From the outside looking in, life on the road working alongside an iconic rock star looks like a dream job.
But it’s not always glamorous, just ask Bruce Springsteen’s manager, Kevin Buell. He was hit over the head with a flying guitar by The Boss after his classic rock star move onstage went awry.
The incident occurred during a Brice Springsteen & The E Street Band show at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on February 3, according to TMZ.
As the crowd roared in approval as the legendary rockers finished a song, Springsteen turned and hurled his Fender Telecaster some 20 to 25 feet at his guitar tech, as he probably had many times over the years.
But, apparently, Buell released the latch and hit him on the head and then proceeded to trip and fall to the stage floor, which was just to the left of drummer Max Weinstein.
Scary moment: Bruce Springsteen, 73, accidentally hit his guitar tech over the head when he did the classic rock star ax throw during a show in Atlanta, Georgia on February 3.
Band members in that vicinity of the stage, including Weinstein and keyboardist Roy Bittan, looked on in concern for a moment, as did other band members when they noticed the mishap.
Springsteen walked briskly to the backstage to check on Buell, then assuaged everyone’s concern when he smiled and returned to his main microphone, where he quipped to the audience, “One less man.”
Once that happened, that tense moment seemed to ease and return to the joyous celebration that a Springsteen show with the band E Street has become over the decades.
The good news: The roadie, Kevin Buell, did not appear to be suffering from any sort of serious injury and was, in fact, well enough to perform his duties at The Boss and the Bans’ upcoming two-day concert. later in Orlando. , florida
One fan commented that Buell has been working with Springsteen as a guitar tech for over 30 years and counting.
Marking the first time since 2017 that Springsteen and the E Street Band have toured together, the so-called Springsteen And E Street Band 2023 Tour kicked off on February 1 in Tampa, Florida and is scheduled to conclude on December 8 in San Francisco. .
Just two days ago some new dates were added to the tour that takes them through North America and Europe.
When those new shows were posted on Springsteen’s Instagram page, many fans expressed outrage at what they see as high ticket prices.
Rock Star Move: As the E Street Band was finishing up a song, The Boss turned to throw his Fndr Telecaster at his tech, something he has probably done hundreds if not thousands of times.
Fumbled: The guitar tech missed the catch and was hit in the head by the Fender
Mishap: Initially, Springsteen had a worried look on his face in the seconds after he nailed the guitar tech to the head.
Concerned: The Boss quickly walked to the back of the stage to check on his guitar.
All good: After seeing that his technician was not seriously injured, Springsteen returned to the main microphone at the front of the stage to address the incident to the fans: “One less man,” he quipped, after realizing that the technician was not he was hurt.
“I saw a post that put it best: do you think it’s ironic that your music is supposed to be ‘the sound of the worker’…and yet no worker could afford tickets to your concerts?” wrote a fan in the comments section, which seemed to sum up what many others were thinking.
‘Bruce, what’s going on? Love, love.love, your and E Street band, amazing music, but these prices are a little out of my category. I am from a simple middle-class family. Most of the people who can afford those seats don’t even know your music and just pay $$ to say they got to see you. I’m very sad,’ another person shared on Instagram.
In November, The Boss addressed sky-high prices for the band’s 2023 tour.
For the first time in his career, the 73-year-old New Jersey native told Rolling Stone that he opted to use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model to sell tickets, which allows for extreme inflation based on demand, as informed by page six.
But fans weren’t pleased with the varying ticket prices — some reaching as high as $5,000 — when they went on sale in July.
Two days ago, new tour dates were announced on Instagram, but many fans expressed their outrage over the high ticket prices in the comments section.
Blue Collar Complaints: Comment after comment blasted The Boss for being a ‘worker’s musician’ with ticket prices working men and women can’t afford
Outrage: Some outraged fans expressed that only rich people can afford to see Bruce now
“What I do is a very simple thing. I tell my guys, “Go out there and see what everybody else is doing. Let’s charge a little less.” Those are generally the addresses,” he explained to the magazine. They go out and ride it. For the last 49 years or however long we’ve been playing, we’ve been pretty much below market value. I have enjoyed that. It’s been great for the fans.
“This time I told them, ‘Hey, we’re 73 years old. The boys are there. I want to do what everyone else is doing, my peers.’ So that was what happened. That’s what they did,” Springsteen explained.
“PLEASE Bruce stop giving us the ‘whatever my teammates are doing’ excuse and make this leg affordable for your longtime fans!” another fan shared. I can’t afford to go to any shows this spring. What is it you don’t understand about how crushed so many of us are?
There was another fan who summed up others by writing: ‘…I can’t afford these ticket prices. Over $1000 for 2 obstructed view tickets not in the budget now for seniors. I’ve seen you so many times, but I’m sorry to say I don’t think I’ll ever see you again.
And there were even more people who vowed never to see Springsteen again, if prices continued this trend: ‘No thanks. He is not a fan of his new direction. He gouges fans #500 million reasons why I’ll be streaming on this and every other tour.
Not happy: One fan summed up what others were thinking when it comes to Springsteen’s excuse to ‘follow his peers’ when it comes to processing tickets
Complaints: Fans complained that tickets were over $1000 for ‘2 obstructed view tickets’
Not having it: Many fans said ‘no thanks’ to this tour and any other with these prices