Fans with access codes for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s much anticipated 2023 tour were offered tickets priced between $1,000 and $5,000, in Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing" system. “In pricing tickets for this tour, we looked carefully at what our peers have been doing” Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau said to the New York Times, adding - “We chose prices that are lower than some and on par with others. Regardless of the commentary about a modest number of tickets costing $1,000 or more, our true average ticket price has been in the mid-$200 range". Ticketmaster argued that only 1.3 percent of tickets sold went for more than $1,000.

Bruce Springsteen has sold the masters of his entire catalog to Sony Music and the coinciding music publishing rights to Sony Music Publishing in a combined deal of around $500 million, Billboard reports. Springsteen’s catalog spanning 50 years, includes over 300 songs, 20 studio albums, 23 live LPs, 7 EPs, and more.

Current rock star Bruce Springsteen and former American president Barack Obama are publishing a book titled 'Renegades: Born in the USA' (is that title ironical?!?). Based on their podcast conversations, it comes in an oversized, illustrated format, with handwritten Springsteen lyrics, annotated Obama speeches, and other archival material, AP reports. It's out October 26.Aud

"It’s delightful that there are still questions Siri and Alexa can’t answer, and that people argue fervently about rock lyrics from more than 45 years ago" - LA Times writes in an article about the Internet argument over a Bruce Springsteen lyric. The song is 'Thunder Road', it begins 'Born to Run', the 1975 album that made Springsteen a star, and it's the opening lyrics - “The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves”, or is it "sways"? The problem is, Springsteen isn't sure himself. In the original album gatefold design of 'Born to Run', the lyrics are printed “Mary’s dress waves”, but on page 220 of his best-selling 'Born to Run' memoir, Springsteen says “‘the screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways’ — that’s a good opening line”. Or maybe Boss just doesn't want the story to end, as he admits in his Broadway show: “I come from a boardwalk town where everything is tinged with just a bit of fraud. So am I. I’ve never seen the inside of a factory, and yet, it’s all I’ve ever written about… I made it all up”. Springsteen's longtime manager Jon Landau settled the matter in the New Yorker - “The word is ‘sways. That’s the way he wrote it in his original notebooks, that’s the way he sang it on 'Born to Run', in 1975, that’s the way he has always sung it at thousands of shows, and that’s the way he sings it right now on Broadway. Any typos in official Bruce material will be corrected”.

Bruce Springsteen has teamed up with former American president Barack Obama for a new podcast series titled 'Renegades: Born in the USA', Reuters reports. The eight-episode series will cover a range of topics, including race, fatherhood, marriage, and the state of America. The first two episodes are available on Spotify.

Last weekend Bruce Springsteen appeared in a commercial, 71-year-old's first such appearance, and his first-ever product endorsement. Pitchfork isn't happy with the American institution trying to sell people a car. UPDATE: the automotive company has pulled the spot after it was revealed Wednesday that Springsteen had been arrested for driving while under the influence last fall, Rolling Stone reports. Springsteen was charged with DWI, reckless driving, and consuming alcohol in a closed area, while his blood alcohol content was 0.02 – one-fourth of New Jersey’s legal limit and the equivalent of one drink. Since the arrest occurred in a national park, federal prosecutors will pursue the case.

Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato and Bon Jovi performed at the star-studded inauguration of the new American president. The theme of the concert was unity, with Bruce Springsteen kicking off the event with his song 'Land Of Hope and Dreams'. John Legend powered through a big band arrangement of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good', while Demi Lovato sang an upbeat cover of Bill Withers' 'Lovely Day', accompanied by doctors and nurses in their hospital scrubs. Texan soul band Black Pumas played their uplifting anthem Colors, and the concert was closed by Katy Perry, who sang a rousing, orchestral version of her signature song 'Firework'. Alexis Petridis compares this and previous inauguration: "Donald Trump couldn’t secure a Springsteen tribute band for his inauguration, whereas Biden had Springsteen himself – plus Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and even a Republican in Garth Brooks". Outside the official ceremony, Indie Drummer Collective - including drummers of Thursday, The Promise Ring, Helmet, Titus Andronicus, and Cymbals Eat Guitars covered 'We Are The World' for Inauguration Day.

Famous New Jerseyans Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and former TV-host Jon Stewart have joined their home state #MaskUpNJ health campaign. Bruce and Jons encourage people to "wear a friggin' mask", with Springsteen saying he hopes it will help bring concerts back soon.

Guardian goes through the history of cabin-in-the-woods album: Big Thief singer Adrianne Lenker recorded her latest solo album 'Songs' while holed up in a forest in Massachusetts during lockdown; 13 years ago Justin Vernon was going through heartbreak and self-doubt while holed up in a cabin in Wisconsin where he made his debut 'For Emma, Forever Ago'. Similarly, 'Cross Road Blues' by Robert Johnson was cut in 1936 in the blues singer’s hotel room in San Antonio. Daniel Johnston’s 'Songs of Pain' cassette album was recorded in his parents’ basement in West Virginia in 1981. Bruce Springsteen recorded 'Nebraska' at his home on a humble four-track over the course of three days in 1982...

The latest Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band album, 'Letter To You' debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart for this week, making Springsteen the first act with a new Top 5-charting album in the United Sates in each of the last six decades, from the '70s to the '20s, Billboard reports. Luke Combs has also set a record this week - his 'What You See Is What You Get' comes back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, following its deluxe reissue on Oct. 23, with a streaming total of 102.26 million weekly streams, setting a new weekly streaming record for a country album.

Bruce Springsteen scored his 12th Number 1 album on UK Official Chart with 'Letter To You', sold in 51,800 units. The entry means Springsteen is the first credited solo artist to have a Number 1 album in five consecutive decades, topping the charts in the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s. With 12 Number 1 albums, Bruce Springsteen is now tied with Madonna for chart-topping albums – Robbie Williams and Elvis Presley are the only solo artists to have had more Number 1 albums in the UK.

“The beat box…was running fast, which means when you played the tape back, it came out slow. And that had an enormous amount to do with the sound of 'Nebraska'" - Bruce Springsteen said on his Apple Music radio series 'Letter to You Radio' talking to Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl about the beginning of their music careers, CoS reports. He explained - "'Nebraska' in its entirety is slowed down from its actual recording pitch. When I brought the pitch up to where it should actually be, it brightened a record up and took away a lot of its mysteriousness. So 'Nebraska' was this totally haphazard, happy accident that occurred over a few weeks with just whatever equipment we had laying around and the whole record cost us, including the price of the tape, it cost us about a thousand dollars to make”. Springsteen releases his new album 'Letter To You' this week.

Apple TV+ has dropped the first trailer for Bruce Springsteen’s 'Letter to You' documentary on the recording of his upcoming album, the first collaboration with his E Street Band since 2014. “I’m in the middle of a 45-year conversation with the men and women I’m surrounded by,” Springsteen says in voiceover - “the years of playing together have created an efficiency in the studio. Ideas tumble around the room, confusion often reigns. And then, suddenly, dynamite. Alright, what can I say? The greatest thrill of my life is standing at that microphone with you guys behind me. Let’s do it”.

A small group of Donald Trump supporters played Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA' outside Walter Reed Medical Center, where the American president is being treated for Covid-19 infection. Consequence of Sound explained how completely bizarre that is: "To emphasize for what has to be the bajillionth time, 'Born in the USA' is not a pro-patriotism song. It’s a lament for a country addicted to feeding its working class populace into pointless wars, only to leave them neglected once they return. So the fact that these people were blasting this protest song outside of a military hospital, where actual members and veterans of the military are trying to rest and be cared for, crosses irony over to actual ignorant cruelty".

Paddy Hanna released an Italian murder ballad 'Sinatra'; Violent Life Violent Death step into dark metallic hardcore with 'Roseblade'; Bruce Springsteen announced his new album with a thumping rock song 'Ghosts' which takes him back to her earliest days; The Shins shared a clubby indie rock song 'The Great Divide'; Clipping feature twin-duo Cam & China on their new single ''96 Neve Campbell'; Sylvan Esso released a simple yet rich ballad 'Free'.

“What you’re about to embark on will be the greatest adventure of your young life” - Bruce Springsteen told the Boston College Class of 2024 via a Zoom call from his New Jersey home studio as the featured speaker of the school’s annual 'First Year Academic Convocation'. Springsteen continued - “You can waste it, you can half-ass your way through it, or you can absorb every minute of what you’re experiencing, and come out on the other end an individual of expanded vision, of intellectual vigor, of spiritual character and grace, fully prepared to meet the world again on its own terms”. Students also had some questions for Springsteen...

“Lana is simply one of the best songwriters in the country, as we speak. She just creates a world of her own and invites you in. So a big favorite of mine, the lovely Lana Del Rey” - Bruce Springsteen said in a recent broadcast on SiriusXM, Stereogum reports. Springsteen also played Del Rey’s own 2012 song 'American' during the radio show, which notably name-drops him: “Springsteen is the king, don’t you think/ I was like, hell yeah that guy can sing”.

Dropkick Murphys will a host concert today at Boston's Red Sox Fenway Park with no fans in attendance, which marks the first time a musical performance has ever taken place at an empty major U.S. arena, stadium or ballpark. Bruce Springsteen will virtually accompany the band for a Double Play during the performance that's dubbed Streaming Outta Fenway. They'll be playing for an empty stadium, but "it beats playing at home," Dropkick Murphys' lead singer and bassist Ken Casey said. Fans can tune in to the concert on Springsteen's exclusive SiriusXM radio channel 20 E Street Radio, or watch the livestream show for free until May 31.

"There is no band that emphasizes becoming greater than the sum of their parts than the Band" - Bruce Springsteen says in the new documentary 'Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band'. In was produced by Martin Scorsese, directed by Daniel Roher, it hits theaters February 21, and it largely focuses on Robertson’s personal journey, including a glimpse into his life before the Band. Apart from Springsteen, it includes interviews with Robertson’s friends and collaborators such as Scorsese, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and more.

"If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick” - Barack Obama said in his post on social media, where he listed his favorite songs of 2019. There’s 'Redesigning Women' from […]

Bruce Springsteen documentary 'Western Stars' earned $560,000 from 537 theaters over the weekend in the US, and combined with grosses from preview sneaks, his directorial debut has earned $1 million. 'Western Stars' shows Springsteen performing all 13 songs on his first studio album in five years, archival footage, personal narration, and guest appearances, and is […]

“It’s easy to lose yourself, or never find yourself” - Bruce Springsteen narrates in the trailer to the companion movie to his latest album, ‘Western Stars’, Vulture reports. He shares some thoughts, and is quite honest- “The older you get, the heavier that baggage becomes that you haven’t sorted through, so you run. I’ve done […]

Guardian reviews new Bruce Springsteen biopic 'Blinded By the Light': "Another crowd-pleasing but emotionally sincere tale of teenage multicultural strife, but it is also yet another movie celebrating the power of classic, white-guy rock. It is beginning to feel like a conspiracy: repackaging the 20th-century rock canon to a generation who don’t really listen to […]

Bruce Springsteen and the backing musicians from his new album 'Western Stars' play the title song in a bar, with scenes of Bruce driving a vintage Chevrolet El Camino though the West. The song tells the story of an aging actor that was once shot by John Wayne on screen, now he does credit card […]

'Western Stars' is Bruce Springsteen's first solo album in 14 years, and PopMatters had the chance to listen to it prior to it's release (June 14): "The primary influences are the borrowed elements of country, folk, and baroque pop that interlaced in the late 1960s and early 1970s rock... 'Western Stars' will take its place among […]

Guardian's picks for songs of the month of May is AWE-SOME!!! Made with the summer in mind there's: FKA Twigs power-ballad 'Cellophane' about fame obsession; Carly Rae Jepsen's dancey number 'Julien'; Dorian Electra's 'Flamboyant' - imagine Elton John and Freddie Mercury's imaginary son going "all the way"; Bruce Springsteen's 'Hello Sunshine' - made for driving […]

“I’ve spent about seven years not writing anything for the band. I couldn’t write anything for the band. And then about a month or so ago, I wrote almost an album’s worth of material for the band... I had almost two weeks of those daily visitations and it was so nice.  It makes you so […]