A week ahead of his Philly show, Bruce Springsteen postpones a concert in Columbus due to illness
Springsteen is slated to perform at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on March 16.
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Bruce Springsteen was supposed to play the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday night, but the venue announced the gig’s postponement on social media Thursday afternoon.
“Due to illness, tonight’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band has been postponed,” the arena wrote. “We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”
It wasn’t clear whether Springsteen himself was sick, or if another band member fell ill. Since the group’s 2023 tour began last month, a number of members have contracted COVID-19, including guitarist Steven Van Zandt and saxophonist Jake Clemons. But those illnesses did not result in postponed shows, with sick band members instead taking scheduled shows off.
The postponement comes 15 shows into the tour, which kicked off Feb. 1. This U.S. leg of the tour includes 31 dates before wrapping up April 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Next up for Springsteen and company are shows in Uncasville, Conn., and Albany, N.Y., before a March 16 date at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly. After that, he’s scheduled to next play Philadelphia during the tour’s second U.S. leg with shows Aug. 16 and 18 at Citizens Bank Park.
The tour has already drawn ire from some fans, who have complained of high ticket prices, and difficulties in the purchasing process. In Philadelphia, fans waited in a long digital queue, and some were met with a message thanking them for their patience, and calling the Springsteen ticket sale the “largest demand for tickets in Philadelphia music history.”
Springsteen later addressed the backlash from fans in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying that ticketing has become “very confusing.”
“Well, I’m old. I take a lot of things in stride. You don’t like to be criticized,” Springsteen said. “You certainly don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices. It’s the last thing you prefer to be. But that’s how it went.”