Bruce Springsteen, Ticketmaster Won’t Be Fined for Springsteen Ticket Flap

By BRIAN THOMPSON

NBCNewYork.com

updated 5 minutes ago

Ticketmaster has agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the New Jersey attorney general’s office over its sale of tickets to upcoming Bruce Springsteen concerts at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands.

Fans who tried to buy tickets online several weeks ago complained that within seconds of the tickets going on sale online, the Ticketmaster Web site was directing people to a subsidiary called TicketsNow, which acts as a re-seller of tickets at a much higher price.

Some 2,200 complaints were made to New Jersey’s Division of Consumer Affairs over the Web site and what many felt was a “bait and switch.”

Ticketmaster has agreed to refund the difference for fans who bought at the higher-priced TicketsNow site. Also, 2,000 tickets for the shows will be made available for purchase in a random drawing for everyone who actually filed complaints with the state.

Ticketmaster has agreed for the next year, at least, it will not show a link from its primary Web site to the TicketsNow site. After, any proposed link will need personal approval of New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.

The company also agreed that it will no longer buy internet advertising that would steer people searching for Ticketmaster, on Google, for example, over to the higher-priced TicketsNow site.

Though Ticketmaster is not being fined, it agreed to pay $350,000 to cover the state’s cost in this investigation.

Milgram also revealed that talks have begun for more Springsteen concerts later this year, and if those who filed a complaint don’t win the lottery for some of the extra seats being made available for the May concerts, then they will get a $100 gift certificate plus the right to buy tickets to one of the future concerts.

Bruce Springsteen, Reader’s Comments, Mighty Max

fridaybrucefix fridaybrucefix.com exmtl@hotmail.com 99.242.8.68

Submitted on 2009/02/24 at 1:56pm I’m with Steve on this one. It really wouldn’t be the same without Max. That mind reading thing he does is pretty critical and based on 35 years of watching Bruce’s every move from the best seat in the house. I’d rather Max found a celebrity drummer to sub in for him on Conan’s show. Too bad Keith Moon’s not still around.

Bruce Springsteen, Reader’s Comments, Ticketmaster Fiasco

Attzje Deubach attzje@comcast.net 76.25.102.155

Submitted on 2009/02/24 at 3:39am Wow who knew I thought I was alone out there when it came to getting screwed by Ticketmaster/ticketsnow.com. While facing many of the same obstacles as others have sited in the multiple complaints. I ended up getting 8 tickets when in reality I only wanted 3. There was so much going on that I never realized how many times the screen was re-routing me. Like many others I just wanted to get tickets for our family of three. As retired military you can only imagine my shock and awe when the email arrived within minutes saying that my total bill due was $2434.55 Who has that kind of money to spend on concert tickets. I immediately called our bank to try to stop the transaction. The bank told me they couldn’t because I had used my debit/credit card and the funds were promised to the seller. Now in a state of panic, I tried the number for TicketsNow.com listening to music for twenty minuites and when I reached someone was put on hold and when the representative came back on I was told there was nothing they could do to stop the sale. However, there was a silver lining – I could resell the tickets via TicketsNow.com including another 15% fee once they were in my pocession. I was horrified. Thinking that the tickets would arrive quickly since they were being sent via “FED-EX” I had people waiting at my house at all times when I wasn’t home so that someone could sign for the tickets as they told me that they would require a signature. For two weeks I waited and /or had someone in my home. My Dad is terminally ill and I am leaving this week for Indiana. The only thing I wanted to do is sell the extra five I don’t need before I leave and put the over paid cash back in my account. Time is critical. I called again after the two weeks and explained that I had no idea where the tickets were and could some please help me. The rep was friendly enough but informed me that the tickets had not been sent out yet. I told him my situation, and he said he would get the tickets cut and sent. Three days later they arrived, I cried when the face value said the ticket really was $95.00, how the heck could anyone charge the final price of $304.32 per ticket when the ticket was really only $95.00 per ticket according to the price on each ticket. If my husband was not a die hard fan, following Bruce’s whole career, dragging The Boss’s cd’s through his tour to Middle East I would have never got the THREE tickets let alone EIGHT!!! Please let me give you my Order Number to verify this purchase 7-11145. Should you need any further info or UPC codes please contact me immediately as I have to go take care of my father. Won’t return to Colorado Springs until the 7th of April. Did you want that ticket number too? Will be awaiting your response, and would appreciate the opportunity to perhaps recoup the above ticket face value that TicketMaster has taken. A. Deubach

Bruce Springsteen, Van Zandt on Max Weinberg’s Busy Dance Card

Last week NBC’s website confirmed that drummer/bandleader Max Weinberg is definitely coming to Los Angeles when Conan O’Brien takes over The Tonight Show. So what does that mean for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s tour, which kicks off a European leg two days before Conan’s June 1st Tonight Show premiere? “We’re still figuring that out,” says E Street guitarist Steve Van Zandt. “We’ll see. I think Max will be there for most of it. I just got home from Europe, so I haven’t even talked to Max to see what the latest news is. I know he was very much trying to figure it out.”

Photo: Pereira/WireImage

When Max himself spoke to Rolling Stone earlier this year he described NBC’s extreme patience over his frequent absences, hitting the road with the increasingly busy Springsteen. “It’s a hell of a problem to have in this economy,” he said, explaining that a well known NBC sitcom star’s attorney asked why Weinberg was allowed sabbaticals when his client couldn’t take one to film a movie. “The NBC lawyer thought for a second, then said, ‘The next time Bruce Springsteen asks your client to play drums, she can do that.’ In the legal department it’s known as the Weinberg-Springsteen Rule.”

Whether or not the Weinberg-Springsteen rule applies to the first few weeks of The Tonight Show, however, is up in the air. “Max will be fine until the beginning of the show on June 2nd,” says Van Zandt. “After that, we’ll see. I’m sure Max will be there for most, if not all of the tour. He’s as dedicated as it gets. I used to have to fly home every day off and film The Sopranos. He may have to do something like that. Conan, it must be said, has been tremendous. Once that second banana [former sidekick Andy Richter] split, I started to get concerned. I was like ‘Uh-oh. Now Max is not only the music director, he’s also the second banana.’ That’s a huge role to play.”

Is the band thinking about a possible temporary replacement? “No names have come up yet,” says Van Zandt. “I don’t know if it’s quite at that stage.” The E Street Band hasn’t played a show without Weinberg since he joined in 1974. “It’s hard for me to picture a show without Max, honestly,” says Van Zandt. “It really won’t be the E Street Band. I guess various members will come and go as we go through these last few years together. If there’s a few shows where he’s not there, I’m sure it will be fine. Most of the time he’s gotta be there though. There’s no drummer that could replace Max. There might be someone temporary that comes in and we’ll have to adjust the show accordingly. What nobody understands is that not only is Max a great drummer, Max reads Bruce’s mind. You can’t learn that. That’s impossible to learn. You could spend months rehearsing and you’ll never get that.”

Ticketmaster changes sales practices after Springsteen flap

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram, who helped lead the investigation into whether the company broke state laws, said Monday that the two sides had reached a settlement.

New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram holds a replica of a Ticketmaster web page during a news conference in East Rutherford, N.J., on Monday. Milgram announced a settlement with Ticketmaster that changes the way the company sells tickets nationwide over the internet. (Mike Derer/Associated Press)

 The controversy began after more than 2,000 fans complained that initial attempts to buy tickets to a Feb. 2 Springsteen concert in New Jersey simply redirected them to a subsidiary, TicketsNow, which offered the tickets at an inflated price.

Under the settlement, Ticketmaster will pay the state $350,000 US to settle costs associated with the investigation, the Star-Ledger, a New Jersey paper, reported.

Monday’s settlement also requires the firm to halt a previous advertising arrangement that had customers Googling Ticketmaster being automatically sent to the TicketsNow website, the Star-Ledger reported.

But the Associated Press reported Ticketmaster would not admit to any wrongdoing in the case.

Bruce Springsteen, NJ: Ticketmaster to Change Online Sales System

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ticketmaster has agreed to change the way it sells tickets over the Internet. New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced the settlement Monday. She says the changes apply to all Ticketmaster sales nationwide. The case stems from complaints received about ticket purchases for a Bruce Springsteen concert. Ticket seekers were redirected from the main Ticketmaster site to a subsidiary that charged more. Milgram says Ticketmaster has not admitted wrongdoing but has agreed to pay $350,000 to the state. She says the company will also compensate ticket holders who complained and change how it handles secondary sales. Ticketmaster did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Bruce Springsteen, June 1, 2009, The New World Order?

On May 23, 2009, at the Izod Center in E. Rutherford, NJ, the home town crowd may be the last audience to see the Mighty Max behind the E Street Band Drum Kit!  Conan O’Brien, will be taking over the Tonight Show spot on NBC on June 1st.   It has been well documented that Conan, who has been very generous towards Max and Bruce by allowing Max to Tour with the E Street Band.   Conan and the brass at NBC made it known that the members of the Max Weinberg 7 will all have to move to LA or leave the show.  This includes Max.  When Bruce broke up the band back in 89, Max was able to hook up with Conan as the band leader for his Late Night Show.  It has been a good Gig for Max and he has proven to be more than just the band leader he is an integral part of the cast.   Even with the flurry of records and tours by Bruce over the past 9 years, there is no guarantee that this spate of E Street Band  activity will continue.  Knowing Bruce, he may do another solo album and  tour or bring back the Seeger Sessions Band for another platter of traditional folk songs and a tour of just summer music festivals.   As much as hard core Bruce Springsteen fans believe that The E Street Band and Bruce will always be connected at the hip, predicting what Bruce will do is near impossible.   There is the Darkness  re-issue in the works.  I am sure there will be some sort of Blue Ray Live Concert issued for Christmas.   In this down time, I am sure Bruce is working hard on more than just the up-coming live tour.  Like any good chess player, he is 3 or 4 moves ahead of us.  He could be helping finish up Darkness, laying down tracks for another E Street effort or a solo album or even helping Patty with her new album that should be out soon.  You know the man is working, churning out songs, I mean as he says, that’s his job.  It will be interesting to see how things will change after June 1, 2009.  One thing is for sure, you can count on Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band  to continue on as if nothing has changed.   Any thoughts?   

 

Bruce Springsteen Rules Over Europe

Rocker Bruce Springsteen has fought off competition from Lily Allen to remain atop the European albums chart with his new release Working On A Dream.

The Boss has scored a third week at number one, with Allen’s It’s Not Me, It’s You debuting at two.

Seal stays put at number three with Soul, while the Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night and Pink’s Funhouse remain at four and five respectively.

In the European singles chart, James Morrison and Nelly Furtado’s duet Broken Strings is the continent’s most popular song, while Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold climbs one place to two, and Lady Gaga’s Poker Face slips from two to three. (c) WENN

“Dancing In The Dark” (Bruce Springsteen Cover – Hangin’ Out on E Street) (Video)

Ted Leo
I think that, at least among my generation, Bruce Springsteen suffers from not being lumped in with the larger group of “older acts that are ‘cool’ to listen to” (i.e. The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, Vashti Bunyan, etc.), and is instead lumped in with the “bands that my parents listen to that play huge arenas when they come to town” group because, well, that is an accurate observation. This, unfortunately, overlooks all of the amazing albums that Springsteen has put out, and the man’s indelible influence on a lot of the great acts making music today.

To coincide with the release of Springsteen’s Working On A Dream, and just as a reminder to the kids that they call him “The Boss” for a reason, Bruce’s people have put together this series, “Hangin’ Out on E Street,” that features various notable, current artists covering Springsteen and talking about his importance. The video above features Ted Leo doing an essentially faithful cover of “Dancing In The Dark,” and you can see Juliana Hatfield doing “Cover Me” here. Scheduled to contribute to the series are Tegan and Sara, Nicole Atkins, and Calexico. Any chance we could get Bat For Lashes, The Knife, or Chromatics to perform their covers of “I’m On Fire”?

[Stereogum]

Posted in: TED LEO

Bruce Springsteen Dying fan granted concert wish

Don Lajoie, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, February 20, 2009
For Colleen Boyd and her dying son Shane, glory days are on the way.

Thanks to Ticketmaster, the management team of Bruce Springsteen and fans of the rocker, the 30-year-old disabled Chatham man will attend Springsteen’s May concert in Toronto in style.

Boyd said she was surprised Thursday to hear from Ticketmaster Entertainment spokesman Albert Lopez, from the company’s head office in West Hollywood, Calif., who told her it was “set in concrete” that her son would be getting tickets for the May 7 show.

The same day, she received a call from a representative of Springsteen’s management team offering front row seats and “back door” access to the show.

When told of the Ticketmaster offer, the management representative said Springsteen’s team would collaborate with the ticketing company to ensure Shane enjoys his concert experience.

“Albert came through,” said Boyd, whose wheelchair-bound son has terminal cancer of the esophagus and stomach and who is obsessed with Springsteen’s music. “Albert said they’d provide tickets for Shane, his attendant and for another disabled friend of Shane’s and his attendant. I feel really good about it. Can’t say enough about all the support we’ve had.”

Boyd first made news when she was unable to secure tickets for the May 7 concert through ticketmaster and was then directed to the company’s subsidiary TicketsNow.

Seats were available at a cost of several hundred dollars more, but none would be in the wheelchair-accessible area of the Air Canada Centre.

When she read news accounts of Springsteen’s condemnation of Ticketmaster over what the musician called a “conflict of interest” in running both ticket agencies, a frustrated Boyd sent a letter of protest to the Star.

Ticketmaster’s Lopez said Thursday his conversation with Boyd was private and he would not comment.

Marilyn Laverty, spokeswoman for Shore Fire Media, Springsteen’s publicity firm, said the musician’s management “doesn’t pursue any media for anything they do on a personal front like this.”

Meanwhile, the Springsteen fans who populate the Backstreets Ticket Exchange website, to help concert goers secure tickets at cost, are currently engaged in a fundraising blitz to ensure the family enjoys “the experience of a lifetime” during their stay in Toronto the week of the show.

“So many people want to give. So many people want to be part of making this day special,” said Jon Bajek, of Charlotte, N.C., who posted the original Star story on the Backstreets website.

After that, postings of support for Shane and his mother poured in from as far away as Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, points in Europe and across the U.S. and Canada. Members offered up their own tickets, offered to pay for tickets and blitzed promoters, ticket agents and any contact they had in the concert business for help.

The BTX site members have supported food banks and other causes in the past, following in the footsteps of the socially conscious Springsteen.

“We’ll probably present a cheque,” Bajek said. “We’re not a travel agency, arranging hotels and transportation. But we’ll do what we can to make sure they’ll not want for anything for the couple of days in Toronto. It will be worry free for them as far as money goes.”

He said he had to convince Boyd to accept the generosity of all these strangers, whose only thing in common is the love of Springsteen’s music, but ultimately she “humbly” accepted.

Boyd said she was so overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity coming across her computer screen that she couldn’t stop reading, with a combination of tears and laughter, all those good wishes. She fell asleep in front of her screen late Wednesday night, with a box of tissue still tucked in the crook of her arm.

As for transportation, a Windsor woman, who wished to remain anonymous, offered to let the Boyds use a private business aircraft to fly to Toronto for the show. She said the plane and a pilot would be at their disposal if they wanted it, and she provided a phone number.