# I'm seeing Springsteen... how's my seat?



## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Yes! I'm seeing the Boss.

Annoyingly though, even though I was poised at my keyboard and requested the best single seat about 5 seconds after they went on sale, the best they offered me was in Section 121. When I refused it and searched again they offered a seat in Section 101. At that point I figured out I wasn't going to win and bought the ticket. When I checked back later though they were selling tickets in Section 117, which although to the side is way closer than I'll be. Anyone seen a concert at ACC... how's my seat?


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

going to that concert as well, pre ordered the new cd from itunes as well. I saw Dylan there last september, I was in section 107 or 108, and it was pretty far back, Dylan was pretty small. Not sure what section I am in for the concert as a friend bought them.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

There is a chance that 117 is 'obstructed view,' so you might be okay with 101. 

Perhaps they'll add another (additional) show?


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## CN (Sep 3, 2004)

I saw The Who (what's left of them ) sometime last year at the ACC...I think I was in section 108 or 107 and wasn't too impressed (pretty far away)...I could see them and all, but they were a little small  From 101 things look like they'd be pretty small...At that concert, I would have preferred 110 or 117 tickets since it would have been ALOT closer, but it really depends on the stage setup as to whether the view would be good or possibly very obstructed.

Maybe I'm a bit picky though. Personally, I find that if you're not going to have close up floor tickets, it really doesn't make much of a difference (at least to me) so long as you can see them (at least you'll be able to hear regardless).

Most ticket sales are such a joke (esp. Ticketmaster). As the date approaches, they will probably "drop" more good tickets (good luck knowing when though). And if you're wondering where all the really good tickets went, well, the public only gets access to a few of those, while alot go to brokers so they can price gouge.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

From my experience at concerts, never mind the venue be it indoors or outdoors, if you're going for the music, sit at a 90 degree angle to the stage for optimum sound.

So if you want a close up look at the musicians, section 117 would fit well.

But if you want to hear their best efforts, your seats in 101 are far superior.

Most people watch 'em on the big screen anyway.

Let us know how it works out.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

*I'm seeing Springsteen... how's my seat?
*
Not as good as Bruce's on the cover of Born in the USA...


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Thanks all... I was kind of disappointed when I posted initially but I'm over it and I'm sure I'm going to love the concert, even if I need to bring binoculars with me.

And CanadaRAM... you aint seen my seat!


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I wish the boss would bring his rear end, um, I mean... seat... to Vancouver!

I'm jealous of your seats, I mean, of your concert. Oh, never mind.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> I'm sure I'm going to love the concert


Yes you are. It's inevitable. Relax and prepare.....


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

anyone know who is opening for Springsteen?


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

wonderings said:


> anyone know who is opening for Springsteen?


An empty stage and music playing over the sound system. Quite possibly it will be Ennio Morricone. 

In my 26 years (wow has it been that long?) of seeing him in concert, there has never been an opening act. Of course when you do a 2, 3, or 4 hour show, it's hard to leave time for anyone else.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

HowEver said:


> There is a chance that 117 is 'obstructed view,' so you might be okay with 101.
> 
> Perhaps they'll add another (additional) show?


I believe that Ticketmaster is pretty good about listing that a seat is obstructed. 

I'm in 110 row 18 and that was the first response I got after clicking on refresh starting at 9:50 (ten minutes before the 10 am first sale time). I think I was in at 10:00 am on the dot. On the second machine (yes I was refreshing on alternate machines) which came up a few seconds later after the section 110 seats, I got General Admission which I would have been fine with if I was 20 years younger but I didn't feel like standing to wait for a wristband then wait for the lottery, and take my chances on getting up close. 

So I doubt that they would sell an obstructed seat as being 'better' than the GA tickets. 

As for the quick sellout, here are the stats from some other cities (from Backstreets as reported on September 6th):

"This morning, Belfast tickets sold out in 8 minutes, breaking Oasis' record at the venue. In the past week, London was also a frenzy; Oslo reportedly sold out in six minutes; Copenhagen in 15."

On that same link scroll down to find some information on the way General Admission tickets are being handled, as well as a bit of an explanation on why tickets are going so fast. 

Chances of a second show are slim, he's in Ottawa the night before, has a night off after the Toronto show, then plays New York for two nights. I'd say we'll see him back in North America in 2008, perhaps playing the other Canadian cities. 

Now if you've got a free day next Monday or Tuesday and you want to see him in a smaller setting, check out the rehearsal shows. $100 per ticket but at the Convention Centre in Asbury Park NJ. 

As for the 'better' section (117) coming up later, remember that the system holds seats for 2 minutes while you decide on them, then I think another 3 minutes while you check out. Somebody's credit card might have been declined (that would suck) or they might have been higher up in rows. There is some kind of calculation or rating that says that a farther section's lower rows are considered better than the closest sections higher rows. So you can't always go by the section number alone.


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Just reporting back... the seat was fine and the show was phenomenal. While some shows build to a climax this one started full out and built from there. There was a good mix of music and the new material fit in really well; the new album has some great songs. It was cool to be in a packed stadium and be deafened by the crowd as well as the music. 

The Star reported that it was a very political show but I think they overstate it. Bruce can't have talked for more than 2-3 minutes in the whole show and his songs, even the newest ones, are far from dialectic, although they obviously have a point of view.

I think any future concerts are going to seem anticlimactic to me...


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Fink-Nottle said:


> Just reporting back... the seat was fine and the show was phenomenal. While some shows build to a climax this one started full out and built from there. There was a good mix of music and the new material fit in really well; the new album has some great songs. It was cool to be in a packed stadium and be deafened by the crowd as well as the music.
> 
> The Star reported that it was a very political show but I think they overstate it. Bruce can't have talked for more than 2-3 minutes in the whole show and his songs, even the newest ones, are far from dialectic, although they obviously have a point of view.
> 
> I think any future concerts are going to seem anticlimactic to me...


I saw him in Ottawa on Sunday.

It seemed he was having more fun when he was stretching out of his comfort zone but the E street band rarely followed. When the two members of Arcade Fire came on the stage, no one except for the youngin' seemed to care... that quickly changed as some of the more exciting moments were with them.

He did let out a small diatribe at trickery and lies and aimed a few barbs at Bush.
It was odd to hear him talk about giving to a food bank when the tickets were 300$ a pop...

I like the show but there seemed a few odd transitions in song choice (I'm not talking about the 3 songs in the key of G in a row). Concert started late (as per usual) but did not last long enough.

I was really surprised by the advanced age of his fan base - I felt so young....

Maybe the song selection was better in Toronto.

Here a link (from his site) of him onstage with Arcade Fire
http://media.brucespringsteen.net/non_secure/videos/071014_1S.mov


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I am soooooo jealous of you two.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

ArtistSeries said:


> I saw him in Ottawa on Sunday.
> 
> It seemed he was having more fun when he was stretching out of his comfort zone but the E street band rarely followed. When the two members of Arcade Fire came on the stage, no one except for the youngin' seemed to care... that quickly changed as some of the more exciting moments were with them.
> 
> ...


I was in 110 seats 7 and 8. I was lined up dead even with them from the side. Sat beside a guy from Moncton who came to Toronto with his wife and 22 year old son just for the show. He usually goes down to Boston to see him. 

It was my first time being on Clarence's side and sadly he's moving pretty slow. Looks like he's got serious hip/knee problems. They have a chair for him to sit in during certain numbers. 

I go back to the River tour in Jan/81 but this was my first time seeing him since the reunion tour in 2000. I thought it was one of the best performances I've seen. At points I was watching him with Little Steven and was thinking "here's two guys who have been playing together for almost 40 years and it looks like they're just jamming in a garage or basement having lots of fun".

I'm not aware of any $300 ticket prices. I paid $125 or so each so the pair was less than $300. He's been doing the Food Bank thing since the mid-eighties. I don't remember him saying anything in 81 but I do remember hearing him talk about it at the CNE Grandstand shows during the Born in the USA tour. His main site lists the Food Bank for the city that he played in beside the set lists along with the contact information for them. I disagree with the earlier post, he _could_ charge $300 a pop and I'd still think that promoting the Food Bank is a classy thing to do. 

I thought that the song selection was great. Yes I would love to hear Thunder Road/Jungleland/Rosie every time I see him but I'd get sick of those songs if I did. I'd never seen him do Thundercrack and that is one of my favourites. I also saw Incident on 57th Street for the first time too. We didn't get the Sessions tour here so seeing American Land was great a treat for me. So while I always come away wishing he'd done this or that, I also always come away saying "I'm glad I finally saw him do ..."

I think that he's had 22 discs worth of releases (not counting live, greatest hits, etc. but counting the Tracks as 4 discs and River as 2). With that large of a catalogue, everyone's going to have their 'favourites'. I've been following the set lists on this tour and from what I've seen, Toronto and Ottawa got two of the best sets he's done so far. Unlike many other performers, he will vary up to 1/3 of the show each night. 

I saw the setlist for Madison Square Gardens last night and I think we got a better selection. His hand-written setlists are on his web site btw if anyone wants to see them. He will call an 'audible' at times and change what he had written up. Jungleland was on the list for Toronto but he did a last minute replacement of Incident.

Oh and if you want to see a list of what I saw during my first Bruce show in 1981, click here. I saw the January 21st show. It also has some scans of ticket stubs (not mine but I was in the reds)... $12.50 and as Steve Martin used to say "he did a $15.00 show!"

Now for you folks in the west, wait until next spring. The general thinking is that he'll be on the road for most of next year which hopefully means a swing back to Canada.


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

I really liked the song selection ... 'Incident' was great as was 'For You'. The new songs stood up well; notably Magic, Long Walk Home, Gypsy Biker and especially Devils Arcade. I respect the fact that he's continuing to write new music rather than touring and making money on past glory. I paid $125 which is about twice what I've paid for any other concert... and it was well worth it.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Hey Fink-Nottle... Happy Birthday!!


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Thank you! The concert ticket was a birthday present from my wife. I chose it over an iPod Touch... 

Cheers!


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## Dreambird (Jan 24, 2006)

A Bruce Springsteen concert is "the one" pilgrimage" I have still to make in my life... have not had the fortune yet. So til then I live vicariously... thank you for the great report *Oakbridge*... 

*AS* your report was a little sparse, maybe a bit dour? I dunno... wot's old? I'll tell you my age, it don't mean but a number to me... *shrug** So... I'm 50... is that old? You did a good turn though by introducing me to Arcade Fire... I'd never heard of them. I find I like them... thank-you!

As for Springsteen's concerts touching a bit on the political? Well, maybe a little... he is a political animal and so... ? The hard-line rightwing arsehats have been quite hard enough on him... I find myself in agreement with him when he answers those who would call him "unpatriotic"... He replies "silence is unpatriotic". I agree... if you truly love your country you will speak out if you do or DON'T agree with the party line and you have every right to... or don't call it a democracy. 

So he charges for his tickets and gives to charity? Well did you want an excellent concert for free? That he gives to charity speaks to his character. 

Anyway I have loved the man for a long, long time... drawn first by the sound and good looks, then I got to know what he stood for... his ethics and beliefs and came to admire him even more. He is influential in my life... his music sooths my soul when it's sore and thus takes more room in my iTunes library than anyone else. 

In fact I've been listening to him off and on for the last couple of weeks after an especially severe bruising I'd received. With that and the help of a couple of good friends and some other things... I feel much better now. 

There are many musicians I like, just as I've enjoyed many movies I've seen but my favourites respectively will always be:

Bruce Springsteen
Smokey & The Bandit

Now for anyone who likes to watch the man have fun:
Mary's Place part 1 Wembley Arena 2002
YouTube - Mary's Place part 1 Wembley Arena 2002

Mary's Place part 2 Wembley Arena 2002
YouTube - Mary's Place part 2 Wembley Arena 2002

... and then well... *blush** speaks for itself... ladies enjoy *yourselves!*

YouTube - Bruce Springsteen Dancing In The Dark


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

If you really want to see Springsteen "have fun", get your hands on a copy of the PBS presentation "Black And White Night" where he guests with the late Roy Orbison, the headliner, along with such greats as Bonnie Raitt, k. d. lang, Elvis Costello and too many others to name.

The smile on Bruce's face is a mile wide.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Dreambird:
Dour? Maybe.
I've enjoyed Springsteen's music but have always wondered about his fanatical following. To me his music has always been a little repetitive - mind you I discovered him before his "Born in USA" album, so the taint may come from there. 

I was not expecting to see Springsteen but a friend flew down from Calgary and had asked me to go to Ottawa with him. 

I had always heard that his concert where akin to religious epiphanies often lasting over 3 hours. While far from that (it lasted about 2 hours) it was a professional show that lacked some life. 

As I've already mentioned, the person who seemed to be having the most fun was Springsteen. At times the drummer would liven up also but mostly felt that Springsteen wanted to be there and entertain. Little Steven did not have much stage personality (even if he look's like a gypsy).

It's a strange feeling (at least for me), to be at a concert where most of the males where balding.... 

There is nothing wrong with Springsteen being political - in fact, I think that political activism is commendable. I had always imagined Springsteen to try and stay clear of right/left wing politics. His interview on 60 minutes was quite articulate. 

As for the concert, the pacing seemed "off". It's hard to explain and maybe it was partially due to the energy of the crowd. I've read that Ottawa concert "goers" are different, more subdued. 

Some of the songs I preferred that evening where "Radio Nowhere", "Magic", "Devils Arcade", "Girls in their Summer Clothes", "State Trooper" and "American Land".

I have friends who are fanatics about Springsteen. Some artists just seem to evoke that.

I've just googled a review of the Ottawa show (maybe I was missing something).

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv....SPRINGSTEEN16/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/
Here are a few excerpts


> I don't know who was more startled, the younger crowd clustered near the stage or the older fans reclining in the seats. But once the music resumed, even those who might have had trouble placing the name Arcade Fire could tell that this match-up made sense.
> 
> Much of the middle-aged crowd seemed to have come to relive past glories - I saw four decades' worth of tour shirts strolling the aisles - but they responded well to the new songs. What they didn't recognize, they were willing to accept on trust. Thirty-four years after his debut album, the covenant between Springsteen and his audience remains strong, in part because he gives them permission to go on believing in trust, even when the world seems to offer so few things to deserve it.
> 
> ...


But he must have made an impression, as I'm planning on seeing him in Boston.


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## Dreambird (Jan 24, 2006)

Thanks Sinc! I found it on Amazon.com as PBS says it won't ship to Canada? No matter, I got to read the reviews... rave reviews:

Customer Reviews
179 Reviews
5 star: 89% (161)
4 star: 6% (11)
3 star: 1% (3)
2 star: 0% (1)
1 star: 1% (3)

Another piece for my collection!


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## Dreambird (Jan 24, 2006)

AS... I do think you have a point regarding "venue". If you watch Mary's Place as performed at Wembley Stadium which I linked to above or this one in Dusseldorf:

YouTube - Mary's Place - Bruce Springsteen - Dussledorf 05

... you can see a huge difference. I like both, but I would enjoy the former performance more.

I suppose some would call me a Springsteen fanatic, however I don't myself that way. I just haven't found any other musician who, how shall I say?... it all just "fits" my likes, temperment etc. on and so forth. FWIW I like Alice Cooper too and he's quite right-wing, so it's hardly a political thing...  it's just an addition to the package... Alice stops there for me...  As I said lots of likes... one favourite. 

I do hope you enjoy the concert in Boston...  And thank-you again for the into to Arcade Fire... I really do like them and they are Canadian, what's not to like? :clap:


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

One other release you should try to see is the Storytellers DVD that he did a year and a half ago. Just him and a guitar and at times a piano. Some nice explanations on how some of the songs came about. Bear in mind that it was recorded just after Devils & Dust (one of his solo albums) was released so there was a bit of an emphasis on that CD.

However it has one of my favourite versions of Thunder Road. Yes I said versions. For those of you who are not familiar, he is known for taking well known songs and performing them with a completely different arrangement. If you've ever heard the slowed down live version of Born to Run you'll know what I am talking about. It also has a solo acoustic version of Blinded By the Light which was a hit for Manfred Mann but for those of you who don't know, was written by Springsteen (so was Fire which was a hit for the Pointer Sisters). 

The latest song to receive this has been Reason to Believe, which was originally recorded as a solo on the Nebraska album. On this tour he's doing it as a real bluesy number which I really enjoyed. 

The only problem is that you see him perform something with a new arrangement and you want a copy of that arrangement. I'm not a fan of bootlegs but fortunately he's released quite a few live CD's and DVD's the past few years. 

For a change of pace, check out the Live version of The Sessions Band with the DVD. This was recorded with the band he used last year (sadly he didn't play any shows in Canada) that wasn't the E-Street Band. I think it was a 13 piece band which included a tuba two fiddles, and an assortment of other instruments. It also has a different arrangement of Blinded By the Light.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

Thanks for the Mary's Place clips, a perfect example of how the same song gets completely different treatments. The Wembley show is an example of the stretched out band intros that sadly he isn't doing yet on this current tour. And those knee slides! From a man his age!!!

In the past he's used also used Rosalita and 10th Avenue Freeze Out. And one person is always introduced "last but not least..."

If you were ever fortunate enough to see him do the Detroit Medley you probably saw him at his partying best. It's available on the No Nukes live cd.


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## Dreambird (Jan 24, 2006)

You're welcome... I saved those clips to my HD which you can easily do if you install Perian for Quicktime. There's even instructions on the site: Perian - The swiss-army knife of QuickTime® components

Thanks for the recommendations in your previous post, I have The Seeger Sessions so already have a lot of that stuff... I like it, it's different. But the other things... gives me a start on an Xmas wish list...  

As I said I have not been lucky enough to see Springsteen at all yet... something to look forward to still. My young days were spent sequestered in small town northern B.C. Then I moved to Prince George and from there to Calgary which wasn't even half the size it is now!


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