Bruce Springsteen, extends smash-hit Broadway run
Bruce Springsteen on Tuesday announced four more months of intimate concerts on Broadway after his initial run triggered massive interest — and wide disappointment among fans who couldn’t get tickets.
The rock legend, who for decades has sold out arenas with his adrenaline-fueled marathon performances, said he would extend his residency at the 960-seat Walter Kerr Theatre from February 28 to June 30. Springsteen opened the shows on October 3 and already extended once, until February 3, with tickets selling out nearly instantly.
The 68-year-old balladeer of workingclass America set prices at $75 to $800 — but tickets immediately reappeared on resale sites at much higher prices. As of Tuesday, the cheapest ticket on resale site StubHub was $1,449 — significantly higher than Broadway’s most coveted theater seats including those for “Hamilton” and Bette Midler’s revival of “Hello, Dolly!” Springsteen has tried to reduce scalping through a new verification system by Ticketmaster, which asks fans to sign up and uses algorithms to determine the likelihood that they will attend before providing a code to allow purchases.
In light of the number of fans who were unable to buy tickets initially, the ticketing company said it would not start a new verification round, instead sending codes to fans who already signed up. Springsteen has said he was inspired to create a more intimate concert experience after he played a somber private show at the White House as a gift from departing President Barack Obama to staff. — AFP