Manitoba

Regina fan among those planning to travel to Winnipeg for Bruce Springsteen's November show

Ticket sales for Bruce Springsteen's Nov. 10 show in Winnipeg — his first in the city — went on sale Wednesday. As of Thursday, promoters said a limited amount of tickets were still available.

Some tickets still available for Nov. 10 concert as of Thursday

Two men holding guitars sing into a single microphone on a stage.
Bruce Springsteen, left, and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt perform on Feb. 1 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Springsteen and his band will play Winnipeg for the first time on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. (Chris O'Meara/The Associated Press)

While many Winnipeggers were gripped Wednesday in their quest to purchase tickets for Bruce Springsteen's upcoming show — his first in the city — promoters said Thursday some tickets were still available for the November concert.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to play the Canada Life Centre on Nov. 10, as part of Springsteen's first worldwide tour since 2017.

While a few tickets  were still up for grabs Thursday, some out of town fans have decided commuting to Winnipeg is their best chance to see the Boss in person.

Saskatchewan Springsteen fan Rick Gallinger will be driving from Regina, after buying a single ticket for the Nov. 10 show.

"[My] wife just said, 'OK, you know, go over the budget if you have to to get a ticket and go by yourself,'" he said.

Gallinger said fortunately, Ticketmaster's verified fan ticket distribution process — which let fans register to access presales — wasn't too complicated for him, but there was a lot of waiting around.

"They let you know the night before if you're gonna have a chance to buy tickets or if you're on a wait list," he said.

After making that wait list, "I spent all day yesterday waiting for my phone to go 'ding,'" he said.

Gallinger also received a notification message Thursday that he was also eligible to buy tickets to Springsteen's Nov. 6 Edmonton concert, but said he prefers the commute to Winnipeg because the show will be on the weekend. 

When his turn came up in the queue, he said he looked around "for an OK price" for a Winnipeg ticket.

"But it was [for the] back of the stage — I didn't know if I'd be able to see anything," Gallinger said.

"And since I only needed one I took a look and I bought one on the floor for — it was expensive, but it's the floor … so I jumped all over it."

As of publishing time Thursday evening, there were still tickets available on Ticketmaster's website, ranging from around $700 to over $2,200.

Kevin Donnelly, the senior vice-president for True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates Canada Life Centre, said a limited number of tickets remained on Thursday.

"We're selling a few seats that are behind the stage," Donnelly says.

For people wondering what behind the stage seats entail, Donnelly said that the stage will be set up on one end of the Canada Life Centre so that fans who choose to sit there will be "quite close to the action," and should have a good view of the show.