Bruce Springsteen fans shocked by high ticket prices for upcoming U.S. arena tour

It’s going to cost to see the Boss. And many fans aren’t happy.

Tickets for the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s upcoming U.S. arena tour went on sale Wednesday in some markets, with prices for some floor seats approaching $5,000 each, and more for other spots. And, no, that’s not on the secondary market — that’s direct from Ticketmaster.

So, what gives with such high-dollar face value tickets? That would be Ticketmaster’s so-called “dynamic pricing” system, which causes ticket prices to fluctuate according to demand, Variety reports. Also known as “Official Platinum Seats,” the dynamic pricing program “enables market-based pricing (adjusting prices according to supply and demand) for live ticket events, similar to how airline tickets and hotel rooms are sold,” Ticketmaster notes online.

Philly-based fans, who can’t get tickets until Tuesday, aren’t likely to have it so bad (for once). But that doesn’t mean we’re above a little Boss-based schadenfreude.

For many fans, though, such high ticket prices appeared prohibitive, and were a tough financial pill to swallow — especially given that they’re jacked up so high to see an artist that has long seen as pop culture’s working-class hero.

“Bruce Springsteen should write a song about a working man refinancing his car and home to purchase Bruce Springsteen tickets,” tweeted writer John Semley, capping the quip with a joke about having to sell a hot rod to “go see the Boss at the Wells Fargo Center.”

Other fans also tried to have a little fun with the situation:

Many fans, though, simply posted screenshots of the asking prices for tickets at venues around the country, with one fan calling the price hikes “shameful”:

One outraged fan even asked the E Street Band’s Little Stevie Van Zandt about the pricing on Twitter. The guitarist responded that he has nothing to do with ticket pricing.

For most dates on the tour, fans needed to register through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system in order to buy tickets.

Tickets to Springsteen’s Wells Fargo Center show, scheduled for March 16, 2023, are not being sold through Ticketmaster, and you don’t have to have a Verified Fan code through the service to buy them.

Tickets for Springsteen’s Philly show go on sale starting July 26 at 10 a.m. via the Wells Fargo Center website.