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Bruce Springsteen may be the people’s champion, but even he has some hard limits: In a new legal filing (via Complete Music Update), The Boss is seeking to shutout bootleg merch sales at upcoming concerts.
The filing was actually made by Springsteen’s official merchandising partner, Live Nation’s Merch Traffic. In it, Springsteen and Live Nation requested that the New Jersey courts inform local law enforcement as well as local US Marshals agents to “seize and impound any and all infringing merchandise.”
It’s also worth noting that measure seems to specifically apply to The Boss’ April 20th show at Newark’s Prudential Center.
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The injunction request goes on to say that the infringing merch is “of the same general appearance” as Springsteen’s official merch (but is “generally of inferior quality”). As such, Springsteen and Live Nation are hoping to also stop bootleggers from being able to promote their goods on site, and that any enforcement takes place at the concert itself. The scope of the injunction includes “t-shirts, jerseys, caps and/or other merchandise” bearing the logos of both Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Complete Music Update also brings up an interesting wrinkle to this story. To include the US Marshals means that Donald Trump’s administration (which oversees the agency) might be involved in any decision-making and planning. That would be mark for a unique partnership, as Springsteen’s entire “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour has been positioned as a rebuke of Trump’s 2nd term, while Trump himself as called for a a MAGA-wide boycott of Springsteen shows, calling them “overpriced.”
Springsteen odiously isn’t alone in his call attempts to block bootleggers. In recent months, artists like Dua Lipa, Benson Boone, and Tate McRae have each released statements against and/or filed similar injunctions regarding bootleg merchandise.
And it’s easy to see why artists would react this way. As the live music ecosystem continues to evolve, and technologies and social attitudes allow for such copyright infringement to become increasingly viable and/or acceptable, artists have to better protect their image. Then, of course, there’s the financial element: According to data from at Venu (a live event POS), the average amount of money spent per concert attendee increased from $8.79 in 2023 to $10.24 in 2025. Similarly, fans buying merchandise also increased (from 20% in 2023 to 21% in 2025).
Springsteen’s “Land of Hope and Dreams Tour” continues in San Francisco on April 13th, with remaining dates in Chicago, New York City, Washington, DC, and more. Tickets can be purchased here. For a preview, read our coverage of the kick-off show in Minneapolis.
Bruce Springsteen 2026 Tour Dates:
04/13 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center [Buy Tickets]
04/16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center [Buy Tickets]
04/20 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center [Buy Tickets]
04/23 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena [Buy Tickets]
04/26 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center ATX [Buy Tickets]
04/29 – Chicago, IL @ United Center [Buy Tickets]
05/02 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena [Buy Tickets]
05/05 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena [Buy Tickets]
05/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center [Buy Tickets]
05/11 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden [Buy Tickets]
05/14 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center [Buy Tickets]
05/16 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden [Buy Tickets]
05/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena [Buy Tickets]
05/22 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena [Buy Tickets]
05/24 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden [Buy Tickets]
05/27 – Washington, @ Nationals Park [Buy Tickets]
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