Bruce Springsteen, top ticket on Broadway, extends 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 working-class 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.

Instead of Springsteen's high-octane arena shows with his E Street Band -- whose surprise song choices once marveled fans -- the Broadway concerts feature the rocker alone on piano and guitar and a standard setlist.

The shows, which follow the release of Springsteen's autobiography, start with his early song "Growin' Up" about his teenage years and culminate in "Born to Run," his classic hit of escape and ambition.

Source:AFP