Bruce Springsteen Fans Are Fuming Over $3,500 Tickets—And The Boss Should Know Better

So, Bruce Springsteen is heading back out on the road with the E Street Band, and you'd think after all these years, The Boss would know how to treat his people. But if you've been eyeing tickets for his reunion tour, brace yourselves—because the prices are enough to make you weep into your pint.

Word started trickling in this week that some tickets for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour are hitting astronomical numbers. We're talking $3,000 a pop—that's around $3,500 for us here in New Zealand. For a single night. In all fairness, for that kind of money, you'd expect Bruce to pop round to your place afterwards for a cuppa and a sing-along.

From 'Dancing in the Dark' to Crying in the Dark

Fans have taken to social media to vent their frustration, and let's just say, it's not pretty. The general sentiment seems to be that the man who once sang about being "Dancing in the Dark" has left his faithful followers fumbling for the light switch—and their wallets. Here's a taste of what's doing the rounds:

• "$3,500 for Bruce Springsteen tickets? I'd want him to come to my house and do my dishes for a month."
• "The Boss has become the Bank Manager. Shameful."
• "I remember when you could see Bruce and the E Street Band for twenty bucks. Now that's a ghost story."

It's a far cry from the days documented in the brilliant When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, a film that showed the raw, hungry artist winning over crowds with nothing but heart and a Telecaster. Back then, it was about the music. Now, it feels like it's about the bottom line. And Kiwi fans who've queued for hours in the wind and rain outside venues like Western Springs Stadium or trundled down to Mission Estate know that feeling all too well.

Bowing to Inflation? Even the Cartoonists Are Having a Field Day

The backlash has even caught the eye of political cartoonists. Over in New Jersey, the great Drew Sheneman summed it up perfectly with a cartoon titled "Bruce bows to inflation," showing The Boss at a ticket booth with prices through the roof. It's a brutal but fair point: in an era where everything from your flat white to your weekly rent has gone up, Springsteen tickets have decided to launch themselves into outer space.

And wouldn't you know it, the whole fiasco has even dragged in the name of a certain former US president. With The Boss having been vocal about his political views over the years—famously clashing with Donald Trump over the use of his music—there's a certain irony in fans now feeling like they're being stung just to see him. Honestly, you couldn't make it up.

What About the Kiwi Fans?

For Springsteen's massive New Zealand following, the news is a bitter pill. We've always felt a connection to him, haven't we? From his love of writers like the great New Zealand novelists to the way his music captures the spirit of the everyday battler. But at these prices, the battler is being left on the bench. There's been no official word on Aotearoa dates yet, but if and when they come, it's hard to see how they'll escape the pricing model that's causing chaos elsewhere. The memory of his From My Home To Yours lockdown broadcasts, where he brought comfort from his own living room, feels like a lifetime ago—and certainly a more affordable one.

Maybe the solution is to dig out the old vinyl, crank up Bruce Springsteen: Dancing in the Dark on the stereo, and remember when the biggest investment was the cost of the album. Or, as one wag put it: "For the price of one ticket, I could fly to New Jersey, stand outside his house, and heckle him for free." And honestly, that's got a classic Kiwi vibe to it, doesn't it?