Tramps like us, baby we were born to… wait Springsteen fans either got lucky for Nov. 10 show, or they didn’t By: Alan Small Posted: 4:38 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 Last Modified: 5:55 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 Updates

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/02/2023 (973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wednesday offered an opportunity to go to the promised land for fans of Bruce Springsteen in Winnipeg.

Ticket sales for his Nov. 10 show at Canada Life Centre, the first time the Born to Run singer-songwriter will perform in Winnipeg, began Wednesday morning.

Ticketmaster’s elaborate Verified Fan event, which is meant to prevent bots from acquiring all the tickets and then reselling to people, meant a registration process followed by an emailed code to those lucky enough to have won a lottery for the right to purchase Springsteen tickets.

One of those is Dominic Lloyd, who bought a pair of tickets in the arena’s upper bowl for $175 each.

“I’m pretty excited. I’ve never seen Springsteen before,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of shows but I’ve never seen the Boss.

“I was behind the stage for Paul McCartney, so this is way better.”

Tickets remained available Wednesday afternoon, without the need of a code, according to Ticketmaster’s website and tickets behind the stage were selling for as low as $85.75 each.

Many of the most expensive tickets, whether they were in the general-admission standing area in front of the stage (listed at $1,092.90 each Wednesday afternoon), or the seats directly behind that (first-row seats listed for $2,281.08) also were available for those who believe price is no object to see the New Jersey legend and the E Street Band perform hits such as Glory Days and Backstreets.

Lloyd received a code from Ticketmaster to purchase tickets Wednesday morning, the latest in a run of good luck when purchasing concert tickets.

“I got a code for Taylor Swift in Minneapolis too,” he says. “I know a lot of friends who didn’t get one. I have no idea why or how they selected me.

“I guess I’m born under a good sign.”

Two Springsteen fans who were part of campaigns to encourage the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to include Winnipeg on a tour weren’t so lucky.

Diane Geddes, who posts as Springsteen2Wpg on Twitter, is in Mexico on vacation and had difficulty logging into Ticketmaster Wednesday. She said she remains confident she’ll get a ticket for the Nov. 10 show.

Stu Reid, who launched two petitions in the 1980s to lobby Springsteen, was like many Winnipeggers who were on the Ticketmaster waiting list but got no further.

“At $500 a pop, that’s an insane amount of money for most people.”–Stu Reid

He’s attended 44 Springsteen concerts around the world since 1980, but had been reticent about buying tickets for this Springsteen tour because of how expensive they are.

“At $500 a pop, that’s an insane amount of money for most people,” he says.

He advised those that were unable to purchase tickets Wednesday to remain patient. Promoters often release tickets on the day before the show once the stage is in place.

“I’m a big enough fan to scour message boards (for tickets),” he says. “If you’re prepared to put in the time monitoring Ticketmaster for hours on end, you’ll get in.”

Alan.Small@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @AlanDSmall