Backstreets, the long-time Bruce Springsteen fanzine that combined Boss fan passion with incisive rock ‘n’ roll journalism, is shutting down its website.
There will be a final issue of Backstreets in digital format, and the Backstreets Records shop will remain open. The social media accounts will remain active, and the Backstreets Ticket Exchange will remain “open for a short time.”
“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,” said editor Chris Phillips on Friday, Feb. 3.
Phillips explained that his “whole heart” was not in it, partly due to last year’s Springsteen ticket sale, when some ticket prices surged to thousands of dollars due to dynamic pricing.
“Six months after the onsales, we still faced this three-part predicament,” Phillips said. “These are concerts that we can hardly afford; that many of our readers cannot afford; and that a good portion of our readership has lost interest in as a result.”
The Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 word tour commenced Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Tampa, Fla. at a sold out Amalie Arena.
“We are very sorry to hear the news of Backstreets closing and want to thank Chris Phillips for his 30 years of dedication on behalf of Springsteen fans everywhere,” said Springsteen manager Jon Landau in a statement to the USA Today Network NJ.
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Backstreets Magazine was founded by Charles R. Cross of Seattle in 1980. Phillips, of Chapel Hill, N.C., took over the reins in 1998. His work organizing the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection with Bob Crane was part of the foundation of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University.
“Backstreets Magazine has been the gold standard for Bruce Springsteen fans and community members for decades,” said Brandon Thompson of the Boss-themed Blog It All Night website.
“As someone who is about to turn 30 next month, I can’t say that I have been with them since the start,” the Moorestown resident continued. “However, I can remember fondly in high school rushing to Backstreets.com to see what the band played the night before and to see what the latest news was for Springsteen and E Street.”
Visit Backstreets.com for more info.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.
