It’s official — “The Boss” is returning to State College, for the first time since May 8, 2009.
However, the scheduling of Bruce Springsteen’s appearance at Bryce Jordan Center did not have an easy beginning.
On July 17, information regarding the concert was released on Ticketmaster without the discretion of Springsteen’s management.
Bernard Punt, BJC director of sales and marketing, wrote in an email that he did not initially see the leaked information having a positive outcome.
“Some artists have special presales with national sponsors and that’s how (sometimes) dates get listed on Ticketmaster before it’s announced,” Punt wrote on July 17. “If the management of an artist doesn’t want any information released, then yeah, they could get upset enough to pull the potential date.”
Despite negative premonitions, according to a press release, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at the Bryce Jordan Center as part of the long-running “Wrecking Ball Tour,” presented by Magic City Productions, on Nov. 1.
“We apologized profusely and made sure that this was taken care of hastily,” Punt wrote Thursday. “We got confirmation from the tour that our show was official this morning. The promoter told us to go out as soon as possible, and we did.”
Tickets will go on sale starting Saturday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. More additional ticket information will be released on Monday, July 30.
Some students said they feel a sense of relief now that the controversy has finally come to an end.
“I’m really glad that everything is all worked out between Ticketmaster and BJC,” Maston Casto (freshman-chemical engineering) said. “I know a lot of people that want to go, and that will be very relieved to find out that it’s still on.”
Despite all of the potential excitement for the upcoming show, a concern for some Springsteen fans revolves around the price of the tickets.
“I think Bruce Springsteen is a really great artist, but it’s tough being a college student on a budget,” Salena Babb said. “If I can afford the tickets, I’d definitely go.”
Luckily for Babb (senior-special education) and plenty of other budget-wary Penn State students, the tickets for the show may be cheaper than expected.
“It is looking very promising that there could be some tickets discounted for students,” Punt wrote. “I am very happy, which has been an emotion missing from my office.”
According to the press release, Springsteen & the E Street Band have already earned accolades for their stellar performances on the current tour. Rolling Stone called the show “epic,” the New York Times said “explosive” and the Boston Globe wrote that the concert had “energy that bordered on superhuman.” Springsteen’s album “Wrecking Ball” was released last month and debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. and 14 other countries.
With all of the positive news, student reactions, and reviews, “Wrecking Ball” coming to State College is bound to make an impact.
“This seems like a really big deal,” Nate Lattig (freshma-division of undergraduate studies) said. “It will probably be really cool to see such an icon like Springsteen come around here.”
