by Craig Colby
Bruce Springsteen’s song Backstreets is about disillusionment and betrayal. Perhaps it was inevitable that the Bruce Springsteen fan site/magazine named after the song, announced that it was shutting down because the person who runs it became disillusioned after what he perceived as a betrayal by Springsteen. The decision and the reasons for it say a lot about the relationship between an artist and his followers.
Backstreets, the fan site/magazine, has been a staple for Springsteen fans since 1980, providing news about the artist and setlists for more than 4 decades. Bruce is known to vary his shows so frequently that setlists are essential information. However, the day after Bruce Springsteen’s first E Street Concert since the pandemic there no setlist information on Backstreets. Instead, there was a notice in the news section from Christopher Phillips, the publisher and editor-in-chief:
After 43 years of publishing in one form or another, by fans for fans of Bruce Springsteen, it's with mixed emotions that we announce Backstreets has reached the end of the road.
Phillips had run the publications since 1993, when he was 22 but his heart was no longer in it. For Springsteen fans, it was shocking news.
Why did Backstreets shut out the lights? The culprits were the staggering price of some Springsteen tickets on the tour and the artist’s response to the outcry. Springsteen’s tickets have always been in demand, a hey day for scalpers. However, thanks to Ticketmaster’s new dynamic pricing, where demand for seats determines the price charged, tickets for the latest tour reached prices as high as $4,000-$5,000. The service fees alone were more than $500. Fans were livid. In July, Backstreets wrote an editorial saying the sales practise “violates an implicit contract between Bruce Springsteen and his fans”.
In November, Springsteen responded in a Rolling Stones interview. He said that his prices are in line with his peers, most of tickets are affordable (for the record, I bought good tickets for less than $200 per seat) and for the ones with a crazy price, the money is better directed to the band than to the brokers. He added, “I know it was unpopular with some fans. But if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.“ Springsteen declined to comment on what process would be used to sell tickets in the future.
Backstreets was not satisfied. In February, they announced the end of Backstreets.
Springsteen has been offside with the public before. He took a beating in the tabloids for cheating on his wife with his bandmate Patti Scialfa, whom he later married. His song 41 Shots angered law enforcement. Even some tours have ticked off certain customers. On the Devils and Dust acoustic concert in Toronto, one fan moved around the arena and shouted out requests for rockers. Springsteen told him to “shut the fuck up” and everyone cheered.
So, what makes conforming to a ticket policy that other major artists are using different for Springsteen’s most dedicated followers? The root of the issue is found in Backstreets’ tweet about the ticketing problems. They exclaimed, “So this is what a crisis of faith feels like.” The publication deified their favourite artist, holding Springsteen to idealized standards. The Boss is not completely off the hook here. In concert, he often acts like a carnival tent preacher, inviting the audience to join the “Ministry of rock n’ roll”. Not every fan is going to realize that an evangelist is just another performer. A relationship based on idolatry is headed for heartbreak.
Long term, personal commitments should include one caveat – the person you love is going to let you down. Bruce has produced an exceptional body of work. He’s been remarkably warm with his fans. But no one can meet everyone’s expectations all the time. Sometimes people mess up. Other times, they just do something differently than you want them to. For all his talents, Springsteen is still just a guy from New Jersey, transparently fallible. You can’t just cherry pick someone’s strengths. You need to accept and expect their weaknesses, even if you get hurt sometime. To have an authentic connection with someone - artists, friend, family or lover - you need to let the broken heart stand as the price you’ve gotta pay.
I think Backstreets needs to cut Springsteen some slack. Christopher Phillips deserves the same break. He has the right to his feelings and to choose his career. Selfishly, I hope he’ll reconsider. I miss his work. There is some hope. Backstreets is still tweeting information about the band, including well wishes to the musicians and the fans at the start of the tour. If the boss of the fanzine Backstreets can get through this rough patch, he may mend the broken promise written by the Boss in the song Backstreets. “We swore forever friends, on the backstreets until the end.”
Note: This aricle contains a correction. Backstreets Magazine was formed in 1980 by Charles R. Cross. Christopher Phillips took over in 1993. The article previously indicated that Phillips ran the publication since 1980. Thanks to Aram Anthony for the correction.
Craig Colby is the author of the Canadian Book Club Award Winning ALL CAPS: Stories That Justify an Outrageous Hat Collection.
Craig is also a television executive producer, producer, director, writer and story editor. He runs a storytelling consulting and production service.