Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ A magazine and website that has served Bruce Springsteen’s fans for 43 years is shutting down, with its publisher saying he has been disillusioned by the debate over ticket prices for the current tour. Backstreets had been an unusually robust publication that imposed journalistic rigor on its writing and photography, while leaving no doubt of its fan worship. But the complaints about high ticket prices left people there “dispirited, downhearted and yes, disillusioned,” publisher Christopher Phillips wrote last week in a post announcing the shutdown. “Disappointment is a common feeling among hardcore fans in the Backstreets community,” he wrote. Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, said “we are very sorry to hear the news of Backstreets closing and want to thank Chris Phillips for his 30 years of dedication on behalf of Springsteen fans everywhere.” There was an uproar among some fans when tickets went on sale last summer, particularly over Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model, which sent tickets soaring to $5,000 or more when there was high demand. At a congressional hearing last month following the fiasco over Ticketmaster’s handling of Taylor Swift ticket sales, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana suggested major artists should demand fee caps. Springsteen’s team has defended the prices as being in line with what’s charged today by many of his peers. As with many artists, he says he’s annoyed when unscrupulous ticket brokers benefit from high markups. Ticketmaster has said the vast majority of fans were able to buy tickets at face value, which averaged $202. The tour began Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla. Many Springsteen fans have been with him for decades, appreciating his working-class New Jersey roots, and can remember when a ticket for a four-hour, high-energy show on the “Darkness on the Edge of Town” tour in 1978 could be had for $7.50.
■ Tickets for the first concert of Beyonce’s “Renaissance” world tour sold out Tuesday, and Live Nation said a second Stockholm show was added because of the high demand. The tour starts in Sweden in May and is scheduled to include stops in London, Paris, Barcelona, Toronto and the United States — concluding Sept. 27 in New Orleans. “Renaissance,” the album Beyonce released last year, is a celebration of dance music. At Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Beyonce won for best R&B song, best dance/electronic recording, best dance/ electronic album and best traditional R&B performance. She now has 32 Grammys.