review bruce springsteen tour 2023

Bruce Springsteen’s Tour Resumption Is Its Own Kind of Promised Land: Concert Review

An early tour stop in San Diego, on the way to his rescheduled L.A. dates in April, shows that for Springsteen, singing about the souls of the departed and throwing a party for the living are easily balanced twin tasks.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

• Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets’ Becomes First Album to Get One Billion Streams on Spotify in a Single Week 1 day ago
• Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour to Release First Album in Nine Years 1 day ago
• Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Pearl Jam to Headline Ohana Festival 2024 2 days ago

Most of the really essential rituals of American life — religious observances; Halloween and New Year’s Eve; opening day in baseball — are cyclical, endlessly repeatable experiences, independent from individuals or cults of personality. But to that list, a lot of us would add the ritual, stretching past 50 years now, of Bruce Springsteen in concert. And as the world found out last year, that guy can take a sick day. So, as if Springsteen tours weren’t already irregular enough, the fresh resumption of this U.S. tour, after a six-month timeout, has an extra resonance.

Popular on Variety

Springsteen didn’t directly bring up his illness or the postponement of the last leg of the tour when he talked to the audience at the Pechanga Arena, but he did address the absence that’d been on so many local fans’ minds over the last four decades.

Why hadn’t he gotten back to San Diego sooner? Maybe because he felt it’d be too on-the-nose, having name-checked the city so famously in “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”? Naturally, when that nearly eight-minute rouser did come up as an encore number Sunday, it got some special treatment for the occasion. Standing on the ramp that extended into the GA section with members of his band, Springsteen halted the song for a 21-second pause following the line “I know a pretty little place in Southern California, down San Diego way,” which, as a prompt for 13,500 people to go wild, probably could been extended a couple of minutes longer.

It’s a little bit surprising that Springsteen had not been back sooner just in that his last SD gig back in 1981 had also been at this same facility, then known as the San Diego Sports Arena. And the place maintains just a little bit of the old-school feel of his former favorite locale further north, the L.A. Sports Arena, which he had dubbed “The Dump That Jumps” before closing it down with a series of final concerts there in 2016. Speaking of things that will all seem funny, it may seem odd to point out the artist’s nostalgia for something as unsentimental as arenas, but he will tend to play the older of those venues when he’s coming to a city with more than one, as he did in San Diego and will when he shortly hits Inglewood’s Forum (his distaste for Staples/Crypto.com Arena being legendary). He’s got a thing for things that have escaped the wrecking ball; the Pechanga Arena has been upgraded above dump status, but on a night like this, it did jump, too.

The faithful haven’t been sure whether to call his 2024 tour (which has a lot of rescheduled North American shows bookending a long summer trip to Europe) a continuation of the aborted 2023 U.S. tour, or something that counts as a new one. It does affect how songs are counted or not counted as “tour premieres” in the inevitable collation of setlists — which really boils it down to an especially first-world problem. The artist himself had a point of view on that when asked about it on the E Street Radio satelite channel earlier this month, saying, “There will be some things from last year’s tour that will hold over; some of my basic themes of mortality and life and those things, you know, I’m going to keep set… (But) I think I’m gonna move around the other parts of the set a lot more, so there’ll be a much wider song selection going on. So we’re looking at it like it’s a little bit of the old tour, but we’re looking at it like a new tour.”

Looking at what’s gone from last year, “Kitty’s Back” is no longer back, and “Glory Days” and “Out in the Street” are also out, along with semi-regular staples like “The E Street Shuffle,” “Candy’s Room” and “Johnny 99.” But since the show still clocks in at a very healthy 27 songs, spread out over about two hours and 40 minutes, additions are in place, like his 1973 debut album’s “Spirit in the Night,” which has been played at all three shows so far, after only getting two plays total in all of 2022. His cover of the Ben E. King/Aretha Franklin classic “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” (as heard on his soul covers abum two years ago) also looks like it may be a nighty regular now, after having been bumped out of the set after a handful of appearances in February 2022. The change-ups distinct to San Diego in the fresh run of shows included his first performance of “My City of Ruins” since 2017, plus the revival of his “Detroit Medley,” which was performed only three times last year. “Death to My Hometown” and, in the encore, “Bobby Jean” also made what have recently counted as rare appearances.

What remains rock-solid from last year are the vast majority of songs a casual fan might be coming to hear, mostly from the 1973-84 era, although service is also paid to the “Rising” and “Wrecking Ball” albums and the two most recent releases that he is ostensibly touring behind, “Letter to You” and “Only the Strong Survive.” Songs that would be set-closers for anyone else are thrown in almost in random spots, until it becomes a sheer onslaught of classics. Rest assured that the show’s final stretch will allow everyone to resume ongoing internal debate over whether “Born to Run” is the quintessential rock song of all time, or whether that honor is rightly reserved by “Thunder Road.” (Team “Thunder,” here, after 49 years of consideration.)

It counts as a thunderously upbeat best-of show, in other words. But it’s an exhilarating greatest-hits show sandwiched within momentarily sobering ruminatings about death, and death’s effect on the living. Which is quite a hoagie.

Also still a staple of the show from last year is another one of those recent songs about remembering missing loved ones, “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” as a final benediction after the celebratory encore material.

On top of this, Springsteen has made some other additions to the show, whether for the entirety of the remaining tour or as recurring one-offs, that further reinforce this theme. For instance, the show no longer begins every night with “No Surrender” (which is still in the set, pushed back a bit); he’s replaced it with the brooding “Lonesome Day,” one of the 9/11-prompted songs from “The Rising.” As he thought about what kind of messaging to start these new concerts with, maybe Springsteen’s bout with illness made him realize that we all have to succumb to some surrendering now and again. More likely, it has something to do with providing an opening bookend to “I’ll See You in My Dreams” at the beginning — starting the show with an anxious response to death at the outset, so that his calming thoughts about it at the end feel like the conclusion to some kind of story.

In adding “My City of Ruins” to the set for the first time in seven years, Springsteen also used that as a bed for more of these thoughts, on top of full-band intros, extending that gospel-like ballad to 11 minutes in length — less than a third of the way into the running time. “I plan on sending you home with your feet hurting, your ass hurting, your sexual organs stimulated,” Springsteen promised during the “Ruins” spoken interlude, before getting down to business about having “a story to tell. It’s a story about yesterday and about tonight and hopefully tomorrow. It’s about hellos and goodbyes. It’s about the things that leave us and the things that remain.” After introducing the extended band (E Street Horns and E Street Choir included), he asked, “Are we missing anybody?” The crowd roared with implicit Clarence Clemons/Danny Federici appreciation. “Everybody’s missing somebody at this point,” he affirmed. “I don’t know where we go when this is all over, but I know where we remain. The only thing I can guarantee tonight is, if you’re here and we’re here, then they’re here.”

Spaced out over the better part of three hours, these reflections aren’t going to hit anyone in the crowd as heavy-handed; if anything, they’re just barely enough in making the obvious point that everyone present who’s been with him for the long haul has probably been spending more time in hospital rooms or at funerals than revving up hemi-powered drones. Fortunately, there’s a timelessness to most of the classics that transcends youth, even if some of the aspirational dreams in the early material are long since in rear-view mirrors for much of the audience. “Let the broken hearts stand as the price you’ve gotta pay”: some things can sung along with at 18 or 88.

The stage for this tour is almost hilariously basic, if you’ve been to any major superstar outings lately, and witnessed the bizarre shapes of the ramps that extend into SRO floors and practically twist around each other. Springsteen’s ramp doesn’t look to extend much more more than 15 feet into the audience, as if to dare the incoming audience to imagine how much he can do with just a minimum of thrust staging. (Honestly, we’re trying to keep this as clean as we can here.) He spent plenty of time on that modest extension, which allows plenty of room for camera angles catching the surrounding crowd, and for occasional visits from mobile band members and backup singers, without having to go so far out into the crowd that it looks like he’s, you know, overcompensating.

As is tradition, he and some of his traveling accompanists occasionally visited the rear riser, which now holds a five-man horn section, to provide eye candy for the audience watching from behind the stage. Everyone turning around to give the folks in the so-called cheap seats a thrill is especially nice when it’s timed to one of his great key changes, as it was in the instrumental bridge of the Pogues-like “Death to My Hometown.”

Memorable moments stand out almost randomly: Nils Lofgren going crazy on “Because the Night,” making up for the lack of solo time he gets as one of three guitarists by doing a whole night’s worth of shredding in one tune… Saxophonist Jake Clemons leaning on Springsteen’s shoulder during “Prove It All Night,” in what has to be a subtle but intentional inverse of his late uncle Clarence’s famous “Born to Run” cover pose… A moment when backup vocalist Curtis King joins Springsteen on the ramp during “Nightshift” for a few modest steps in unison. (Guaranteed, the only actual dance choreography of the night.)… Springsteen taking a sign from the audience and saving it for much later so that he could dedicate “Last Man Standing” to a specific fallen serviceman.

Meanwhile, here’s an advisory for anyone coming to the tour down the road: plan for traffic and invest in a watch. The tickets say 7:30 p.m., and so far on this leg, that is exactly the minute the band walks on stage. The ultra-prompt start allows Springsteen and company to prove it for what still feels like all night, yet get everyone home before the witching hour. It’s true: a benevolent boss is always looking out for everyone’s health.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band setlist, Pechanga Arena, San Diego, March 25, 2024:

Lonesome Day

Prove It All Night

No Surrender

Death to My Hometown

Letter to You

The Promised Land

My City of Ruins

Spirit in the Night

Don’t Play That Song (Ben E. King cover)

Nightshift (Commodores coer)

Mary’s Place

Last Man Standing

Backstreets

Because the Night

She’s the One

Wrecking Ball

Thunder Road

Detroit Medley

Born to Run

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Dancing in the Dark

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

I’ll See You in My Dreams

More From Our Brands

Louis tomlinson performs in a different city for each song on new surprise album ‘live’, this new 374-foot megayacht has an epic 66-foot hydraulic swimming pool, nfl stadium naming rights help brands half the time, study says, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, sons of anarchy boss on season 5 game plan, and the arrival of 'king' jax and 'queen' tara, verify it's you, please log in.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Launch World Tour With Ecstatic, Emotional Tampa Show

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Decades from now, when historians and epidemiologists look back at the Covid era, they’ll probably have a hard time pinpointing the exact moment the pandemic came to an end in America and normal life resumed. Some will probably point to the day in August 2021 when the vaccination rate hit 70 percent, while others will spotlight April 2022, when airlines dropped their mask mandate, or even Joe Biden’s 60 Minutes interview a few months later when he bluntly declared the pandemic over despite protests from members of his own administration. Others still might say that moment is still to come.

From another perspective, though, there’s a strong case to be made that it happened on Feb. 1 at 8:01 p.m. EST, when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band walked onstage at Tampa, Florida’s Amalie Arena and kicked off their world tour with a thunderous rendition of “No Surrender” in front of 20,000 screaming, maskless fans. 

Nobody in Tampa seemed headed toward the refund line as “No Surrender” segued into “Ghosts” from 2020’s Letter to You. By this point, any fears the E Street Band might need a few shows to shake off six years of rust were gone. They were locked in tight, beaming with joy, and feeding off the frenzied atmosphere in the crowd.

Editor’s picks

The 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term.

An 18-piece band might seem like overkill considering the original E Street Band got along fine with a mere five musicians, but this show covers a lot of musical ground, including selections from Springsteen’s 2022 soul covers LP Only the Strong Survive , and nobody felt superfluous. This was especially true on “Kitty’s Back,” when Springsteen gave nearly everyone in the band a little moment to shine. A couple of songs later, he invited the background singers to the front to lock voices with him on “Nightshift,” a 1985 Commodores classic that was one of the surprise highlights of the evening. 

The long layoff made even E Street standards like “The Promised Land,” “Out in the Street,” and “Prove It All Night” sound fresh and vital again, while the dark Nebraska deep cut “Johnny 99” was transformed into an arena anthem. But the most emotional moment came midway through the night, when the entire band left the stage, leaving Springsteen alone with his acoustic guitar.

Phish Reach Jam-Band Bliss at the Sphere in Las Vegas

Watch bruce springsteen play 'seeds' for first time since 2016 at mohegan sun arena, inside jimmy buffett's tribute concert: mccartney, margaritas, and one hell of a parrothead party.

He continued his story: “I went home and, about a week later, George passed away. Shortly after that, I wrote this song. It’s about the job we choose, the friends we choose, the passion we followed as children. At 15, it’s all tomorrows. At 73, a lot of yesterdays. A lot of goodbyes. That’s why you gotta make the most of right now.”

The arena came to a complete hush as he sang “Last Man Standing” from Letter to You for the first time to a live audience. The song focuses on his memories of Theiss, and the hard realization that he’s now the last of the Castiles. “Rock of angels, lift me somehow,” he sang. “Somewhere high and hard and loud/Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd/I’m the last man standing now.”

Few artists outside of Springsteen could create a moment that intimate and heartfelt in a basketball arena named after an oil company. He followed it up with another mellow Letter to You song, “House of a Thousand Guitars,” before bringing everyone back to their feet for a blistering “Backstreets.” The main set ended with “Because the Night,” “She’s the One,” “Wrecking Ball,” “The Rising,” and “Badlands.” The band has celebrated a lot of 70th birthdays since they last played together, but somehow they played those songs with the same level of fire and passion they had decades ago. 

After taking a quick bow, the band didn’t even bother to go through the charade of leaving the stage before the encore set. It began with the live premiere of “Burnin’ Train” before the house lights came on for a euphoric double shot of “Born to Run” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” They then went back to the hits of 1984 with “Glory Days” and “Dancing in the Dark,” though the latter was a slightly truncated version since he didn’t bring any wannabe Courteney Coxes onstage to dance. (This might have been due to Covid concerns, which could also explain why he didn’t crowd surf at any point in the night.) 

Billie Eilish Would Like to Reintroduce Herself

Team trump is ready to lose the supreme court immunity case. they’re celebrating, taylor swift and jack antonoff have reached their limit, kanye west announces 'yeezy porn' amid reports of adult film company.

Here is the complete setlist:

1. “No Surrender” 2. “Ghosts” 3. “Prove It All Night” 4. “Letter to You” 5. “The Promised Land” 6. “Out in the Street” 7. “Candy’s Room” 8. “Kitty’s Back” 9. “Brilliant Disguise” 10. “Nightshift” (Commodores cover) 11. “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)” (Ben E. King cover) 12. “The E Street Shuffle” 13. “Johnny 99” 14. “Last Man Standing” 15. “House of a Thousand Guitars” 16. “Backstreets” 17. “Because the Night” 18. “She’s the One” 19. “Wrecking Ball” 20. “The Rising” 21. “Badlands” (Encore) 22. “Burnin’ Train” 23. “Born to Run” 24. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” 25. “Glory Days” 26. “Dancing in the Dark” 27. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” 28. “I’ll See You In My Dreams”

Louis Tomlinson Performs in a Different City for Each Song on New Surprise Album 'Live'

• By Larisha Paul

BTS’ RM's Announces Second Solo Album 'Right Place, Wrong Person'

• After Indigo
• By Tomás Mier

The Old Taylor Swift Is Dead — This Time for Real

• By Brian Hiatt

St. Vincent Gets Primal on 'All Born Screaming'

• ALBUM REVIEW
• By Jon Dolan

Reba McEntire Will Host the 2024 ACM Awards

• Return of the Mac
• By Kory Grow

Most Popular

Anne hathaway says 'gross' chemistry test in the 2000s required her to make out with 10 guys: that's the 'worst way to do it' and 'now we know better', how quentin tarantino's 'the movie critic' fell apart, sources claim hugh jackman’s worrying behavior may have something to do with his breakup, first queen elizabeth ii memorial statue unveiled, with a smile and three corgis, in england, you might also like, lily gladstone and bowen yang to star in ‘the wedding banquet’ remake from director andrew ahn (exclusive), ewan mcgregor’s daughter fronts celine fragrance campaign, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, ‘clipped’ trailer: donald sterling’s disgraced l.a. clippers exit forms fx’s latest scandal series, nfl stadium naming rights help brands half the time, study says.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band review – there’s still magic in the night

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh In a typically breathless three-hour set, the Boss and band deliver the goods with such joy and passion, there’s little option other than to succumb

“A s you get older,” notes Bruce Springsteen wryly, “death gives you pause to think.” The singer and his 17-strong band are being held briefly at the halfway mark of a nearly three-hour set that segues fluidly from song to song, rarely pausing for breath – just a “one, two, three, four!” from Springsteen, before powering up again.

We’ve reached the part where he recalls joining his first band in the mid-60s and how, 50 years later, he found himself at the deathbed of George Theiss , who had hired the teenage guitarist into the Castiles. You could hear a plastic half-pint cup drop in the 60,000 capacity stadium, bathing in unfamiliar late evening Scottish sunshine. “And death’s final and lasting gift to the living,” Springsteen intones, as though trading elevated oratory with his podcast buddy , former president Barack Obama, “is an expanded vision of this life.” Naturally, Springsteen urges us to “seize the day”. Then he launches into Last Man Standing , from his 2020 LP Letter to You – a song about the loneliness of outliving all of your comrades, and the transformative powers of rock’n’roll. And if Springsteen’s soul revue-calibre rock show remains consistent in drumming home music’s alchemical powers – 2016 was the last time the E Street Band came to the UK – its joy delivery system is so sound, there’s little point in rolling your eyes at how tremendously Boss-like the man is.

Springsteen then models what seizing a day might look like if you were a rock star-cum-poet laureate of US post-industrial decline. He sings about passion – with muscular, scrunchy-faced investment. He shares a microphone intimately with guitarist Little Steven, clasps the hands of the entire front row, even giving away a couple of spittle-sanctified harmonicas.

With sometimes as many as five guitars being played on stage at once, the 73-year-old sets up duels with the piratical Little Steven and Nils Lofgren who, when not on E Street duty, plays sideman to another indefatigable North American legend, Neil Young. More than once, Springsteen goes mano a mano with saxophone player Jake Clemons, nephew of the late E Streeter Clarence Clemons , who died in 2011.

With his back turned to the crowd, Springsteen conducts the five-strong horn section. He duets with backing singer Curtis King , whose falsetto on their soulful cover of Nightshift by the Commodores are sweet sounds indeed. He pogoes while soloing on guitar, then rips his black capped-sleeved shirt open during Dancing in the Dark , revealing some burnished pecs gilded with silver chains. Eyes shut as though in ecstasy, he shouts “Edinburgh!” a great deal, and emphasises the musical roots of Death to My Hometown – a broadside against the depredations of late capitalism – with standup drums and a piper-like trumpet line. Springsteen doesn’t so much seize this rare scorcher of a day in Scotland as grab it by the lapels and shout in its face, wipe its tears, then give it a kiss.

There has long been a push and pull in Springsteen’s career between his songs of yearning – his paeans to escape, from Born to Run (stellar tonight) on down – and those tunes where people are stuck, making the best of things, making mistakes, and witnessing how much is beyond their control. Although there’s only one track, Johnny 99 , from his most bleak outing, Nebraska – the 1982 LP that is the subject of a newly published book by musician turned writer Warren Zanes – the set list trades off between Springsteen’s penchant for wild romance, and his witness-bearing to harsh realities. The trajectory is mostly up, though, with joyous defiance edging out sober reckonings with time: every song seemingly a Wrecking Ball .

Since this tour set off from Florida in February, the set list hasn’t, perhaps, enjoyed as much spontaneity as E Street Band outings of yore, with Springsteen calling out rarities at the drop of a hat. But there remain a few slots in the running order where variables cycle in and out. Tonight’s lesser-heard gem is Mary’s Place , a soulful party tune from The Rising (2002) that locates transcendence in music once again.

Another more regular wild card, Kitty’s Back , is a high point – not so much for the 1973 tune’s extended alley cat metaphor, but for the glorious longform swinging blues it offers up. Starting with Springsteen’s battered guitar line and horns, the lead is handed around the band, from the honky-tonk of pianist Roy Bittan, to the organ wheeze of keys player Charles Giordano, building until it tilts at New Orleans jazz. Springsteen visibly relishes his players’ fluent flexes. Near the close of the show, powerhouse drummer Max Weinberg provides one final beat: he climbs down off his mount and hands his drumsticks to a tween boy superfan in the front row.

Having rolled around on the floor a bit, Springsteen says something vague about not waiting so long to come back next time. This tour’s high ticket prices – much grumbled about by fans – indicated this jaunt might be one last chance power drive to see the E Street experience in full. But despite all the arms waving from side to side across this big bowl full of people, it really doesn’t feel like goodbye.

• Bruce Springsteen
• Kitty Empire's artist of the week
• Pop and rock
• live music reviews

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Bruce Springsteen rocks, and gives dating advice, at MetLife Night 3: Review and setlist

After nearly three hours of heart-shaking and pants-quaking rock and soul music at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Sunday, Sept. 3 concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, fans got a bonus from the Boss.

Dating advice.

It came during the show-closing performance of “Jersey Girl.”

“Hold onto you baby, put your arm around her,” said Springsteen, wearing a black short-sleeved collared shirt with black pants, toward the end of the song. “C'mon and give her a kiss!”

A collective smooch from the 50,000 in the stadium followed, set against the sweet strains of Charlie Giordano's accordion and Steven Van Zandt's mandolin. It was a very summer-at-the-Jersey Shore-ish ending to a dynamic and stirring night of music, and to three big shows over five days at the stadium.

Some fans had voiced displeasure at the static setlist of the current tour. Not here. On Sunday, there were plenty of ohhs, ahhs and screams of joy over some of the songs pulled out:

“Wowww! Oh (blank)!” screamed a fan for the tour debut of “Two Hearts.”

“We got it baby!” for “Something in the Night..”

“They're calling an audible, baby!” before the opening notes of “Jungleland” were played, then an “Ahh!” when the song started.

The “Jungleland” performance, sweeping and majestic, was centered on Springsteen's impassioned vocals and Jake Clemons’ time-stopping saxophone solo. When he plays, he steps into the big shoes of his late uncle, Clarence Clemons, who played with the band before him.

Jake, like his uncle, can move mountains with the saxophone.

The nexus of the Springsteen show is based on the 2020 album “Letter to You,” which looks to mortality and its motivational properties. Springsteen spoke of the passing of George Theiss, his friend and bandmate from the '60s era Freehold band the Castiles, in a mid-show monologue. Yet, the exclusion of “Ghosts” and “I'll See You in My Dreams,” both from “Letter to You,” in the show suggests that future concerts on the tour might move away from the theme.

“I'll See You in My Dreams” had closed all the shows on the tour until Sunday.

More: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at MetLife Stadium: Boss' wildest party for 50,000

More: Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band at MetLife: Night 2 brings more rocking thrills

More: Greetings from MetLife: Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band rock New Jersey

Springsteen’s voice was first rate and the E Street Band was as sharp as a Jersey right-hand turn on Sunday. Even the feedback bugaboo on Springsteen's mic, which affected the first two shows, was fixed. It was a hot time in the Meadowlands. So hot that Springsteen doused himself with a sponge on stage and set forth like Gene Kelly in “Singin' in the Rain.”

No, the Boss, 73, doesn't dance so much on stage these days, but by the time the band ripped through another rarity, “Detroit Medley,” near the end of the show the crowd was flying.

Up next for Springsteen and the E Street Band is the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Check out Sunday's setlist below:

Springsteen and E Street MetLife Stadium Night 3 setlist

• Lonesome Day
• No Surrender
• Prove It All Night
• Something in the Night
• Letter to You
• The Promised Land
• Spirit in the Night
• Kitty's Back
• Atlantic City
• Mary's Place
• Last Man Standing
• Backstreets
• Because the Night
• She's the One
• Wrecking Ball
• Thunder Road
• Born to Run
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• Detroit Medley
• Dancing in the Dark
• Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
• Jersey Girl

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on Bruce Springsteen and the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band alive and well in 3-plus hours of thunderous hits

The pent-up demand for Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band had put ardent fans on edge.

Would the Boss' energy be the same after the rocker was forced to cancel last year's show in March due to illness and then a rescheduled performance in September due to a peptic ulcer?

Did the 74-year-old still have the stamina to navigate a stage for more than three hours? To gyrate with his guitar and hit the high notes of ballads and rock classics? To remember the lyrics as he's done for more than four decades in over 1,300 concerts with the band?

The answer, from about 20,000 devotees at Sunday's concert at Nationwide Arena, was a resounding, deafening "Yes." It was the band's first show in Columbus since 2016.

The tone was set in the opening bars of "Youngstown," a nod to the Rust Belt factories that build the weaponry "that won this country's wars," but then died off to leave empty shells and unemployment. A searing guitar solo by Nils Lofgren infused the song with powerful shards of despair.

And like the canon blast after a Columbus Blue Jackets' goal, "Lonesome Days" followed, with a jarring rim shot by drummer Max Weinberg, a percussive human metronome throughout the sell-out concert that lasted about three hours and 10 minutes.

Springsteen, in a short-sleeve denim shirt, black vest and purple tie, appeared to relish the arena crowd. With eyes often closed, he channeled deeply personal songs like "The Promised Land," The Rising," and "Ghosts."

More: From Cher to Ozzy Osbourne, see the 2024 list of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees

His grimacing was not from bad joints, but during his guitar solos, thrashing the strings during extended versions of favorites such as "Streets of Fire."

He didn't pause much between songs, often exchanging one guitar for another by tossing it to a stagehand, as Weinberg continued to strafe the crowd with nonstop rhythmic transitions.

During "Spirit in the Night," Springsteen graciously walked behind the stage to focus on those seated behind the band, sauntering at times for effect.

He ended up in front, resting his legs on the edge of the stage and his back against saxophonist Jake Clemons, whose uncle Clarence Clemons, also a sax player, was one of Springsteen's closest friends.

While mortality and distant youth were themes that may have resonated with the older crowd, many of whom were in high school or college when Springsteen blasted into stardom in the late 1970s and early '80s, there were also some younger fans.

Michelle Grinestaff and her husband, Jared Schuetter, brought their daughters, Claudia, 14, and Vivian, 12, both of whom had memorized many of Bruce's hits.

"She's been playing Springsteen their entire lives," said Schuetter of his wife.

Grinestaff's attraction followed her father Jerry's, a rabid fan who, two years ago died of pulmonary fibrosis. The night before his passing, she told him she really wanted him to come to last year's concert with the girls. "He said to just make sure you have a good time," she recalled, halting to wipe a tear.

She vividly recalls that Springsteen's "Racing in the Street" was playing while to spoke to her dad. She hoped she'd hear it Sunday night.

Photos: Taylor Swift played 5 concerts in Columbus before release of The Tortured Poets Department

Sure enough, the concert's 19th song, "Racing in the Street," was a beautiful rendition of love, loss and redemption with exquisite interplay between Roy Bittan's piano and Charles Giordano's organ. The audience quickly silenced, seemingly in hushed awe of Springsteen's meticulous alchemy of music and lyrics, considered by many among his best work.

The Boss still is in top form, telling the audience that his little "bellyache" from last year is a memory. "It's all good now," he said. He even skipped across the stage at one point during "Hungry Heart."

Springsteen seems to thrive on the adulation, but not in a selfish manner. He's keenly aware of audience temperament. And knowing when to end a marathon show is about having empathy for the crowd, which stood most of the night.

Typical of the band's recent encores, the iconic "Born to Run" led a string of hits, including "Rosalita (Come out Tonight)," "Bobby Jean," "Dancing in the Dark" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out."

Full, bright arena lighting illuminated the crowd during a medley of oldie covers, including a Detroit medley, "Devil with the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly and C.C. Rider," among others.

Brothers Darrell and Don Miller, of Hilliard, both in their early 60s, recalled before the concert training for high school basketball with a coach playing the song "Born to Run" endlessly to inspire track workouts.

"It's the one song not on my playlist," said Don, "because I had to run laps to that thing for two years."

Live Music: Rap-icon Future coming to Schottenstein Center with Metro Boomin on Aug. 10

Fair Concerts: Ice Cube, Jamey Johnson added to Ohio State Fair's concert lineup

Darrell couldn't help wonder how much longer Springsteen can keep running.

"He's going overseas. This might be his ride off into the sunset," he said.

The blast furnace of a performance is the tour's last in the U.S. as the band now heads to Great Britain to begin its European tour. It returns in late summer, including two shows in Pittsburgh on Aug. 15 and 18.

Toward the show's final encore, "I'll See You in my Dreams," from his 2020 album, "Letter to You," Springsteen bent over in feigned (or likely real) exhaustion.

"I don't think you got anything left," he challenged the crowd, which answered in a deafening roar. "Are you saying you can outlast the E Street Band?"

A test of an artist's emotional reach is often found in the most distant seats. In the upper bowl, at the far end of the Nationwide stage, fans could be seen dancing, pumping their arms and waving.

Springsteen looked skyward, opened his eyes and smiled broadly.

Springsteen's setlist

• "Youngstown," tour debut; first time since 2017
• "Lonesome Day"
• "Prove It All Night"
• "No Surrender"
• "Letter to You"
• "The Promised Land"
• "Spirit in the Night"
• "Hungry Heart"
• "Trapped," Jimmy Cliff cover
• "Streets of Fire," tour debut, first time since 2016
• "I'm Goin' Down," tour debut, first time since 2017
• "Nightshift," Commodores cover
• "Racing in the Street," sign request
• "Last Man Standing," acoustic, with Barry Danielian on trumpet
• "Backstreets"
• "Because the Night," Patti Smith Group cover
• "She's the One"
• "Wrecking Ball"
• "The Rising"
• "Thunder Road"
• "Born to Run"
• "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
• "Bobby Jean"
• "Dancing in the Dark," followed by band introductions
• "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
• "Detroit Medley"
• "Twist and Shout," The Top Notes cover

Encore No. 2

• "I'll See You in My Dreams," solo acoustic

[email protected]

Review: Bruce Springsteen gives Austin its once-in-a-decade moment of thunder

The man to my left asked me if I was local or if I had traveled from out of town to Moody Center on Thursday night.

“Local,” I said.

“Ah. Have many times have you been?” he asked.

“To the Moody?” I replied.

“No, to this tour,” he said.

“Oh! I’ve never seen Bruce before,” I said.

The man smiled. “You’re in for a religious experience,” he said.

I had suspected as much when I descended the escalator and saw that the Stubb’s Bar-B-Q stall had spelled out “THE BOSS” in sausages on its flat top grill.

Bruce Springsteen brought his latest tour to Austin’s new-ish arena on Feb. 16, and while the Boss was evoking well-earned fervor from a six-string, I was playing third string. Former music writer Peter Blackstock would have covered the show, but he left the paper in December. Current music writer Deborah Sengupta Stith was set to review but had to bow out at the last minute. 

Bruce Springsteen will not surrender: 5 songs you'll hear on his tour

So, me and my New Jersey-sized blindspot — Springsteen’s progressive politics were a childhood boogeyman growing up, but I love Lucy Dacus’ cover of “Dancing in the Dark,” I thought the movie “Blinded by the Light” was delightful, and I did go through an "I'm On Fire" phase last year — sat in among the Bruce Tramps. And not that 33 is that young, but rarely have I felt younger, especially after last week’s Death Cab for Cutie show seemed hell-bent on reminding me of the passage of time.

Leading up to the show, it felt like the second coming was upon us. The 73-year-old rock star has achieved mononymic status (unless you’re a bigger fan of Batman). And if you can believe it, “Born To Run” has been part of the pop culture firmament for nearly 50 years. This was set to be Springsteen’s first Austin concert since South by Southwest 2012. 

As with most major artists, the Ticketmaster monopoly had created ticket mishegas, as the company’s “dynamic pricing” model put admission beyond the reach of many Springsteen lifers. ( Springsteen brushed off criticism of the high prices but promised to release recordings of the shows for $14.99.)

When the night came, as with the most famous religious experience in Western society, a prophet appeared to herald the chosen one. And I mean Western society: Texas music titan George Strait emerged onstage to introduce Springsteen and “a band that needs no introduction.” 

The low bellows of “Bruuuce” across the arena gave those shiny new acoustics a warmup for the E Street Band.

As he usually does on this tour, the Boss kicked off the setlist with “No Surrender,” a 1985 “Born in the U.S.A.” track that rages against the dying of the light. Little Steven Van Zandt joined Springsteen face to face on the mic for the first of many times, the two old friends serenading each other with a string of la las. 

"'Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember/ No retreat, baby, no surrender,” Springsteen sang. It made me wonder how many of those assembled in this temple of wealth, holders of tickets far beyond the working class that their idol once represented, had indeed surrendered. A fleeting thought, as Springsteen ended the fool-proof opener with kick-in-the-head strums and rounded up his crew with a finger circled above his head.

As the band played “Ghosts,” Springsteen told the crowd that saxophonist Jake Clemons (nephew of original E Street sax player Clarence Clemons) was back at the Four Seasons hotel with COVID-19, “eating cheeseburgers and watching pornographic films,” he joked. Eddie Manion took the sexy sax solos at Moody.

The concert, just shy of three hours, packed in the hits and the deeper cuts. For newbies, a bit of a challenging experience; for the faithful, it seemed euphoric. I stood adjacent to three superfans on all sides, who rarely left their feet and recited every word, taking time to analyze slight setlist adjustments with each other.

The source of such devotion made his case with every number. “I Prove It All Night,” with horns that worked their way to your skull like a power drill, evinced Springsteen’s musical prowess, giving the legend a meaty guitar showcase. We watched those famous fingers make quick work of their instrument’s lovingly scratched-up body. The whole E Street Band, of course, put on a show that's like watching Navy SEALs do their job. Drummer Max Weinberg made a ratatat hurricane on “Candy’s Room,” and Nils Lofgren unleashed heaven and hell with his pick on “Because the Night.”

The showmanship, though! Decades in, Springsteen makes most frontmen look lazy. He busted out the harmonica for an excellent rendition of “The Promised Land,” which seemed to cause a Pavlovian response (a spontaneous “oooh”) in the crowd. On “Out in the Street,” he swung his body around the mic stand with the prowess of a veteran at the Yellow Rose. The extended jazz jam that was “Kitty’s Back” provided a breather in the breakneck pace of the show, but Springsteen still looked like an orchestra conductor teaching aerobics.

Every minute of every hour, the Boss clocked in, eyes shut and lips rolled back to let out that gravelly howl. A gut-punch performance of “The Rising,” set dramatically by spotlights piercing through fields of shadow, made me wonder: Have I ever seen a jugular vein glow in chiaroscuro like that?

More music: Lil Yachty to play Billboard stage at Waterloo Park during SXSW

Part of the joy of seeing an icon in the flesh is the lore. Before a stirring “If I Was the Priest,” Springsteen mentioned he wrote the song when he was 22. And a gorgeous solo acoustic “Last Man Standing,” which he wrote about being the last surviving member of his first band, was preceded by a little history, and a little poetry.

In 1965, when Springsteen was 15, he’d been playing guitar for six months. A guy his sister was dating invited Springsteen to audition for a band, he recalled. They named themselves after a shampoo: The Castiles (not Propecia, as he joked). 

They lasted for three years, he said, which wasn’t too shabby for teenagers. Springsteen wrote the 2020 song “Last Man Standing” after the 2018 death of Castiles comrade George Theiss left him alone. 

“It’s about a job I chose before I ever called it work,” he said of the song. “At 15, it was all tomorrows and hellos.”

You take the bitter with the sweet, and this show was no different. As the night progressed and delirium set in, the E Street Band cracked the remaining ice and let the hits rush out. “Because the Night,” which Springsteen co-wrote with Patti Smith, who made it famous, was my personal highlight. It was just a herald, though: “Wrecking Ball” came soon after, followed by a glorious “Badlands” — which saw Springsteen park on the lip of the stage, jutting out into arms outstretched like reeds — and “Thunder Road.”

That was all well and good, but I, a fledgling tramp, was not prepared for the encore.

After a bow, a shout out to Central Texas Food Bank, a return and a Texas-perfect “Cadillac Ranch,” the lights came up on the house with “Born to Run," as if the sheer electricity in the room forced the circuit’s hand.  

Springsteen, Van Zandt and Lofgren hammed it up for “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” which slid into "Glory Days" and “Dancing in the Dark.” In particular, Springsteen and Van Zandt barely seemed to be working. They mugged; they strutted; they sweated.

The Boss made the band intros. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” was anything but frozen — the thaw had long since come. Springsteen plucked a pink cowboy hat from the front row and did a little shimmy. A tribute to the late Clarence Clemons played on the big screens. 

By the time the rest of the players left the stage and gave Springsteen berth for a final solo acoustic moment, heart-piercing closer “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” I counted myself a convert to the cult, just like whoever made those sausages.

More from Eric Webb: Dolly Parton came to SXSW, rhinestoned the blockchain and gave Austin an eternal memory

Setlist for Bruce Springsteen on Feb 16, 2023, at Moody Center in Austin

• "No Surrender"
• "Prove It All Night"
• "Letter to You"
• "The Promised Land"
• "Out in the Street"
• "Candy's Room"
• "Kitty's Back"
• "Nightshift"
• "If I Was the Priest"
• "The E Street Shuffle"
• "Johnny 99"
• "Last Man Standing"
• "Backstreets"
• "Because the Night"
• "She's the One"
• "Wrecking Ball"
• "The Rising"
• "Thunder Road"
• "Cadillac Ranch"
• "Born to Run"
• "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
• "Glory Days"
• "Dancing in the Dark"
• "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
• "I'll See You in My Dreams"

• Environment
• Real Estate
• Beer & Wine
• Cocktails & Spirits
• Openings & Closings
• Restaurant Guide
• Restaurant Reviews
• Top 100 Bars
• Top 100 Restaurants
• Celebrities
• Film, TV & Streaming
• Concert Calendar

Concert Reviews

• Local Music
• Music Festivals
• Touring Artists
• New Times Pizza Week
• New Times Out to Brunch
• New Times Tacolandia
• Vote Now: Best of 2024 Readers' Choice Poll
• Arts & Entertainment
• Eat & Drink
• Shopping & Services
• Sports & Recreation
• Readers' Choice
• Best of Miami Party
• Classifieds
• Advertise with Us
• Flipbook Archive
• Newsletters
• Promotions & Free Stuff
• Where To Find Miami New Times In Print
• Sign Up/Sign In

Bruce Springsteen Goes All Out at Hard Rock Live

Newsletter Sign Up

Enter your name, zip code, and email, sign up for our newsletters.

How Does Taylor Swift’s “Florida!!!” Stack Up Against Her Other Geographical Songs?

By Celia Almeida

Don Omar Proved He's Still the King at the Kaseya Center

By Osvaldo Espino

Rhythm Foundation's New Executive Director Brings an Aspirational Vision for the Future

By Tom Shackleford

Latin Music

Latin grammys announces return to miami for 25th anniversary.

• View This Week's Print Issue
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Culture
• Things To Do
• New Times Events
• Advertise With Us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Voice Media Group
• Dallas Observer
• Denver Westword
• New Times Broward-Palm Beach
• Phoenix New Times
• V Audience Labs
• V Digital Services

Bruce Springsteen review: A masterful and poignant performance, with a jarring final note

The packed dublin audience know the plays, the moves and the songs, but this master of stagecraft renders them anew each time.

Ever-impressive: Bruce Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt and the E Street Band at the RDS on Friday evening. Photograph: Tom Honan

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Rds main arena, dublin.

Bruce Springsteen and his ever-impressive E Street Band, including brass and backing vocals, returned to Dublin’s RDS Main Arena on Friday night for a three-hour show filled with energy, humour and invention but also tinged with a sense of poignancy as he recalled the friends he has lost along the way.

The contemplative tone of songs such as Last Man Standing, Letter to You and the moving I’ll See You In My Dreams, which closed the show, contrasted with the lively reworking of songs from the past 50 years of his career, notably material drawn from early albums such as The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born in the USA, which formed the spine of the set.

Ever-impressive: Bruce Springsteen at the RDS on Friday evening. Photograph: Tom Honan

Unlike the opening shows of his European tour in Barcelona last week, there were no celebrity backing singers, nor former US presidents watching from the wings. But there was an atmosphere of such heady anticipation among the lucky 18,500 souls crammed into the venue – the first of three sold-out shows in Dublin – that the air tingled with possibility. He and his trusty comrades in the E Street Band will play to 1.6 million people during the 31-concert European leg, but I can’t imagine any other city will deliver greater fevered fidelity to their hero nor such unbridled acclaim. The audience sang, clapped and generally embraced the night.

And Springsteen responded in kind. The audience is a key player in the ritual-filled drama that unfolds each night. They know the plays, they know the moves and, of course, they know the songs, but he renders them anew in each performance. He achieves this by making the local universal. Of course we don’t believe we are in a small steamy club on the Jersey Shore in the early 1970s, but the spirit of the night survives, even into the cavernous spaces of anonymous stadiums in multiple countries. That is some trick, and to keep doing it with such brio for so long is remarkable.

That They May Face the Rising Sun: The best Irish film in a very long time

‘When our last embryo failed, the clinic told us there was nothing more they could do for us’

Take That in Dublin review: ‘Whose idea was it to have stairs?’ puffs Gary Barlow as the band roll back the years with dazzling show

Baby Reindeer’s Richard Gadd on the true story behind the show: ‘People are afraid to admit they made mistakes’

[  ‘Bruce is our king’: Springsteen superfans are on fire waiting to see The Boss  ]

[  Where’s Bruce? Springsteen born to run all over town  ]

Ever-impressive: Jake Clemons and Bruce Springsteen at the RDS on Friday evening. Photograph: Tom Honan

They delivered 27 songs, kicking off under a lovely summer-evening sky with the defiant No Surrender. Thereafter Springsteen’s mastery of stagecraft ensured the concert maintained momentum, with highlights including his version of the soul classic Nightshift, a lively rereading of the old favourite Kitty’s Back in Town and a thrilling New Orleans-style version of Johnny 99.

Then, as darkness fell, the band hit the home straight with a bunch of rousing classics including Wrecking Ball, The Rising and Badlands, closing with Thunder Road. In the long encore of six songs he dedicated Land of Hopes and Dreams “to my friend Charlie Bird” before stepping out solo on to the stage to deliver the sombre See You In My Dreams, inspired by the death of another friend.

An emotional moment at tonight’s @springsteen gig when The Boss dedicated a song to @charliebird49 - the crowd also sent their love 🥰 pic.twitter.com/lPBmuVqrpy — Lynette Fay (@LynetteFay) May 5, 2023

It was a jarring note to finish on. Time is taking its toll, though this performance was passionate and defiant. I wouldn’t bet on it – Springsteen himself looks an amazingly well-preserved 73 – but this could be the band’s last full tour. If that proves to be the case, they have left us with a sweet memory.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the RDS Main Arena, Dublin 4, again on Sunday, May 7th, and Tuesday, May 9th

IN THIS SECTION

The music quiz: canadian rapper drake has a tattoo of which beatles album cover, hozier’s too sweet tops us charts: ‘fans started making videos with it on tiktok ... it snowballed’, st vincent: all born screaming – taut, funk-fuelled and innately human, picture this: parked car conversations – solid pop songs with a saccharine heartbeat, say it quietly, but are we facing taylor swift fatigue, ‘i’m alone pretty much all the time. the older i become, the less hopeful i am this will change’, this is dublin’s coolest new place – delicious, creative food in a great room, in class-ridden ireland, the worst thing to be is posh, gardaí investigate if mother was moved into driver’s seat after fatal crash, ‘i feel safe, loved, wanted’: high court approves adoption of two teens who have stability with ‘de facto’ family, latest stories, taoiseach announces €100m in funding to develop student accommodation, consumer sentiment falls amid job losses and higher prices, ‘more people are going to die in that hospital’: aoife johnston’s parents call for action after inquest verdict, spain’s prime minister threatens to quit amid poisonous political climate, yousaf faces no-confidence vote as snp’s powersharing deal with greens collapses.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Information
• Cookie Settings
• Community Standards

Review: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band make a triumphant return to the Wells Fargo Center

Springsteen and the E Streeters 25 song set included “Thunder Road”, “Born To Run”, and "Glory Days."

It wasn’t until the fifth song that I got goose bumps.

That was after Bruce Springsteen walked onstage Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center and greeted his fans with a robust “Philly! My people!” He then counted off the intro to “No Surrender,” a song that suggests that if you keep the faith with yourself and your community, rock and roll just might save your life.

That kicked off a joyous 2-hour-45-minute sold-out show that was Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first in South Philadelphia in nearly seven years. It also marked the resumption of a tour in which three previous dates were postponed due to an undisclosed illness.

So after going without a Springsteen concert for the longest stretch since he made his bones in the Philadelphia market half a century ago, ardent supporters who aged along with the 73-year-old songwriter — a friend of mine in the category himself described the crowd as “a lot of old white people”—were left to wonder if Thursday’s show was even going to happen.

Was the Boss ready to come back to work?

He was. And he had plenty of work to do. The euphoria among fans after last year’s announcement of the E Street Band’s return to touring was mixed with sticker shock outrage, when Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing:” model resulted in some tickets selling for as much as $5,000.

And many fans were as dismayed by the unapologetic response to the controversy by Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau and the Boss himself, who said “if there’s any complaints on the way out, you can have your money back.”

So was there any reason to demand a refund after Thursday’s show? Not by any right minded individual. Does the Boss still have it? Of course he does.

» READ MORE: Best of The Boss: Bruce Springsteen’s 10 best Philadelphia shows

Springsteen and the E Streeters — whose membership swelled to 18 strong when all five horn players and four back up singers were on stage — delivered a rousing, frequently moving, emotionally rich 25-song show.

(Springsteen’s wife, singer-guitarist Patti Scialfa, was absent, as she has been on many nights of this tour. No explanation of the illness that led to show postponements was given. Was it Springsteen himself who was ill? At times he did sound a little hoarse.)

There were moments when my crisis of faith cracked. “Letter To You,” the title track to the 2020 album in which he addresses fans trying “to summon all my heart finds true” rang a little hollow in the wake of the ticket kerfuffle.

And I wish that when Springsteen sang “poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king, and king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything” exorbitant ticket prices didn’t come to mind. I’d prefer to simply be pumping my fist in the air and shouting along to the line that has encapsulated the crux of the Springsteen world view since 1978: “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive!”

But really, the Boss and band had me all-in by that fifth song, which was “The Promised Land,” also from 1978′s Darkness on the Edge of Town. During that instrumental break before the final verse I got all tingly.

When the saxophone part played by Jake Clemons — whose uncle Clarence was Springsteen’s right hand “Big Man” until his death in 2011 — gave way to the bandleader’s harmonica solo, and then the line about blowing away “the lies that leaves you lost and broken hearted” it clicked. Something masterful was happening.

The evening later peaked with Springsteen and his comic foil and musical consigliere Steven Van Zandt mugging for the camera on a goofy, ecstatic “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” That was part of a seven song encore that kept the party going with “Glory Days,” “Dancing In the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.”

But this was a Springsteen show, so it was also a serious affair, an expertly constructed set that held together with thematic unity. Songs from various stages of Springsteen’s bountiful career held tight to friendship, love and community as bulwarks against the world at large and the inevitable ravages of the passage of time.

That started with “No Surrender,”: written in his early 30s and addressed to Van Zandt, with whom “we swore blood bothers against the wind, now I’m ready to grow young again.”

It was there in other Born in the U.S.A. songs from “Glory Days” (“I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it, but I probably will”) to “Dancing in the Dark,” sitting around getting older, realizing the joke’s on him.

Even in “Wrecking Ball,” a song inspired by the demolition of a football stadium that got booed at the mention of the New York Giants, a metaphor about resilience was found: “We know that come tomorrow, none of this will be here / So hold tight to your anger, and don’t fall to your fears.”

The show included no special just-for-Philly additions, though Springsteen did thank the crowd at the end of the night, saying “Philadelphia has meant so much to the E Street Band for so long.”

“Kitty’s Back” and “The E Street Shuffle” two loose, shambling cuts from the 1973′s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle — an album dear to the heart of longtime fans — were performed as part of the regular set list. Both featured the five man horn section anchored by Clemons and benefited from percussionist Anthony Almonte, who added accents to the straight-ahead drummer of Max Weinberg.

Curtis King Jr., who was joined by Lisa Lowell, Ada Dyer and Michelle Moore on backup vocals, sang brightly, stepping out with Springsteen to duet on “Nightshift,” the Commodores cover on the Boss’ new Only the Strong Survive album.

Two more highlights: “Johnny 99,” from 1982′s Nebraska , was reshaped as a rollicking roadhouse workout showcasing the horns. That was oddly jaunty considering it’s about a murderer requesting his own execution. And the cover of reggae great Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped” was precise and powerful, fitting nicely into the familiar Springsteen motifs of claustrophobia and escape.

With the delay due to the COVID shutdown and the ticket talk, one thing that’s been lost is that this tour, while chock full of treasured standouts like “Prove It All night” and “Backstreets” is in support of Letter To You , a rock-solid late career release whose subject is the joys and sorrows accrued over a lifetime of playing music.

The figure that haunts the album is George Theis, the leader of Springsteen’s first group, The Castiles. He was the subject of the solo acoustic show closer “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” which conveyed the lovely notion of the dead living on in our internal lives.

Theis’ death in 2018 left Springsteen as the sole surviving member of The Castiles, the group he joined as a teenager to begin what he called “the greatest adventure of my life: playing in my first rock and roll band.”

It also inspired “Last Man Standing” the tender Letter To You song that was at the absolute center of Thursday night’s show. In his spoken intro, Springsteen talked about the clarity of thought that came over him standing at Theis’ deathbed.

“At 15, everything is tomorrow and hello, hello, hello. And as time passes, there are a lot more goodbyes,” he said. “It reminds you how important living every moment of your life is. So be good to your loved ones, be good to yourselves and be good to this world of ours.” In other words, as a pretty good songwriter once put it, remember this: “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band return to Philadelphia to play Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 16 and 18. Tickets are available at Phillies.com/Springsteen .

Bruce Springsteen’s Philadelphia set list, March 16 2023 at the Wells Fargo Center

“No Surrender”

“Prove It All Night”

“Letter To You”

“The Promised Land”

“Candy’s Room”

“Kitty’s Back”

“Nightshift”

“The E Street Shuffle”

“Johnny 99″

“Last Man Standing”

“Backstreets”

“Because The Night”

“She’s The One”

“Wrecking Ball”

“The Rising”

(The band takes a bow, but does not leave the stage)

“Thunder Road”

“Born To Run”

“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”

“Glory Days”

“Dancing In the Dark”

“Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”

“I’ll See You In My Dreams”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band go the distance in St. Paul

Log in to share your opinion with The Current and add it to your profile.

Thanks for liking this song! We have added it to a personal playlist for you.

by Luke Taylor and Tony Nelson

March 06, 2023

It had been a while. The last time Bruce Springsteen visited Minnesota was on Leap Year Day 2016 when The River Tour made a stop at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. 

Setting aside world events over the past seven years, a lot has happened in Springsteen’s artistic life, too. He released two albums of original material — 2019’s Western Stars and 2020’s Letter to You — and the 2022 covers album Only The Strong Survive . There was also the music-and-stories Springsteen on Broadway run of solo shows that begat a popular Netflix special.

So on Sunday night in St. Paul, there was a lot of catching up to do. Once the Xcel Energy Center’s lights dimmed, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage one by one to joyous adulation. 

To kick off the show, Springsteen simply said, “Good evening, good evening,” as the band eased into “No Surrender” from Born in the U.S.A. The first set featured deeper back-catalog cuts, a few chestnuts, and newer material from Letter to You and Only the Strong Survive . They played three 1970s releases in a row: “The Promised Land,” “Candy’s Room” and “Kitty’s Back.”

The last of those three included improvisational flourishes by keyboardists Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano. Jazz-inflected solo work highlighted the entire horn section of Barry Danielian on trumpet, Eddie Manion on baritone sax, Ozzie Melendez on trombone, Curt Ramm on trumpet, and saxophonist Jake Clemons, who, besides the Boss, was the featured player of the night. Nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, the longtime E Street Band sax player, Jake Clemons channels not only his uncle’s saxophone lines, but also his warmth, charm, and enthusiasm. Each time Jake Clemons stepped up to take a sax part, the crowd roared.

To conclude “Kitty’s Back,” Springsteen bent his G-string into a captivatingly lengthy sustain — even playfully smoothing his hair to note the passage of time — before laying into his own solo.

Springsteen let the songs do the talking until the conclusion of this first part of the concert. While introducing the song “Last Man Standing” from 2020’s Letter To You , he told the story of his friend George Theiss, who gave a 15-year-old Springsteen his first spot in a rock ‘n’ roll band, the Castilles. “He knew I played guitar and asked me to audition for his band,” he recalled. “It was from there that I embarked on the greatest adventure of my life.”

Theiss’s died from lung cancer in 2018, which inspired Springsteen to write “Last Man Standing.” “It makes you remember how important living every moment of every day is,” he said to the crowd. “I dedicate this song to you, wishing you a glorious life.”

When the lights came back up, the next portion of the concert was a riotous sing-along of a dozen well-loved songs from Springsteen’s back catalog, including “The Rising,” Thunder Road,” “Born To Run,” “Glory Days,” and “Dancing in the Dark” — the last of which had its music video, featuring a pre- Friends Courteney Cox dancing onstage with the Boss, filmed at the St. Paul Civic Center, which once stood on the ground now occupied by the Xcel Energy Center.

Throughout the show, the E Street Band’s sheer power and energy exemplified Springsteen’s words in Springsteen on Broadway : “When they play together, there is a communion of souls, and a natural brotherhood and sisterhood manifests itself … In a real band, principles of math get stood on their head, and one plus one equals three.”

Springsteen’s role as bandleader was in full effect as he joyously conducted while simultaneously fronting the group. Tirelessly keeping everything in time was the dapper Max Weinberg, augmented by Anthony Almonte, who layered in additional drums as well as congas, washboard, and a range of percussion instruments. Helping the Boss with harmony vocals was the delightful Stevie Van Zandt, who, during “Thunder Road,” did some playful Three Stooges-style taunting of Springsteen, who chuckled and played along with the sight gags.

Guitarist Nils Lofgren absolutely shredded with his Merle Travis picking technique on “Because the Night.” Vocalist Curtis King owned the spotlight on the band’s cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift,” from Only The Strong Survive . During the traditional “Pay Me My Money Down,” Soozie Tyrell on fiddle and Giordano on accordion layered on the textures, and to round out the Big Easy vibes. The entire horn section marched upstage like a New Orleans second line.

Along with King, vocalists Ada Dyer, Lisa Lowell, and Michelle More added more vocal power to the outfit — notably in songs like “Prove It All Night,” “The Promised Land” and “Burnin’ Train.” Holding up the bottom end was bassist Garry Tallent, who, with Springsteen, is the only other member who has been in every iteration of the E Street Band. Notably missing from the lineup was Patti Scialfa, who has missed a few shows on this tour due to illness.

Springsteen himself was a bundle of energy: a living, breathing, rock-’n’-rolling testimonial for the healthy regimen of running, strength training, and eating right that keeps him soaring onstage at age 73. With a concert that began at 7:50 p.m. and wrapped up just after 10:30, it was clear he has the endurance of a marathoner and an indisputable dedication to the music, band, and audience. When he raised his hands to cheers, it feels like he’s saluting the crowd. When his band exited the stage at the end of the night, he was at the tunnel entrance giving out handshakes, hugs, and high-fives.

As the 16,000-plus fans emptied out of the Xcel, countless post-show smiles shining through the falling snow said it all. It was truly great to have the Boss back in town. 

No Surrender Ghosts Prove It All Night Letter to You The Promised Land Candy’s Room Kitty’s Back Pay Me My Money Down (Traditional) Nightshift (Commodores cover on Springsteen’s 2022 album Only The Strong Survive ) Burnin’ Train Working on the Highway The E Street Shuffle Last Man Standing (dedicated to audience)

Backstreets Because the Night She’s the One Wrecking Ball The Rising Bandlands 

Thunder Road Born to Run Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) Glory Days Dancing in the Dark 10th Avenue Freezeout

I’ll See You In My Dreams (dedicated to Second Harvest Heartland)

• Top Stories
• Photo Reprints
• Express Login
• Email Updates
• Turn off Notifications
• Election 2023
• Capitol Report
• Announcements
• Today in History
• Red Zone Hall of Fame
• Hit the Paws Button
• Columns and Op-eds
• Matter Of Laugh Or Death
• Reflections
• What’s for Dinner
• Open Houses
• Dining Guide
• Newspaper Ads

Special Sections

• Social Marketplace
• Merchandise
• Pets & Animals
• Real Estate for Rent
• Real Estate for Sale
• Transportation – Autos
• Rec Vehicles
• E-Edition Log In
• Subscriber Verification
• Citizens News
• College Hoops 2024
• Advertising
• Newspaper Delivery
• Your Internet History
• Terms of Use
• Commenting Rules
• Vacation Stop
• Letters to the Editor
• Editorial and Opinion
• News Article
• Sports Department
• Website Issues
• Home Delivery Subscription
• Activate Access
• Purchase a Digital Subscription
• Single-Day Access
• Digital Sub Account Info

• Life & Arts

Concert review: Bruce Springsteen provides a musical history lesson at the Mohegan Sun

When Bruce Springsteen launched into a resplendent version of “Because the Night” at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, April 12, I was reminded how I was first introduced to…

SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED

REGISTER to access your 5 FREE ARTICLES a week.

ACTIVATE Home Delivery Access

PURCHASE a Digital subscription

Connect With

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Register | Lost your password?

Purchase a Subscription and Register

• Repeat Password *
• I allow the website to collect and store the data I submit through this form. *

Processing. Please wait…

In the Wings: Cast listed for ‘Bronx Tale’

Theater review: fun times in thomaston at the ‘spelling bee’, boomer’s guide: waxahatchee’s buzzed about and unique ‘tigers blood’, summer movie guide: what’s hitting theaters and streaming in the coming..., hollywood charts new course after summer of ‘barbenheimer’, what's for dinner, cast iron roasted cornish game hens, celebrating downtown 2023, health matters spring 2023, homestyle fall 2023, town guide 2022, veterans day 2023, latest news, saturday’s clothing drive to benefit nonnewaug gradnit,  israeli strikes in rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in..., harvey weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned by n.y. appeals court, u.s. births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts..., new deep-water channel allows first ship to pass key bridge wreckage in baltimore, readers choice 2023, chamber business directory 2023, autumn almanac 2023, coupon madness may 2024.

• Community News
• Barkhamsted CT
• Beacon Falls CT
• Bethlehem CT
• Bridgewater CT
• Burlington CT
• Cheshire CT
• Colebrook CT
• Cornwall CT
• Falls Village CT
• Harwinton CT
• Litchfield CT
• Middlebury CT
• Naugatuck CT
• New Britain CT
• New Hartford CT
• New Milford CT
• Plymouth CT
• Prospect CT
• Salisbury CT
• Simsbury CT
• Southbury CT
• Southington CT
• Terryville CT
• Thomaston CT
• Torrington CT
• Washington CT
• Waterbury CT
• Watertown CT
• Woodbury CT

Bruce Springsteen previews Syracuse concert with ‘plans to destroy your city’

• Updated: Apr. 16, 2024, 7:06 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 16, 2024, 8:01 a.m.

(L-R) Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Max Weinberg and Garry W. Tallent perform live during a concert at the Olympastadion on June 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Frank Hoensch/Redferns) Getty Images

• Geoff Herbert | [email protected]

Bruce Springsteen previewed this week’s Syracuse concert with a special message on social media.

“First time I came to Syracuse was 1973 and you were looking at the only two members of the E Street Band that were there 51 frickin’ years ago,” The Boss said in an Instagram video alongside original E Street Band bassist Garry W. Tallent on Monday.

“It said ‘Welcome Bruce Spring-stine,’” Tallant recalled.

It’s unclear if he was referring to a misspelled name (Springstein?) or a mispronunciation of the bandleader’s surname. A review in the Herald-Journal newspaper of that 1973 concert at the Onondaga County War Memorial misidentified the band opening for Chicago as “a five-member combo from New Jersey called Bris Christy .”

“50 years later and guess what? Me, this gentleman Garry W. Tallent, and the rest of the E Street Band have plans to destroy your city and rock you into the ground!” Springsteen said Monday.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to perform at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse on Thursday, April 18. The concert was originally scheduled for September 2023 but was postponed after Springsteen was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease .

“You sing with your diaphragm. My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, you know?,” the 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer told E Street Radio host Jim Rotolo last month. “So, I literally couldn’t sing at all, you know, and that lasted for two or three months, along with just a myriad of other painful problems.”

More than 30,000 tickets have been sold for the Dome concert, which will be Springsteen’s first performance in Central New York since playing Vernon Downs in 2012 . Past Springsteen concerts also include performances at the War Memorial in 1973 and 1978, the Landmark Theatre in 1996, and the Carrier Dome in 1985 and 1992.

Here’s what else you need to know, according to Syracuse University’s website:

Tickets purchased for the original Sept. 7, 2023, date will be honored for the rescheduled date of April 18, 2024.

A few thousand tickets are still available for the Syracuse show through Ticketmaster (prices start at $74.40), as well as VividSeats , StubHub , TicketNetwork or SeatGeek . Attendees are encouraged to download their ticket on their phone before arriving.

Guests with a General Admission Pit ticket should enter through Gate D.

PARKING / TRAFFIC

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early due to traffic as the concert will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Springsteen has no opening act.

If you purchased advance sale parking, please display your parking pass on your rearview mirror so it is easily viewable for the parking attendants and to help with traffic flow. ( See a list of parking lot addresses .) If you purchased a parking pass for the original concert date, that pass is still valid.

• On event day, $35 parking will be available at the University Avenue Garage, UAG, (1101 E Adams St) and Comstock Avenue Garage, CAG, (501 Comstock Ave). Additional parking may be available at UNVN, UNVS, Harrison and Waverly. All lots will accept major credit cards, debit cards and mobile payment (Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Pay). Cash will not be accepted.
• $30 paid parking will be available at the Skytop (1600 Jamesville Avenue ) parking lots. Free shuttle transportation is provided between the College Place shuttle drop off and the Colvin, Comstock and Skytop parking lots. These lots will open at 1 p.m. with shuttle service beginning at 4 p.m.
• Skytop: If you are using Route 81 south to get to the SKY or SKYD lots, SU suggests you use Exit 17. At the bottom of the ramp turn LEFT and at the next light head up Brighton Ave., then left onto Ainsley Drive to your lot.

All lots will accept major credit cards, debit cards and mobile payment (Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Pay). Cash will not be accepted.

CASH OR CREDIT?

Credit. All official SU parking lots are now cashless (though there may be some cash options near campus). Everything inside the Dome is also cashless, including the merchandise stands. Beverages, including alcohol, will be grab-and-go.

CLEAR BAG POLICY

The Dome’s Clear Bag Policy will be in effect. Therefore, one clear bag and one small clutch or purse is allowed. Fans will be asked to return non-approved bags to their vehicle prior to stadium entry. There will be no check-in location for prohibited bags at the Stadium. Please plan accordingly.

An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection.

ITEMS NOT ALLOWED

Metal detectors will be in use. The following items are not permitted:

• Audio Recording Devices
• Vinyl Album Covers
• Pocket Knives
• Weapons of any kind
• FOOD & BEVERAGES (excluding items needed for health/special reasons)
• ALCOHOL of any Kind
• BACKPACKS or large purses
• Containers/Coolers (including soft sided)
• Baby Strollers
• Animals (excluding service animals)
• Laser Pointers
• Noise Makers/Air Horns
• Video Recorders (including Go Pros)
• Cameras with a lens 6″ or greater
• Large Chains
• Spiked Bracelets
• Wallet Chains
• Waist Packs
• Selfie Sticks

When will the concert end?

According to Syracuse University, the concert is expected to end between 10 and 11 p.m. At Monday’s MVP Arena concert in Albany, Springsteen reportedly played for 2 hours and 45 minutes. If the Syracuse show starts at 7:30, expect the Boss to be rocking until about 10:15 p.m.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Bruce Springsteen gets a flat tire in Jersey, gets to Mohegan Sun concert on time

Flat notes are rare at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts.

Nor do flat tires stop the show. 

Springsteen posted a pic of himself on his Instagram story sitting next to an SUV with a flat tire in the Keyport area of the Jersey Shore on his way to the E Street Band's Friday, April 12 show at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Springsteen had apparently just started out for Mohegan Sun from his home in Colts Neck. Repairs were made and the Boss, wearing a tie and vest, took the stage on time at 7:45 p.m.

No mention of the unscheduled pit stop was made from the stage. Springsteen and the E Street Band performed a spirited 27 songs over 2 hours and 45 minutes. Tour debuts included “Seeds” and “I'm on Fire.” The gospel-stirred “My City of Ruins” was included, and it's become a statement of mission for the current run of shows, which began March 19 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Multiple shows were postponed last S eptember as Springsteen had a bout of peptic ulcer disease.

“We're here tonight to bring the joyous power of rock 'n' roll into your life,” said Springsteen during the “My City of Ruins” intro. “We're here to bring some (blanking) fun. We are here to wake you up and to shake you up and take you up to higher ground!”

The show, the band's first on the East Coast in eight months, was looser and seemingly more improvised than those of last year's tour. The night's first two songs, “Roll of the Dice” and “Lucky Towns,” were appropriate for the show's setting — inside a casino.

More: On Springsteen tour, Asbury Park elegy 'My City of Ruins' takes on new life in San Diego

Springsteen popped a bottle of champagne as he walked on stage, and a pink bra was thrown at him late in the show during “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” Steven Van Zandt picked up the bra and put it on the neck of Springsteen's guitar.

The Boss threw it back into the sold-out audience of 10,000 during the build-up of “Rosalita's” final chorus.

“Thank you, you guys are great — you made the whole evening fun! I love Uncasville, wherever the heck it is! As a matter of fact, I'm moving to Uncasville tomorrow,” Springsteen, 74, said at the close of the show.

Friday's show was rescheduled from Sept. 16, 2023. Up next is Monday, April 15 at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

Springsteen Mohegan Sun setlist

• Roll of the Dice
• Lonesome Day
• Letter to You
• The Promised Land
• Spirit in the Night
• Hungry Heart
• My City of Ruins
• Last Man Standing
• Backstreets
• Because the Night
• I'm on Fire
• She's the One
• Wrecking Ball
• Thunder Road
• Born to Run
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• Dancing in the Dark
• Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
• I'll See You in My Dreams

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen gets a flat tire in Jersey, gets to Mohegan Sun concert on time

1 hr 24 min

Bruce Springsteen Rain On Your Parade

It's the Springsteen Episode. J-L and a special E street band guest review J-L's first Boss concert. Will the rain storm drown Bruce in The River or will J-L's negativity be shot down by Murder Incorporated? For J-L's live show tickets, albums, new special, blog and patreon go to JLCauvin.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

• More Episodes
• Copyright 2023 J-L Cauvin

Top Podcasts In Comedy