Bruce Springsteen to Make Broadway Debut at the Walter Kerr - November 2017- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 12:17am

While a gorgeous theater, maybe not the best one suited for a rock concert... 

[BJR]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 1:50pm

It's worth noting Bruce's fanbase is now in their 50s & 60s. So, while it will be a rock concert, these aren't going to be that rowdy a bunch. What's more, those who can afford to see it / manage to get tickets will dictate a certain audience as well.

I can't imagine they won't figure out a better bar situation, if they're relying on it for rent.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 3:03pm

'gazillions of booze'---Broadway, and people complain about all the Disney shows!!

 

Ushers won't be needed as all tickets come with a phone.

A friend leases a theatre and any time his theatre rents out to rock shows,alternate performers, the bar sales are phenomenal and audience behaviour is appaling.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 3:12pm

Springsteen minus the E Street Band did an acoustic tour of small arenas after the Born to Run tour in the late 1980s. The venues weren't as small as the Walter Kerr, but the house they played in Los Angeles was considerably smaller than Giants Stadium (where I had seen him the year before).

His acoustic set was brilliant. Springsteen is one of the few lyricists who can hold his own with Sondheim even and it was amazing to hear an acoustic set where every word was crystal clear.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 7:25pm

GavestonPS said: "Springsteen minus the E Street Band did an acoustic tour of small arenas after the Born to Run tour in the late 1980s. The venues weren't as small as the Walter Kerr, but the house they played in Los Angeles was considerably smaller than Giants Stadium (where I had seen him the year before).

His acoustic set was brilliant. Springsteen is one of the few lyricists who can hold his own with Sondheim even and it was amazing to hear an acoustic set where every word was crystal clear."

Bruce has done several solo acoustic tours to date.  There was "The Ghost of Tom Joad" tour in '95/'96, where he played places like the Beacon Theatre in NYC, the Wiltern in LA, and the Orpheum in Boston.

Then, in 2005, he did the "Devils & Dust" tour, with shows at places like the Paramount in Asbury Park and the Pantages in Hollywood.

It's been rumored that he has been working on a solo/non-E Street album for awhile now, so I could see a show on Broadway showcasing some of that new material.  It's my hope that, if this comes to pass, he will also take the show to other cities.  It wouldn't have to be a full-blown tour, but week-long stands in LA and Chicago, and several days in SF, Boston, Philly, et al. would be great.

I'm a huge Springsteen fan and, having seen The Boss several times in an acoustic setting, I can tell you that the vibe is very different from the party atmosphere of his arena & stadium gigs. People actually sit & listen to the songs & stories, and alcohol consumption and general rowdiness is considerably less.

So, if Bruce does sing "Thunder Road" on Broadway someday, I expect it will be in a version like this one from Sydney earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSS-kKRQ0_c   

 

 

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 9:00pm

The live album "Hammersmith Odeon '75," probably better known as Disc 2 of the deluxe "Born to Run," is an E Street Band concert, but with a smaller band than the gigantic one that he would tour with in later years. Many cuts on that concert are played in a more intimate manner, such as the slow, sad "original version" of Thunder Road. Listen to that one if you don't think Bruce can do small, theatrical or intimate.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/18/17 at 9:03pm

PepperedShepherd said: "GavestonPS said: "Springsteen minus the E Street Band did an acoustic tour of small arenas after the Born to Run tour in the late 1980s. The venues weren't as small as the Walter Kerr, but the house they played in Los Angeles was considerably smaller than Giants Stadium (where I had seen him the year before).

His acoustic set was brilliant. Springsteen is one of the few lyricists who can hold his own with Sondheim even and it was amazing to hear an acoustic set where every word was crystal clear."

Bruce has done several solo acoustic tours to date.  There was "The Ghost of Tom Joad" tour in '95/'96, where he played places like the Beacon Theatre in NYC, the Wiltern in LA, and the Orpheum in Boston.

Then, in 2005, he did the "Devils & Dust" tour, with shows at places like the Paramount in Asbury Park and the Pantages in Hollywood.

It's been rumored that he has been working on a solo/non-E Street album for awhile now, so I could see a show on Broadway showcasing some of that new material.  It's my hope that, if this comes to pass, he will also take the show to other cities.  It wouldn't have to be a full-blown tour, but week-long stands in LA and Chicago, and several days in SF, Boston, Philly, et al. would be great.

I'm a huge Springsteen fan and, having seen The Boss several times in an acoustic setting, I can tell you that the vibe is very different from the party atmosphere of his arena & stadium gigs. People actually sit & listen to the songs & stories, and alcohol consumption and general rowdiness is considerably less.

So, if Bruce does sing "Thunder Road" on Broadway someday, I expect it will be in a version like this one from Sydney earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSS-kKRQ0_c   

 

 

 

"

He did "Thunder Road" as the encore when I saw his acoustic set.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 11:38am

It's official.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/189381/its-official-bruce-springsteen-will-play-concert-engagement-on-the-great-white-way/

Walter Kerr Theatre.

Oct 3 - Nov 26.

5 shows a week.

Tickets on sale Aug 30 through Ticketmaster Verified Fan.

"I wanted to do some shows that were as personal and as intimate as possible," said Springsteen. "My show is just me, the guitar, the piano and the words and music. Some of the show is spoken, some of it is sung. It loosely follows the arc of my life and my work. All of it together is in pursuit of my constant goal to provide an entertaining evening and to communicate something of value."

Updated On: 8/9/17 at 11:38 AM

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 12:45pm

I know there were some comments when it was announced that the Harry Potter would use Ticketmaster Verified Fan system. Is this the wave of the future? It seems like you have to win a lottery to purchase tickets instead of being first-come/first-served. Not crazy about this. Curious what others think.

[Evans2]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 1:55pm

wolfwriter said: "I know there were some comments when it was announced that the Harry Potter would use Ticketmaster Verified Fan system. Is this the wave of the future? It seems like you have to win a lottery to purchase tickets instead of being first-come/first-served. Not crazy about this. Curious what others think."

 

It's actually designed to stop scalpers from using ticket bots to buy tickets. The idea is that more tickets reach the hands of the actual public. 

A ticketmaster account is required to be verified. Basically, the system confirms that you are a real person.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 4:31pm

wolfwriter said: "I know there were some comments when it was announced that the Harry Potter would use Ticketmaster Verified Fan system. Is this the wave of the future? It seems like you have to win a lottery to purchase tickets instead of being first-come/first-served. Not crazy about this. Curious what others think."

Variety just published an article about the Verified Fan system.

http://variety.com/2017/legit/news/verified-fan-tickets-bruce-springsteen-broadway-1202520748/

Before reading that, I too thought it was basically a lottery-type system. Now it sounds like there is much more to it than that, with Ticketmaster employing "identity protocols" to verify customers.  I imagine, for example, TM might scan my account/purchase history and see that I buy tickets occasionally and don't resell, whereas a bot/scalper account might show dozens of tickets bought and resold. So I get Verified; they don't.

But, as the article says, being Verified only puts you in the position of maybe being able to buy a ticket when the sale goes live. There could still be lotteries, virtual waiting rooms, etc., to get past.

 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 6:29pm

It also states that a customer may only purchase two tickets total. 

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 6:51pm

I did this for the Imagine Dragons tour and it's a bunch of bs. They want you to pre-order a bunch of their new albums or bother your friends on social media with referrals to get towards the "front of the line" to get tickets before other people. It's completely garbage but I wouldn't expect anything less from ticketmaster. This is not the way to avoid bots and scalpers.

I'm not seeing the Bruce show but I'll probably try to go to the box office for Potter just to avoid fees anyway if it's even open. 

Updated On: 8/9/17 at 06:51 PM

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 8/9/17 at 11:07pm

PepperedShepherd said: 

Variety just published an article about the Verified Fan system.

http://variety.com/2017/legit/news/verified-fan-tickets-bruce-springsteen-broadway-1202520748/

...being Verified only puts you in the position of maybe being able to buy a ticket when the sale goes live. There could still be lotteries, virtual waiting rooms, etc., to get past.

 

 

Thanks for posting that article, PepperedShepherd, although I'm disturbed by the possibility of an "engagement metric," meaning those who just want to see the show but have no interest in being otherwise "engaged," have less chance. With Harry Potter, the run will be long, so eventually, everyone will get tix, but for limited engagements, like Springsteen, you may never get the opportunity to purchase tickets.

Broadway Joe's experience, is what I'm fearful of. While the 'verified' system may not promote scalping, it seems to promote a sort of 'favoritism' based on your level of engagement. I've seen Springsteen 2 dozen times since the late 70s, which, I think, is pretty "engaged," but I probably wouldn't take part in 'engagement' requirements for Broadway. So far, not a fan of this system, but I'll keep an open mind.

[A Canadian in NYC]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 12:03am

Would anyone like to take a guess at what ticket price will be???  

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 12:13am

A Canadian in NYC said: "Would anyone like to take a guess at what ticket price will be??? "

 
The website says: "Tickets range from $75 to $850."

http://brucespringsteen.net/broadway/

Updated On: 8/10/17 at 12:13 AM

[SweetLips]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 2:50am

I havn't read much of this thread as I could care less about Springsteen but a 'Broadway debut' to me is not about doing a concert in a Broadway theatre--just about a building and it's proximity.

[Tandrews]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 7:47am

TM Verified Fan is definitely a pure-play at gathering more personal info and monetizing it. I had a similar experience with another show and it attempted to spam my contacts and "share" my status with the whole world! I prefer to keep what I do in my home and outside private to the universe. Discriminating against who the "real" fans are in the name of battling the bots seems to me like a rather weak solution to the "bot wars".

Why not start actually charging these bot people under the new laws!?! I am always stunned when I attempt to see Hamilton and entire consecutive rows are on TM verified resale (which are clearly scalpers/bots). Oh but wait...TM and the producers generate a percentage of revenue from every re-sale on the TM verified re-sale site! Hypocrisy at its finest!

Also, what happens if you buy tickets on TM verified fan and then can't see the show? They even seem to be restricting what you can do in this instance as well!

Does anyone know whether tickets will be available at the box office to avoid excessive TM fees?

Rant.over.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 7:59am

I registered. Basically, I've been told I'll get another email the day before as a reminder, and then one 2-4 hours before tix are released with a code, if I get one.  I can't imagine too much "engagement" could happen.

 

We'll see.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 11:40am

dramamama611 said: "I registered. Basically, I've been told I'll get another email the day before as a reminder, and then one 2-4 hours before tix are released with a code, if I get one.  I can't imagine too much "engagement" could happen."

I agree. What kind of "engagement" can they expect in the 2-4 hours before tickets are sold?

I know some digital lotteries give you additional entries if you tweet or post a link on Facebook, but that wouldn't have make much sense in this situation.

From what I can tell from searching about the Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park Verified Fan programs, there was an extra layer between registering and ticket pre-sales. You registered through a service called Strobe, which then tracked your "engagement" (link sharing, cd purchases, etc.) for a set period before the pre-sale.  Your place-in-line group for the pre-sale could change based upon said "engagement".

This doesn't sound like the same situation with Bruce -- or Harry Potter.  We shall see....

 

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 11:57am

Good point, PepperedShepherd, but they mentioned an engagement metric, so maybe that has another meaning. As dramamama611 said, we will have to wait and see.

I'm surprised at ticket prices. While Bruce tends to live a different life than he sings about, and that's totally fine, $850 seems like the working men and women won't be enjoying him on Broadway. His 4 hour concerts are much less expensive and I'm a bit surprised he would agree to that pricing. I wonder if the atrocious balcony at the Walter Kerr is $75?!?

$850 seems like a record for regular-priced Broadway tickets.((sigh))

[Keiichi2]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 1:28pm

So, I wonder if you would be able to buy tickets for Harry Potter outside of the verified program.  I'm planning to take a friend who's a huge Potter geek in December of 2018, and hoping I can just look for tickets normally at some point.

[wolfwriter]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 1:52pm

Not sure, but it doesn't sound like that's the plan. In London, they were even refusing entry to people who bought tix on the secondary market. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen, if they try that here.

http://www.playbill.com/article/london-harry-potter-is-refusing-to-accept-re-sold-tickets

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 8/10/17 at 2:16pm

So Bruce Springsteen is about to play the Walter Kerr, but does anyone remember Bruce in ''High Fidelity,'' the wonderful 2006 musical by Tom Kitt and Amanda Green? Rob (played by Will Chase), a struggling record-store owner, wonders aloud: ''Why can't I be like The Boss?'' Then Bruce, in white T-shirt and blue jeans, with a guitar, suddenly shows up. ''Call me Mr. Springsteen,'' he says. (OK, Bruce was actually played by Jon Patrick Walker.) Then Rob and Bruce launch into ''Goodbye and Good Luck,'' a marvelous musical fantasy number and brilliant Springsteen parody. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fmtgIJJITw

Updated On: 8/10/17 at 02:16 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 8/11/17 at 10:46pm

Springsteen on Broadway just call it BossWay ~