Longtime Bruce Springsteen fanzine ‘Backstreets’ shuts down over ticket controversy

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The Bruce Springsteen fanzine Backstreets, which has been covering all things The Boss since 1980, announced over the weekend that it was shutting down.

The announcement came with a quote from Springsteen’s song “Nebraska”: “For a little while, sir, we had us some fun.” Editor-in-chief Christopher Phillips explained that the decision to shut down stemmed from disillusionment regarding the ticket debacle surrounding Springsteen and the E Street Band’s current tour, which saw many fans priced out of tickets due to Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing.

“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 wrote. Noting the ticket controversy, Phillips continued, “ … too many Springsteen fans got thrown to the wolves, pushed aside in a way that seems as unfathomable as it was avoidable.”

He added, “Whatever the eventual asking price at showtime and whether an individual buyer finds it fair, we simply realized that we would not be able to cover this tour with the drive and sense of purpose with which we’ve operated continuously since 1980. That determination came with a quickening sense that we’d reached the end of an era.”

In a statement to Variety, Bruce’s manager Jon Landau said they were “very sorry to hear the news” of the mag’s closing, adding they “want to thank Chris Phillips for his 30 years of dedication on behalf of Springsteen fans everywhere.”

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