$200 is nothing. Prices in NY are are insane. $850 to sit behind the stage. No thanks.

We are supposedly in an an economic disaster in this country. But everytime I look for tickets for a show all of a sudden $500 doesnt get you even a crappy seat. And everyone is driving to the show in a car far better than mine. Makes one wonder.

Seen Bruce more than a dozen times. Not paying $2000 to go with my wife.

I +1 totally agree. There is no chance I would go for that kind of money.

It was a surreal experience for me buying these tickets. I literally watched the ticket prices go up before my eyes on the Ticketmaster app. First there was the weird lottery to get through just to be able to buy tickets. Then I had 2 $150 tickets selected, and in the course of paying for them was notified they were no longer available. Then the $150 tickets I now have went to $175 as I watched. I was able to get these, and as I say, with "fee" and tax, over $200 each. And then it was weird how they went on sale months before the tour began. But I have the tickets, and look forward to the concert. At 73, who knows how long he can keep going. Same for the Rolling Stones. Now with Tom Petty gone, and Christine McVie gone and Lindsey Buckingham out of Fleetwood Mac, you can see the righting on the wall. I admit I am an old fogey; I couldn't give a good hoot about what is coming along after these guys pack it in.

[Peter_Spaeth]

His rare 1976 Joepie "rookie" and a more common 1978 Swedish Samlarsaker.

[bdk1976]

Originally Posted by jingram058

And then it was weird how they went on sale months before the tour began.

I bought Metallica tickets for my son for Christmas - he will have to wait through another Christmas and two summer birthdays for the concert!!

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

His rare 1976 Joepie "rookie" and a more common 1978 Swedish Samlarsaker.

Those are VERY cool, Peter!

[Snapolit1]

General admission on the floor . . . . $2800

https://www.stubhub.com/bruce-spring...s=&listingQty=

[cesarcap]

I do want to go and seen him at least 20x since 1985. But yes, the tickets are ridiculous. They are priced like 1 of 1 auto orange refractor die cut parallels.... I'm hoping he does stadium shows in the summer--tailgating in the swamps of Jersey enhances the experience.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

General admission on the floor . . . . $2800

https://www.stubhub.com/bruce-spring...s=&listingQty=

I'd rather have a 1914 CJ HOFer for that price, and blast Born to Run on the stereo (do they even call it that anymore) when it comes in the mail.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

General admission on the floor . . . . $2800

https://www.stubhub.com/bruce-spring...s=&listingQty=

The Three C's (Cards, Concerts and Cars) are getting too expensive nowadays!

Hell we can even add Coffee as a fourth!

People will pay the price for Bruce though. Especially with so many of the Rock Stars from the 60s and 70s dying off. It's a shame how many we have lost in the past decade alone.

[mcgwirecom]

I love Springsteen, seen him dozens of times starting in 1984. But I have to say this, he is supposed to be the working mans hero but his prices now have kept this working man away. Sorry

[Rad_Hazard]

I wouldn't mind seeing Springsteen but he isn't touring anywhere close to me.

That being said we had Robert Plant/Allison Krauss tickets sell out here in record time and people are scalping them for 1k+ now. Thankfully I had no interest in that show, but I am pretty shocked that anyone would pay that kind of money for that show. I guess the Led Zeppelin thing and all, but I've never really understood why people like Zeppelin, to each their own though.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Rad_Hazard

I wouldn't mind seeing Springsteen but he isn't touring anywhere close to me.

That being said we had Robert Plant/Allison Krauss tickets sell out here in record time and people are scalping them for 1k+ now. Thankfully I had no interest in that show, but I am pretty shocked that anyone would pay that kind of money for that show. I guess the Led Zeppelin thing and all, but I've never really understood why people like Zeppelin, to each their own though.

Plant and Krauss playing New Orleans Jazzfest on April 28. I will be there. Can get a single day pass for $80. They are amazing. Not $1000 amazing of course.

[jingram058]

Couple of thoughts about last night's show in Hollywood, Florida. First, Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino is the perfect place to attend a concert. There are no bad seats, and it's acoustically perfect. Second, there is no band better than the E Street Band in my humble opinion. The only way I would consider seeing him. Jake Clemons has become the new Big Man. And yes, they did a tribute to both Clarence and Danny Federici. Finally, there's no middle ground with Springsteen. He's either The Boss to you, or you sneer down your nose. Last night he was still The Boss somehow. I don't know if he ate his Wheaties or what. But he was in rare voice for 73, like his old self, with a fabulous setlist to boot. I didn't pay $1000 for our tickets, either. In complete line with what every other big act costs. I would do it again, most definitely, and if given the chance will.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Glad to hear he didn't disappoint! It's pretty amazing some of these acts in their 70s and 80s are still going strong in live shows.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I'd rather have a 1914 CJ HOFer for that price, and blast Born to Run on the stereo (do they even call it that anymore) when it comes in the mail.

You are a dinosaur, you should stream it from an app on a device.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

You are a dinosaur, you should stream it from an app on a device.

Ha! Yes, I have my Apple playlists on my phone and my Bose Bluetooth player in each room, I just don't know what you call that set-up.

[philliesfan]

I have always wanted to see Springsteen in concert and is by far my favorite musician. I just never had the opportunity to see him. Now I am 62 and would love to see him but it is way too costly. I have a son in college at Temple University and tuition is a lot. Well, I do have spotify and have every album on it. I play Springsteen about 90% of the time.
Bob

[Seven]

I did a little digging.

In 1979 an orchestra ticket to see Bruce Springsteen was $18.50 or about $78 in today's money, when we factor inflation. Perfectly reasonable, If I say so myself. The closest equivalent to an orchestra seat today, for Bruce Springsteen costs over $3000 factoring in fees. I thought Bruce was supposed to be the champion of the working class? Guess he's become part of the machine that he's long rallied against, as he throws stones while living in his glass house.

And Don't get me wrong, I love his music, and will continue to enjoy it for years to come. It's hard to prescribe to the political gospel he likes to spread though, when he himself is part of the problem. That's the most political I will ever get on here

[jingram058]

When I saw Springsteen in 1981, on The River Tour, the concert was over 3 hours. After Thunder Road, the house lights came on, and he announced they were going to take a break and come back and "rock all night". They did an entire 2nd set, with 3 separate encores ending with the Detroit Medley. My tickets were ground floor of the Mid-South Coliseum about 30 rows back. Not the pit, but could see and hear everything. Those tickets cost $10. I still have one of the stubs, and a program I bought. There were no added singers or horn players. Just the E Street Band. I thought then and still think it was maybe the best concert I ever went to, and I am a guy who went to A LOT of concerts. Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, you name them. If they came to Memphis back then, and back then everyone did, I went. Except Led Zeppelin, I saw them in Chicago and that's another story.

I decided this time around, after 42 years, I wanted to see him with the E Street Band one more time. I saw the weirdness with Ticketmaster first hand when the tickets were announced. First, I had to get through a lottery just to be able to buy tickets. Somehow I got through that. Then purchasing the tickets was crazy; tickets that disappeared, tickets that rose in price right before your eyes, all of that. Finally I got 2 tickets that came to $200 change each after fees and tax. Yes, more than $10 in 1981, but in line with what it costs to see any name act today. Not $2000 in the pit, or any other horror stories, but reasonable, given what it costs to see or do practically anything today.

Then came the show the other night. When I bought the tickets I looked up Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Hollywood, Florida. It was stated that there are no bad seats in the house, and the acoustics are perfect. It lived up to that. The seats in the 2nd balcony (3rd floor) were perfect, like IMAX seating, very comfortable and yes, because of how Hard Rock Live is built, you can see and hear everything. There were 10 or 12 good looking 20-something girls who all came together in the row in front of us. They were up dancing from the first song, No Surrender, to the final acoustic encore song by Springsteen solo, I'll See You Tonight In My Dreams. I don't know where they got the energy to do that for 3 straight hours, but it in no way bothered us because of the IMAX-like structure. Plus the rows are far enough apart that you can go take a leak without tripping over or bothering anyone to do it. Hard Rock Live also has gigantic (colossal) big screen HD monitors to left and right of the stage, so you can see as if you're in the pit no matter where you are.

I feel the E Street Band is the best band around. I used to feel the same about The Heartbreakers, but now with Tom Petty gone, they are no more. I thought there was no way the E Street Band could go on without Danny Federici, and most especially The Big Man, Clarence Clemons. Jake Clemons, Clarence's nephew, make no mistake, is The New Big Man. He wails on the sax like Clarence, and the banter and interplay between him and Springsteen is now like how it was.

The concert was 3 hours long, 7:45 to 10:45 PM, practically non stop. Bruce was in truly rare form for whatever reason. The whole band was. Everyone seemed totally into it, and the audience was also, on their feet for 3 hours. Bruce's voice was time-warp, sounding like 30 or 40 years ago. I was astounded by that. I also noticed that he gave away his harmonica after every number that included one. They did every single song I could have wanted to hear, even the Sad Eyes in the middle of Backstreets. The thing that has always been the thing about the E Street Band is that they actually sound better live than on record. Very, very few bands or performers can do that.

So that's it. An experience just as memorable as 1981. Quite different, but equally great. I have a bootleg of the 1981 concert, and I listened to it last night. Raw and incredible, start to finish. I will download February 7, 2023 at Hard Rock Live just as soon as it becomes available.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Seven

I did a little digging.

In 1979 an orchestra ticket to see Bruce Springsteen was $18.50 or about $78 in today's money, when we factor inflation. Perfectly reasonable, If I say so myself. The closest equivalent to an orchestra seat today, for Bruce Springsteen costs over $3000 factoring in fees. I thought Bruce was supposed to be the champion of the working class? Guess he's become part of the machine that he's long rallied against, as he throws stones while living in his glass house.

And Don't get me wrong, I love his music, and will continue to enjoy it for years to come. It's hard to prescribe to the political gospel he likes to spread though, when he himself is part of the problem. That's the most political I will ever get on here

No doubt he had humble roots, but it wears thin on me too when someone that wealthy and privileged still tries to come across like a working class hero. No denying his huge talent, showmanship, and influence on music though.

[Cliff Bowman]

[b]

Originally Posted by peter_spaeth

No doubt he had humble roots, but it wears thin on me too when someone that wealthy and privileged still tries to come across like a working class hero. No denying his huge talent, showmanship, and influence on music though.

I'm glad someone finally said it.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

[b]

I'm glad someone finally said it.

Well if you don't like that he charges what everyone else in the music business is charging, then don't go. Don't go to the Super Bowl, or World Series, either. I personally believe he's as stand up as anyone. The big stars tend to make a lot of money, be it music, sports, what have you. Springsteen has his own charity, and gives a lot to that charity, and others. Where's yours? You and Peter have a lot of big money cards. When is the last time you gave one away? The show I went to the other day was a total sellout, standing room only. The one I went to in 1981 was also. As I said earlier on in this thread, there's no middle ground. People either love him, or condescendingly sneer. A lot of people apparently love him. Lots of haters, too.

[mortimer brewster]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Well if you don't like that he charges what everyone else in the music business is charging, then don't go. Don't go to the Super Bowl, or World Series, either. I personally believe he's as stand up as anyone. The big stars tend to make a lot of money, be it music, sports, what have you. Springsteen has his own charity, and gives a lot to that charity, and others. Where's yours? You and Peter have a lot of big money cards. When is the last time you gave one away? The show I went to the other day was a total sellout, standing room only. The one I went to in 1981 was also. As I said earlier on in this thread, there's no middle ground. People either love him, or condescendingly sneer. A lot of people apparently love him. Lots of haters, too.

James,

How can you be a working class hero if you never had a working class job? His image is carefully crafted. His talent was acknowledged. I don't see the hate from those 2 comments. You may need a snickers bar.

What I find concerning is all this talk from politicians about how tough the economy is, yet venues are selling out at inflated prices. Restaurants are full. People are gambling at record rates etc etc etc; yet people can't pay their student loans? credit card debt is at a record high. Default rates on car loans and mortgages are rising.....

[Snapolit1]

Springsteen grew up in a hard scrabble town and his dad and everyone else in his life growing up was blue collar or lower. And he took up music at an early age and did it his whole life. To say he can't sing about the working man because he never held a 9-5 job is silly. How many famous authors and musicians have written about life as lived by others. Honestly that's a ridiculous comment. Would be like saying John Wayne can't play someone in the military because he never served. Or Kevin Cosner can't play a western rancher because he grew up in California. Yes, all these people have an "image" they cultivate. Goes with the nature of what they do.

[Seven]

I'm not denying that Bruce paid his dues, I'm sure he did back in the day. His working class background, and nights spent playing at dives in Asbury Park back in the day are well reflected in his vast catalogue of music.

I have a major issue with how the industry runs itself today. I can't fault Bruce for doing what he does, when it comes to his concerts and his ticket prices. The Ticket Master monopoly is a major problem, and acts as a gateway to get into events. It's something that's well documented. He could choose not to use this service, to sell his tickets but he does so anyway. I can't fault him, it's a smart business decision and people will pay. I would gladly pay for the ticket if I could, I just don't want to have to choose between seeing Bruce Springsteen or making rent for the month.

I'll say this much, I would've gladly seen him back in 1979 If I could. Unfortunately, I wasn't alive in 1979. That show predates my existence by about 15 years. Acts like Bruce, The Eagles, Paul McCartney, etc are relics of a past age, they're a dying breed. They still put on great shows, and I'd love to see them all, while I can, because I really love their music. I understand I'm not the main demographic that these bands are appealing too,Because I'm sure someone in their 60s probably has a lot easier of a time affording a $500 ticket. It just is what it is, unfortunately.

[mainemule]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

His rare 1976 Joepie "rookie" and a more common 1978 Swedish Samlarsaker.

I love these- thanks for sharing.

Do you know anything about this supposed "rare" Bruce/Clarence Panini set of 4? This seems like a big chunk of change for 4 relatively modern stickers.

https://circuitrecords.com/products/...-gum-card-1986

Thanks!!

[jimtigers65]

I was lucky enough to see him in the Born in the USA tour, Pontiac Michigan. Tickets cost me $17.50. I remember standing in line for an hour at a Ticketmaster located in a local mall.