Promoter Promises New Bruce Springsteen Australian Shows In Effort To Combat Scalpers

With the literally overwhelming enthusiasm for tickets to the second round of Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball Australian shows, recently announced for early 2014, Frontier Touring say it’s “likely” that The Boss and the E Street Band will very soon be announcing a new round of tour dates for next year.

Although news of more Springsteen shows on offer is promising, the announcement puts a heavy emphasis on deterring punters from buying tickets from unauthorised vendors. Alongside the news of the potential new dates, Frontier chairman Michael Gudinski issued a stern warning to those considering purchasing tickets from scalpers for previously announced shows, saying they would be better served waiting for the addition of new shows, despite the fact they were yet to be locked in.

Gudinski says that he is confident “a lot” of cities will see more shows due to the massive demand for tickets. Most dates on the tour, bar Melbourne and Sydney, have completely sold out. He also said talks with Springsteen’s management are currently ongoing and that the details should be finalised “very soon”.

Although unable to confirm the locations or dates for the new shows, nor when the announcement would be made – if at all – Gudinski says that buying tickets for the tour from unauthorised sources is an “unwise decision”:

“I appreciate that people are concerned they may have missed out on tickets but aside from the sheer cost of some of these tickets, the dangers of purchasing from an unauthorised outlet are considerable…

“When you buy tickets from scalpers, often at greatly inflated prices, there is absolutely no guarantee that you are purchasing a legitimate ticket… There have been countless incidents where fans have not received the tickets they’ve paid for or in some cases have bought tickets that they’ve discovered to be fakes on the night.”

Many Springsteen fans were upset after they missed out on pre-sale tickets for the first round of 2014 shows when Ticketek’s site buckled under the demand. Tickets began cropping up over online auction websites – including Viagogo, a site based in Switzerland – soon after.

Both Ticketek and Ticketmaster confirmed to Fairfax recently that they were aware of “bots” – programs that carry out automated tasks – being used to purchase concert tickets from their websites, though Ticketek noted that purchasing syndicates were a much more prevalent issue.

The same Fairfax story made a comparison between general admission standing room ticket prices offered by Ticketek for Springsteen’s Allphones Arena show in Sydney – $227.90 – versus prices for the same tickets offered on Viagogo – $862.87 – noting a 278% mark-up in cost.

Announcing new shows for a tour before they’re locked is certainly one way of trying to combat the scalping issue. Another recent initiative picking up steam in Australia is the introduction of official buy-back and resale schemes, as employed by Splendour In The Grass and Melbourne’s Palais Theatre.

Any new Bruce Springsteen shows will no doubt attract just as much interest as the previous shows. If fans can have faith that Frontier’s word is as good as their bond then perhaps they won’t have to risk forking out cash to scalpers in an effort to catch The Boss Down Under.

Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball World Tour Australia 2014

7th February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

Perth Arena, Perth

8th February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

Perth Arena, Perth

11th February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide

15th February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

AAMI Park, Melbourne

16th February, 2014

AAMI Park, Melbourne

Tix: Via Ticketek

19th February, 2014

Allphones Arena, Sydney

Tix: Via Ticketek

22nd February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley

26th February, 2014 – SOLD OUT

Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

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