Bruce Springsteen and ticket scalpers: Which America?
Posted by
Rich Harwood
Jan 31, 2012
Once again Bruce Springsteen’s fans
are being ripped off by scalpers who buy up
then re-sell tickets at exorbitant
prices, an act that encapsulates much of what
people want changed in America today. The
good news: Springsteen understands all this and
is taking action. Now, if only others in our
politics and elsewhere would take his
cue.
My
wife and I were lucky enough to secure tickets
this past weekend for Springsteen’s upcoming
2012 Wrecking Ball Tour, as we were during his
2009 tour. His concert is like a massive civic
ritual (which I wrote about in 2009, and plan
to do again after this year’s concert) that
reminds us of what it means to be part of
something larger than ourselves and how each of
us must tap our innate goodness and power for
the common good.
But so many people
have been boxed out due to greedy and grubby
scalpers using sophisticated computer programs
to push aside individuals so they can buy-up
thousands of tickets and re-sell them to make
big bucks. One news report said that $98
tickets were now being resold for $6,600. My
wife and I paid the face value of our tickets.
Sometime ago,
while other entertainers continually raised
their concert and other ticket prices,
Springsteen made the public commitment to make
$98 his highest priced ticket, and to sell many
others for less than that. What was most
important to him was giving more people access
to his concerts and to make tickets as
affordable as possible, even though it has cost
him much
money.
Indeed, when
this greedy buying spree occurred back in 2009,
Springsteen was swift to publicly come out
against these acts. In one salvo, an
open letter to his fans, he “condemned”
this practice, refuted “cynical” arguments
justifying it, talked about the “fair” sale
of tickets, and worried about “the abuse of
our fans and our
trust.”
Notice
the words Springsteen chose. To him, this is
about VALUES.
Today, the greedy
grabbing of tickets highlights key issues and
concerns people have in America and not just
about ticket prices. For
instance:
- What
happens when capitalism – for all its
benefits – is used simply for greed at the
expense of others? Isn’t there a difference
between productive capitalism and gouging
people?
- What happens when there
are different sets of rules for different
people – and there’s no sense of protection
or recourse? We can do better,
no?
- What does it mean when
someone – like a Springsteen – values
trust, relationships, transparency and honor
amid society’s noise and acrimony? How do
they stand firm? And how do we help
them?
Perhaps
our task has at least two parts. First, when we
find people like Springsteen act in honorable
ways – whether or not we like their music or
support some individual policy – we must
stand by them. We must speak out about their
efforts via Internet discussions, word of
mouth, news media programs, at religious
events, and elsewhere. That’s one way we’ll
reclaim the values we care so much about;
otherwise, a narrative of negativity can rule
our future.
Second, as each of us
live out our own lives, and work for the common
good, we ourselves will be challenged to make
good on values important to us. Real change
will come, in part, from each of us doing our
part.
Oh, and before I
forget, one last critical point, lest I get in
trouble at home: It is my wife who, like
Springsteen, is a proud native of Jersey, and
who has been a long-term, dedicated, vocal fan.
I’m just a relative newbie who is loving the
ride.
Re: Bruce Springsteen and ticket scalpers: Which America?Feb 27, 2012 | RodinaI think other web site poreriptors should take this web site as an model, very clean and great user genial style and design, as well as the content. You are an expert in this topic!