A week ahead of his Philly show, Bruce Springsteen postpones a concert in Columbus due to illness

Springsteen is slated to perform at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on March 16.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band brought ‘The River Tour’ to Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 12, 2016.

Bruce Springsteen was supposed to play the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday night, but the venue announced the gig’s postponement on social media Thursday afternoon.

“Due to illness, tonight’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band has been postponed,” the arena wrote. “We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”

It wasn’t clear whether Springsteen himself was sick, or if another band member fell ill. Since the group’s 2023 tour began last month, a number of members have contracted COVID-19, including guitarist Steven Van Zandt and saxophonist Jake Clemons . But those illnesses did not result in postponed shows, with sick band members instead taking scheduled shows off.

The postponement comes 15 shows into the tour, which kicked off Feb. 1. This U.S. leg of the tour includes 31 dates before wrapping up April 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Next up for Springsteen and company are shows in Uncasville, Conn., and Albany, N.Y., before a March 16 date at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly. After that, he’s scheduled to next play Philadelphia during the tour’s second U.S. leg with shows Aug. 16 and 18 at Citizens Bank Park .

The tour has already drawn ire from some fans, who have complained of high ticket prices , and difficulties in the purchasing process . In Philadelphia, fans waited in a long digital queue, and some were met with a message thanking them for their patience, and calling the Springsteen ticket sale the “largest demand for tickets in Philadelphia music history.”

Springsteen later addressed the backlash from fans in an interview with Rolling Stone , saying that ticketing has become “very confusing.”

“Well, I’m old. I take a lot of things in stride. You don’t like to be criticized,” Springsteen said. “You certainly don’t like to be the poster boy for high ticket prices. It’s the last thing you prefer to be. But that’s how it went.”

  • Election 2024
  • Entertainment
  • Newsletters
  • Photography
  • Personal Finance
  • AP Investigations
  • AP Buyline Personal Finance
  • AP Buyline Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Israel-Hamas War
  • Russia-Ukraine War
  • Global elections
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East
  • Election Results
  • Delegate Tracker
  • AP & Elections
  • Auto Racing
  • 2024 Paris Olympic Games
  • Movie reviews
  • Book reviews
  • Personal finance
  • Financial Markets
  • Business Highlights
  • Financial wellness
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Social Media

Illness sidelines Springsteen tour as 3 concerts postponed

FILE - Singer Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform during their 2023 tour on Feb. 1, 2023, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Springsteen’s planned performance Tuesday, March 14, in Albany, N.Y., has become the third concert in a week postponed by the New Jersey rocker due to illness, a month into his first major tour in six years. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - Singer Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform during their 2023 tour on Feb. 1, 2023, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Springsteen’s planned performance Tuesday, March 14, in Albany, N.Y., has become the third concert in a week postponed by the New Jersey rocker due to illness, a month into his first major tour in six years. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

  • Copy Link copied

SOUTH AMBOY, N.J. (AP) — Bruce Springsteen’s planned performance Tuesday in Albany has become the third concert in a week postponed by the New Jersey rocker, who cited illness as the reason in a tweet Sunday but did not give specifics.

The postponements come a month into Springsteen’s first major tour in six years.

“The Boss,” as he is known to his fans, also gave himself and his E Street Band sick days last Thursday when they were to have performed in Columbus, Ohio, and again for a scheduled concert Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Details were lacking in Springsteen’s social media posts. Though the Twitter feed blamed the latest postponement on illness, it did not specify who was ill or what kind of illness was involved.

It merely said: “Due to illness, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s concert at MVP Arena in Albany on Tuesday, March 14 has been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”

The post made no mention of a major winter storm forecast to hit Albany late Monday.

This combination of images shows Bad Bunny, from left, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift. (AP Photo)

On Saturday, E Street Band member Little Steven Van Zandt posted an encouraging message about the concert postponements on Twitter, saying: “No need to be anxious or afraid. Nothing serious. Just a temporary situation. We will all be back in full force very soon.”

Springsteen, 73, began the tour on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida, before 20,000 fans who mostly stood through the 28-song arena show that included staples like “Born to Run,” “Glory Days,” “Rosalita,” “Promised Land” and “Backstreets.”

In a story last month that began “COVID has come to E Street,” the Asbury Park Press reported that E Street Band members Van Zandt and Soozie Tyrell missed a Feb. 10 show in Dallas.

The newspaper, quoting one of the show spectators, said Springsteen from the stage blamed their absences on COVID-19.

In his Twitter feed at the time, Van Zandt answered a fan who asked why he missed the show with: “Sorry folks. Covid.”

He added that he had “a very mild case,” crediting his vaccines and adding: “No real danger or damage.” He returned to the tour soon afterward.

The setbacks come several months after Springsteen released his latest album, “Only the Strong Survive,” in November.

The famed musician has sold about 140 million albums while winning 20 Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony award in a career that has spanned all or parts of six decades.

The first leg of his U.S. tour is to end with an April 14 homecoming in New Jersey before the band goes abroad starting with an April 28 show in Barcelona, Spain. Springsteen then returns for more U.S. concert dates this summer, including a performance at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and other dates into December.

springsteen tour on hold

Bruce Springsteen Postpones September Tour Dates As He Receives Treatment For Illness

  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Linkedin

Bruce Springsteen announced Wednesday he is receiving treatment for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease, forcing him to postpone all his shows scheduled for September as part of his ongoing 2023 tour.

Bruce Springsteen performs at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The decision to postpone the shows was taken by Springsteen’s medical advisers, a statement said, although the severity of his symptoms is not mentioned.

The postponement will affect eight shows across seven venues—Albany, Pittsburg, Syracuse, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Columbus and Uncasville.

Springsteen and the E Street Band’s most recent show was at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.

The postponement means Springsteen will have a two month break to recover before his November 3 show in Vancouver.

Crucial Quote

Springsteen wrote of the decision: “Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows…We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ve been having a blast at our U.S. shows and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon.”

According to the National Institute of Health, peptic ulcer disease is a sore on the lining of a person’s stomach and older adults are more likely to develop it. Symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain or discomfort, nausea, bloating and belching. In most instances, peptic ulcers take between four to six weeks to heal after starting treatment.

Key Background

Springsteen and the E Street Band’s current tour began in February this year after plans to hold the tour in 2020 and 2021 were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The tour has been the subject of some controversy over steep ticket prices, which were a result of Ticketmaster’s controversial dynamic pricing program . The online ticketing platform later came under Congressional spotlight over its handling of ticket prices for Taylor Swift’s eras tour.

Further Reading

Springsteen Postpones September Shows to Be Treated for Peptic Ulcer Disease Symptoms (New York Times)

Siladitya Ray

  • Editorial Standards
  • Reprints & Permissions

an image, when javascript is unavailable

  • Manage Account

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s World Tour Setlist: All the Songs They Performed For Their First Show of 2024

After a six-month break, Springsteen and the band resumed their tour in Phoenix, March 19. Here's every song played.

By Melinda Newman

Melinda Newman

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Flipboard
  • Share this article on Pinit
  • + additional share options added
  • Share this article on Tumblr
  • Share this article on Reddit
  • Share this article on Linkedin
  • Share this article on Whatsapp
  • Share this article on Email
  • Print this article
  • Share this article on Comment

Fans were delayed but not denied their visit from The Boss Tuesday night (March 19) in Phoenix as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band relaunched their world tour after a six-month break. 

Springsteen was originally slated to play the Arizona date on Nov. 30 last year, but it was one of 29 shows postponed after he came off the road in early September for treatment for peptic ulcer disease . 

He made no reference to his health troubles (which were clearly in his past, given his extreme energy on stage) until the closing tune of the 29-song set, when he apologized for inconveniencing anyone by having to move the show, explaining, “I had a motherf**cker of a bellyache.”

The 2 hour 45 minute concert, which started right at 7:30pm , was a rollicking, high-energy affair. Gone are tour mainstays from the earlier leg, such as the funky “The E Street Shuffle” and the jazzy 7-minute “Kitty’s Back” (both from 1973’s The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle ), and six songs from Springsteen’s last album of original material, 2020’s Letter to You (Tuesday’s show was down to four from that set), replaced with tunes that make for a fast-paced, non-stop thrill ride of a show. 

Springsteen will spend the rest of the year on the road, with more than 50 dates on the 2024 docket, including a European leg that starts in Cardiff, Wales in May and includes multiple stadium shows in cities like Milan, Madrid and Barcelona, before he returns stateside in August for stadium shows. 

Below is the setlist for Phoenix’s opening night of the new leg. The tour resumes Friday  (March 22) night in Las Vegas.  For a deeper dive, go here .

"Lonesome Day"

The Rising (2002)

Born To Run (1975)

"No Surrender"

Born In The U.S.A . (1984)

"Two Hearts"

The River (1980)

"Darlington County"

Born In The U.S.A. (1984)

Letter To You (2020)

"Prove It All Night"

Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978)

"Darkness on the Edge of Town"

"letter to you", "the promised land", "spirit in the night".

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)

"Don't Play That Song"

Only The Strong Survive (2022)

"Nightshift"

"mary's place", "last man standing", "backstreets", "because the night".

Live 1975-1985 (1986)

"She's The One"

"wrecking ball".

Wrecking Ball (2012)

"The Rising"

"thunder road", "born to run", "rosalita (come out tonight)".

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973)

"Glory Days"

"dancing in the dark", "tenth avenue freeze-out", "twist & shout".

Isley Brothers cover

"I'll See You In My Dreams"

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?

Get in the know on.

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

  • Billboard Hot 100™
  • Billboard 200™
  • Hits Of The World™
  • TikTok Billboard Top 50
  • Song Breaker
  • Year-End Charts
  • Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

  • R&B/Hip-Hop

Culture Expand culture menu

Media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

  • Business News
  • Record Labels
  • View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

  • Songwriters & Producers
  • Artist Index
  • Royalty Calculator
  • Market Watch
  • Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

  • Cultura y Entretenimiento

Honda Music Expand honda-music menu

Quantcast

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Announce 2023 North American Tour

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Bruce Springsteen has announced the dates for his long-awaited 2023 North American tour with the E Street Band. It kicks off on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida, and wraps up on April 14 in Newark, New Jersey. Ticket sales begin July 20.

Springsteen last played a concert with the E Street Band when their River tour wrapped up on Feb. 25, 2017, at Mt. Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. But they haven’t played in North America since September 2016, and their sole live performance of any sort in the past five years took place in 2020 when they did two songs on Saturday Night Live to promote Letter To You . This has been their longest period of time off from the road since Springsteen reunited with the band in 1999 following an 11-year hiatus where he toured both solo and with another backing group.

They were originally slated to hit the road in 2020 to support Letter To You , and dates were later penciled in for 2022, but the pandemic forced them to ultimately delay the tour until 2023. “I’m just aching to play,” Springsteen told SiriusXM’s E Street Radio earlier this year. “Not just play but to travel and see our fans in all those distant cities.”

In that same interview, he said the tour would be a mixture of classics and selections from his newer albums. “it will have a significant amount of some recent material, and then, of course, we’ll play a lot of the music that fans have become familiar with and love to hear,” he said. “It should be a balance… the show should feel contemporary, and it should also make you feel at home at the same time.”

That doesn’t mean he’ll attempt to play many songs from Western Stars . “I’d like to keep it a rock show,” he said. “Once you’re out in an arena or stadium, people have come to see a rock ‘n’ roll show… But you never know, something may squeak in there from that record. It’s not impossible. That one, I’m gonna have to wait and see.”

The tour heads to the U.K. and Europe for a run of stadium shows that run from April 28 through July 25. It then heads back to America for a late summer/early fall stadium run, though those dates have yet to be announced.

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.

Here are Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s complete North American tour dates.

February 1, 2023 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena February 3 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena February 5 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center February 7 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live February 10 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center February 14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center February 16 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center February 18 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center February 21 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center February 25 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center February 27 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena March 2 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena March 5 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center March 7 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum March 9 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena March 12 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun March 14 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena March 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center March 18 – State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center March 20 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden March 23 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center March 25 – Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum March 27 – Washington D.C. @ Capital One Arena March 29 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena April 1 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden April 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center April 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse April 7 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Arena April 9 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena April 11 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena April 14 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center

Karol G, Feid Win Big at the 2024 Latin AMAs

  • By Julyssa Lopez

Aaron Carter's Family Drop Single 'Recovery' Ahead of Posthumous Album

  • By Tomás Mier

Jelly Roll Shares Toby Keith Cover Ahead of Stagecoach Debut

  • should've been a cowboy
  • By Daniel Kreps

Orville Peck Sets Release Date for Collaborator-Stacked Duets Album 'Stampede Vol. 1'

  • Stampede Incoming
  • By Larisha Paul

Anitta Wants You to Learn the Choreo to Her Sexy New Song 'Grip'

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', 'the lord of the rings' trilogy returning to theaters, remastered and extended, louvre considers moving mona lisa to underground chamber to end 'public disappointment', sources claim hugh jackman’s worrying behavior may have something to do with his breakup, you might also like, paramount board might oust ceo bob bakish amid m&a talks: report, ‘ginny & georgia’ star antonia gentry debuts as aveda celebrity partner in new campaign for diverse curly hair types, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, aaron sorkin confirms ‘the social network’ follow-up: ‘i blame facebook for january 6’, nfl draft highlights running backs’ shrinking role in offenses.

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

Verify it's you

Please log in.

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

springsteen tour on hold

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]

Springsteen jams with Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and more in N.J. (VIDEOS)

  • Updated: Apr. 25, 2024, 12:16 p.m. |
  • Published: Apr. 25, 2024, 11:00 a.m.

Springsteen jams with Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and more in N.J. (VIDEOS)

John Mellencamp (left) and Bruce Springsteen (right) performing at the American Music Honors in Monmouth University Courtesy of Sammy Steinlight

  • Saleah Blancaflor | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Hot off the latest leg of his ongoing concert tour, Bruce Springsteen returned to the Jersey Shore Wednesday night for a jam session with rock nobles.

The Boss was in West Long Branch, at his own Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center For American Music at Monmouth University, where the second annual American Music Honors was held, hosted by Brian Williams.

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.

  • WHAT'S HOT:
  • Enter Jersey Cash Codes
  • Visit New Jersey
  • New Spadea podcast
  • Small Biz Monday
  • App on iPhone
  • App on Android
  • Merch Store

New Jersey 101.5

Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge tour could be his best tour ever

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

There is big news every day on the excitement and accolades of Bruce’s current tour. So many cities, so many countries and fighting sickness and fatigue but still performing at a level that Bruce’s fans expect and delight in every night.

Bruce has been touring for over 50 years. He has had meteoric success with his connection to his fans and has bent the range and genre of his music to country, folk and other genres that were at first not so familiar to his hard-core rock and roll audience. They adapted; it was Bruce.

When he said what would eventually be a temporary goodbye to the E-Street Band and cut the Tunnel of Love album and its twin Lucky Town, his fans listened and enjoyed it.

This May will be the 46th anniversary of the start of the Darkness on the Edge of Town tour. Music critics say that tour may be his best of all the tours that he has performed.

Bruce started the Born to Run tour a little before the full impact that album had on his fans and those new to the Springsteen experience.

By the end of the Born to Run tour he let that tour and album settle into the music pattern of “what the future of rock and roll held in store.” A quote that Rolling Stone magazine used after his tour.

Bruce took a little time off and then cut the Darkness on the Edge of Town album which when released did not have the oh wow factor that Born in the Run did.

Afterall, how do you follow that classic top fifty album in rock 'n' roll history, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Based on a mediocre response, Bruce put together a 118-city tour, all of them here in the U.S. The tour kicked off in Buffalo at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on May 24, 1978.

Bruce slowly and methodically added song after song to the set list creating a 25 or more-song set list. With each concert lasting over two hours and each performance with energy, passion and song not seen in modern day rock 'n' roll, I am including the Rolling Stones into that mix.

I saw the show on November 29, 1978, at the St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul Minnesota. I was attending the University of Minnesota at the time. It was an amazing show, and I remember it very well. I had great tickets and backstage passes through Jersey connections.

Bruce did an extended version of Rosalita, his powerful Born to Run and hearing his “new” Prove it All Night, Badlands and the Promised Land was impressive. Bruce was young, strong in a powerful voice and an energy found only in very few.

I was exhausted after leaving that show.

He had fun on stage and made sure that his audience got the best performance that their money could buy. They certainly did.

I’ve been to shows on most every major tour including the Born in The USA tour, which was great, The River Tour, The Reunion Tour, the Wrecking Ball Tour, just to name a few, the Darkness on the Edge of Town will always be a very special experience.

Bruce Springsteen knows how to throw a party!

America's new #1 supermarket has 21 locations in New Jersey

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

Report a correction 👈

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM

Springsteen gets flat tire on way to show, but who fixed it?

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.

Bruce Springsteen

(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

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.

Read the Latest on Page Six

  • Entertainment
  • Celebrities
  • Ticket Sales
  • Promoted: What to Watch on Prime Video

trending now

Inside the failed White House coup to oust Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Inside the failed White House coup to oust Biden press secretary...

Former Giants lineman dead at 28

Former Giants lineman dead at 28

Veteran CNN anchor Poppy Harlow to exit network after morning show disaster

Veteran CNN anchor Poppy Harlow to exit network after morning...

George Soros is paying student radicals who are fueling nationwide explosion of Israel-hating protests

George Soros is paying student radicals who are fueling...

Top NFL pick, girlfriend have awkward reaction after getting drafted

Top NFL pick, girlfriend have awkward reaction after getting...

Horror as GWU protester carries sign with Nazi  'final solution' call for extermination of Jews

Horror as GWU protester carries sign with Nazi 'final solution'...

Bill Belichick let it rip at NFL Draft — and fans loved it

Bill Belichick let it rip at NFL Draft — and fans loved it

Southwest Airlines to end service at 4 airports -- including one in New York -- and reduce staff by up to 2K

Southwest Airlines to end service at 4 airports -- including one...

Breaking news, we found the cheapest tickets for all 2024 bruce springsteen concerts.

  • View Author Archive
  • Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Bruce Springsteen shreds on guitar.

In the penultimate episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Bruce Springsteen comes down with COVID after meeting Larry David.

As a result, his “Bruce Springsteen” character had to put his “farewell tour” on hold and the audience was led to believe “he may never sing again.”

Thankfully, the 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is COVID-free and midway through an arena tour , that, as far as we know, is not his last.

Based on our findings, Springsteen and his E Street Band have 21 concerts lined up all over North America from now up until November this year.

Along the way, they’ll stop into Albany’s MVP Arena on Monday, April 15 and Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome on Thursday, April 18.

They’ll also headline the 2024 Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, NJ on Sunday, Sept. 15 along with Noah Kahan , The Gaslight Anthem , Trey Anastasio Band , and more.

For fans who want to catch The Boss live this year, tickets are available for all upcoming gigs.

At the time of publication, we found seats for select shows going for as low as $53 before fees on Vivid Seats.

Other concerts had tickets starting anywhere from $57 to $484 before fees.

Curious how much it will run you to see a healthy Bruce play the hits with Little Stevie, Max Weinberg, and Jake Clemons live this year?

We’ve got everything you need to know and more about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2024 tour below.

All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.

Bruce Springsteen tickets 2024

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:

(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout .)

Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. 

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

Sea.Hear.Now Festival 2024

For the first time since December 2010, Springsteen is performing in his hometown Asbury Park.

The Sea.Hear.Now Festival , taking place Sept. 14-15, will mark The Boss’ headline homecoming.

He’ll be joined by notable acts Norah Jones , Black Crowes , 311 , The Revivalists and Kool and the Gang at the genre-hopping extravaganza in addition to the big names listed earlier.

Want to go to the fest on the beach?

Single and multi-day Sea.Hear.Now passes can be found here .

Bruce Springsteen concert review

On Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, the New York Post saw Springsteen in concert at East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium.

“Each song bled into the next with Bruce’s signature “1, 2, 3, 4!” cry giving the crowd a full-on musical thrill ride that never ran out of gas and was simultaneously heavy, silly and soaring sometimes all within the span of one song,” the publication reported.

If you want to read more about the lively show, you can read the NY Post’s glowing review here .

Bruce Springsteen set list

Here’s what Asbury Park’s most famous band play at the Sept. 1 MetLife Stadium show we attended, courtesy of  Set List FM .

01.)  “Lonesome Day”

02.)  “Night”

03.)  “No Surrender”

04.)  “Ghosts”

05.)  “Prove It All Night”

06.)  “Darkness On The Edge Of Town”

07.)  “Letter To You”

08.)  “The Promised Land”

09.)  “Spirit In The Night”

10.)  “Kitty’s Back”

11.)  “Nightshift” (Commodores cover)

12.)  “The E Street Shuffle”

13.)  “Mary’s Place”

14.)  “Last Man Standing”

15.)  “Backstreets”

16.)  “Because The Night” (Patti Smith cover)

17.)  “She’s The One”

18.)  “Wrecking Ball”

19.)  “The Rising”

20.)  “Badlands”

21.)  “Thunder Road”

22.)  “Born To Run”

23.)  “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”

24.)  “Seven Nights To Rock” (Moon Mullican cover)

24.)  “Glory Days”

25.)  “Dancing In The Dark”

26.)  “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”

27.)  “I’ll See You In My Dreams”

Bruce Springsteen recovery

Shortly after Springsteen’s three-concert stint at MetLife last year, he postponed the rest of his tour due to a peptic ulcer disease.

“Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover steadily from peptic ulcer disease over the past few weeks and will continue treatment through the rest of the year on doctor’s advice,” the group shared on  Instagram last September.

In his first show back at Phoenix’s Footprint Center, Springsteen addressed the postponement.

“Phoenix, first I want to apologize if there was any discomfort because we had to move the show last time,” Springsteen said to the crowd. “I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much.”

To read more about the return — where he was mocked for resembling Tilda Swinton after tearing his shirt open — check out the New York Post’s story here .

Classic rockers on tour in 2024

A surprising number of stars that dominated the charts in the ’70s and ’80s are back on the road this year.

Here are our five favorite acts you won’t want to miss these next few months.

•  Rolling Stones

•  Neil Young

• Bob Dylan with Willie Nelson and Robert Plant

•  Electric Light Orchestra

•  Eric Clapton

Want to see who else is out and about? Check out our list of the  52 biggest classic rockers on tour in 2024 here to find out.

Share this article:

springsteen_banner_edited.jpg

  • Pete Chianca & Leann Pomaville
  • 6 hours ago

Video post: Surprise, surprise – Bruce Springsteen is no longer predictable

Well, we hope you’re happy with yourself, all you setlist naysayers. Turns out that through a good portion of last year’s tour, Bruce Springsteen was battling through a serious peptic ulcer , just trying to hold it together, and all you could do was whine about how he was playing “Kitty’s Back” too many times. You can send your formal apologies in care of this blog for us to pass on to Bruce next time we see him.

Beyond his ailment, though, we think his stated goal of presenting a more thematic show was just as significant in his decision to keep to a more established setlist than we were used to. And anyone who attended one of those shows can tell you, it worked! They were powerful shows that reflected a powerful new perspective for a vibrant artist who, let’s face it, was no longer a spring chicken.

But now, with the fourth leg of the band’s world tour well underway, Bruce seems more than healthy and reenergized — he’s on fire! (To paraphrase, well, him.) And the playful Bruce of old, pulling Easter eggs out of the ether to shock and delight the audience on any given night, seems to be making his way back to the front of the stage. 

Don’t take our word for it, though. See below for just a few of the unexpected highlights this leg of the tour has brought us. (And he hasn’t even hit Europe yet!)

March 22: OK, so it may not have been in “The Sphere,” but it was Bruce’s first show in Vegas since 2002 — and just the third time ever. Appropriately, we got the first "Viva Las Vegas" since 2002 to open the encores. (Less rare but equally welcome was the first “Roll of the Dice” since 2017.)

March 25: Considering it gets a name check in one of Bruce’s most-played songs, it's surprising how rarely he makes it to San Diego (it’s actually pronounced “ Son Di-ago ”): This was the first time since 1996, and the first time with the E Street Band since 1981. (!) But he made up for it during "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," when the band came to a complete stop for the crowd to roar: "down San Diego way!"

March 27: Bruce made a surprise appearance with Zach Bryan, performing Bryan's songs "Sandpaper" and "Revival" —  the latter along with the supremely talented Maggie Rogers — as the show's encore. Not only that, he flew 3,000 miles back to the East Coast to do it, and flew another 3,000 back the next day for his show in San Francisco. Did we mention the man is 74?

March 28: Speaking of San Francisco, it got “Something in the Night” opening the show for the first time since 1977. Easily the best song ever about running burned and blind. 

April 4 and 7: We don’t know about you, but we’ve been waiting what felt like forever for Patti Scialfa to return to the E Street stage. Well, in Inglewood, California, it finally happened, with Patti joining Bruce for “Tougher Than The Rest” and “Fire” at both shows. That first number was no surprise — it’s sort of become their theme song — but Bruce said at the show it was the very first time Patti had sung “Fire.” (At least on stage — what they do in the privacy of their own home is their business.) The last time Patti joined Bruce on stage with the E street Band was April 28, 2023 in Barcelona.    

April 4: Patti wasn’t the only highlight: Bruce played John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” and the Cajun waltz “Jole Blon” — famously sung by Bruce and Gary U.S. Bonds on Bonds’ “Dedication” album (1981) — for the first time during this tour. “Boom Boom” was last played in 2016 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., and “Jole Blon” last appeared in 2017 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

April 7: The second night in Inglewood saw “Open All Night” (the version with the horns, natch) played for the first time since 2014. And then Tom Morello turned up to guest on "American Skin (41 Shots)" and “The Ghost Of Tom Joad,” with both the songs and Morello making their only appearances so far on the 2023-2024 tour.

April 12: Mohegan Sun, the casino in Connecticut, also got “Roll of the Dice,” and the equally appropriate “Lucky Town” (a tour debut). Not only that, but “Seeds” was played for the first time since 2016 during The River Tour. Who knows why — maybe a big black limo blew by Bruce when he was stuck with a flat tire  on the way to the venue.

April 15: “Adam Raised a Cain” made its tour debut, the first time it’s been played since 2017. 

April 18: Syracuse gets “Growin' Up” for the first time with the E Street Band since 2017. 

April 21: No doubt to celebrate the presence of longtime Blogness correspondent Anne Haines  in the audience, Columbus saw Springsteen and the E Street Band play “Youngstown” (with its Ohio shout-out) and “I’m Goin’ Down” for the first time since 2017, and “Streets of Fire” for the first time since 2016. 

And as if all that weren’t enough in terms of things nobody saw coming, Bruce and various band members have taken to previewing shows with behind-the-scene Instagram videos that are, admittedly, kind of silly — but in the best way possible. (Presumably masterminded by Bruce’s talented sister, the photographer Pamela Springstee n, who is credited on the last bunch.) He even got Garry to do one !

Oh, and beyond all this he somehow had time to host the American Music Honors event  for John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples and Dion DiMucci at Monmouth University on Wednesday.

So what’s to come in Europe , and on his return to the states later this summer? Frankly, we’d take the exact same show we got last year if it means Bruce his healthy, happy, and ready to rock. But we suspect the biggest surprises may be still to come.

  • Springsteen

Recent Posts

Video Post: Bruce Springsteen, Columbus, OH 4/21/24

Video Post: Bruce Springsteen, Syracuse, NY 4/18/24

Video Post: Bruce Springsteen, Albany NY 4/15/24

springsteen tour on hold

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

Bruce Springsteen as pictured on his Instagram story with a flat tire in the Keyport area of the Jersey Shore on April 12, 2024.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music Honor John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples and Dion DiMucci in New Jersey

By Michele Amabile Angermiller

Michele Amabile Angermiller

  • Bruce Springsteen Flies Cross-Country to Join Zach Bryan Onstage in Brooklyn 4 weeks ago
  • Season 2 of ‘The Allison Hagendorf Show’ Launches Thursday 2 months ago
  • Bruce Springsteen, Noah Kahan to Headline New Jersey’s Sea.Hear.Now Festival 2 months ago

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Bruce Springsteen of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform on stage at Pechanga Arena on March 25, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Watch Latin American Music Awards

Moments after being honored at the American Music Honors of the Bruce Springsteen Archives, John Mellencamp took a moment to talk about its namesake at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theater in West Long Branch on Wednesday night (April 24).

“I know you all love him,” he said of Springsteen. “He put down a big footprint — him and [Bob] Dylan, for me. And [Woody] Guthrie. And Bruce just kind of put it down and said, ‘There it is, punk. Fill my footprint.’ And that was inspiration for me, ’cause I could hear him, and I could hear Bob, and I could go, ‘God, these guys… maybe me, too.’ ”

Springsteen, dressed in a white shirt, vest and tie, honored Mellencamp for his musical legacy and activism, as well as creating Farm Aid with Willie Nelson in 1985. The Freehold native gave Mellencamp credit for creating a musical stew of “traditional country and roots instrumentation mixed with a rhythm section and the energy of a rock band.” It’s something “that he invented,” he continued. “It formed the bedrock of alternative-country, and country music today, and it’s something he really hasn’t gotten the credit for, that he so richly deserves.”

Mellencamp, who joked about not being prepared with even a piece of paper, told the crowd that his only ambition in his early career was to sing in a band to meet girls with a future career as a painter when a manager plucked him up fresh out of college that changed his name to “Johnny Cougar.” “I had never written a song,” he said. “Never wrote a song in my life, and I had a record deal. ‘Now what am I going to do?”

After his speech, Mellencamp performed a song he wrote when he was just 25 that worked out well for him: an acoustic version of “Jack and Diane.” Springsteen then took the stage to perform his version of Mellencamp’s “Small Town,” repeating a verse before Mellencamp emerged from the audience to duet.

Browne, a long-time social justice, environmental and educational activist who has supported everything from anti-nuclear alternative energy resources to political freedom in Central America, was inducted by Landau, who said his pitch to be Browne’s producer on his 1976 album “The Pretender” was, “‘Jackson, don’t sound too mopey. Sing out, loud and proud. And most importantly, turn that goddamn snare drum up.’ He wound up doing all of that, and the album came out sounding pretty, pretty good.”

Browne spoke eloquently of his career and partnership with the late David Lindley, as well as his early beginnings in Orange County — “a suburb of Disneyland actually.” “There was some very good traditional music being played at Disneyland. David Lindley played there in a bluegrass band, and the same guy that booked serious folk musicians at Disneyland — Tom Campbell was his name — wound up producing hundreds, maybe a thousand benefit concerts for environmental and human rights organizations in the ’70s and ’80s, including the legendary No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. He connected artists with issues that he saw needed to be addressed.”

Browne then strapped on a guitar for a sweet performance of “Running on Empty,” with an elated Landau dancing in the side aisles. He later honored the late Glenn Frey with a performance of the Eagles song, “Take It Easy,” on which he shares a co-writing credit.

Mavis Staples, who in the 1960s was on the frontlines of the civil rights movement and continues to use her music to support racial equality in America, was reverentially honored by Love, who detailed Staples’ storied history with The Staples Singers and their hits, “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Staples, she said, was instrumental in standing up against “forces that have sought to keep women from entering their rightful place on stage and to sing and express themselves.”

She then made her way center stage to show just how big those vocals still are, leading the band with a spiritually uplifting and soul-shaking version of “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me).”

DiMucci, whose landmark recording of “Abraham, Martin and John” became an activist anthem in the late 1960s, took a moment to praise Staples, who celebrates her birthday just eight days earlier and turns the same age. “Mavis, if you ever want to go out with a younger guy, the kid is here,” he joked. “You know what I’m saying.”

Van Zandt inducted DiMucci, who performed “King of the New York Streets” and “The Wanderer.” DiMucci suggested that the musicians take a break from their touring life and start a group as the New Staples Singers. “Backstage, Stevie Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp … We decided to put our careers on hold,” he said. “We’re going out on the road with Mavis Staples as The New Staple Singers.”

Springsteen and Van Zandt then took the stage, with the former strapping on a guitar. They launched into an energetic mini-E Street band concert with “Glory Days” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

The evening concluded with all the performers and presenters to give a rendition of The Carter Family’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Springsteen in particular was enjoying himself as he sang his verse and directed the band with a big smile.

In attendance were New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy, as well as Steve Forbert, John Eddie, Warren Zanes (author of “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska,” which is set to be a film starring Jeremy Allen White), Springsteen’s son Sam, Springsteen’s wife, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation chairman John Sykes.

Proceeds from the ceremony and a silent online auction (a signed guitar by Springsteen was fetching as high as $8,000) will go toward the construction of the Bruce Springsteen Archives.

The Center for American Music will feature exhibits on Springsteen and showcase diverse topics and themes in American music, while the Archives will offer visitors the chance to listen to oral histories and interviews, watch rare film footage, and explore major moments in music history. Intimate concerts, teacher workshops, symposia, lectures, film series, and other public and educational programs will also be part of the mission for the Archives and Center for American Music.

More From Our Brands

King charles iii announces return to ‘public-facing duties’ after cancer diagnosis, martin short just bought a secluded l.a. home, nfl draft highlights running backs’ shrinking role in offenses, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, young sheldon just made a huge decision about his big bang future, verify it's you, please log in.

Quantcast

Review: Neil Young & Crazy Horse strike heart of gold at tour-opening San Diego concert

Neil Young performing at SDSU on April 24, 2024.

The concert began with an epic, 15-minute version of ‘Cortez The Killer’ that featured extra lyrics recently unearthed by Young. Guitarist-singer Micah Nelson, Willie’s son, very ably assumed the role in Crazy Horse of Nils Lofgren, now on tour with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

  • Show more sharing options
  • Copy Link URL Copied!

When Neil Young sang “rock and roll will never die” near the conclusion of his tour-opening LOVE EARTH concert with Crazy Horse Wednesday in San Diego, you believed him.

Those words, from his 1978 song, “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black),” sounded like a defiant vow in the face of possible obsolescence 46 years ago. Now, they are a statement of fact from a proud maverick who sounds more committed than ever, even — or, rather, especially — at a time when rock is increasingly becoming a niche genre pushed aside by formulaic pop, hip-hop and dance-music.

At 78, Young remains a staunch keeper of the flame whose passion for music burns as bright as ever. If anyone thinks this veteran singer, songwriter and guitarist is ready to kick back in his old age, he and his band immediately and convincingly refuted such notions with their powerful, nearly two-hour performance at SDSU’s Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. (They are set to perform a second sold-out show at the same venue Thursday night.)

Young and his three-man band opened with “Cortez the Killer,” an epic number from their 1975 album, “Zuma.” But this was no sentimental journey down nostalgia lane, nor was it a tentative, shake-off-the-dust run through.

Their carefully calibrated version of “Cortez” built to a series of powerful climaxes Monday and lasted 15 minutes — nearly twice as long as the original on “Zuma.” The song began with an opening guitar jam that lasted 7 minutes before Young’s reedy vocals commenced. For good measure, near the conclusion of “Cortez,” he sang — for the first time anywhere in concert — a missing verse he recently came upon that had been cut from the 1975 recording.

The unearthed lyrics provided additional depth and a palpable sense of despair to Young’s tour de force song about Hernán Cortez, the bloody Spanish conqueror of Mexico’s Aztec Empire: I floated on the water / I ate that ocean wave / Two weeks after the slaughter / I was living in a cave / They came too late to get me / But there’s no one here to set me free / From this rocky grave / To that snowed-out ocean wave.

The next selection was the buoyant “Cinnamon Girl,” a choice cut from 1969’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” the first album Young and Crazy Horse made together. It clocked in at a crisp three minutes.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse performed at the Open Air Theatre at San Diego State April 24, 2024.

The rest of the concert included several other extended jams, with “Down by the River” and “Love and Only Love” both clocking in at a glorious 16 minutes (but not lasting one second too long). Conversely, Young’s tender solo acoustic versions of “Comes a Time,” “Heart of Gold” and “Human Highway” were each delivered with admirable concision.

The manner in which he alternated between longer and shorter selections served as a master class on how to pace a concert to build momentum and achieve maximum dynamic tension and release.

The final encore was an eight-minute rendition of “My My Hey Hey (Into the Black),” whose line There’s more to the picture than meets the eye could be a synopsis of Young’s career and his dogged determination to do things his way, every time, no matter what the trends of the day may be.

At SDSU, Young and his longtime Crazy Horse compadres — bassist/singer Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina, both 80 — were focused and in sync from start to finish. They were joined by guitarist/singer Micah Nelson, 33, who on Monday had played a key role accompanying his father, Willie Nelson, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

Willie Nelson performs at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Review: Willie Nelson’s San Diego concert defined, not defied, the passing of time. He turns 91 on April 29.

The American music-master and his band warmed up a damp, cool evening at The Shell. David Sanger, the drummer in opening act Asleep At The Wheel, took the ferry back to his family’s home in Coronado after the show.

April 23, 2024

Micah Nelson was performing in place of Crazy Horse charter member Nils Lofgren, who is now on tour in The E Street Band with his other longtime employer, Bruce Springsteen. Those are big shoes to fill, but Nelson was so in sync with Young you’d think they had been musical partners for decades.

The stage was bedecked with the giant, faux Fender guitar amplifiers, speaker cabinets and road cases Young and Crazy Horse used on their 1978 Rust Never Sleeps tour. There were no video screens on the stage, the better for the audience — which included basketball great Bill Walton and Las Vegas Raiders NFL team owner Mark Davis — to focus completely on the music at hand.

The SDSU concert — the start of Young and Crazy Horse’s first major tour together in a decade — came a year after Young’s mesmerizing solo concert here at The Shell. Wednesday’s performance was even more mesmerizing, in large part because of the musical empathy between the four musicians.

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 11: Neil Young performs at the Rady Shell on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Review: Neil Young delivered singular San Diego solo concert by digging deep for new/old musical gold

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee performed his first San Diego solo concert in 31 years, mixing classics with deep, deep album cuts

July 12, 2023

When they locked into a groove, which was often, they seemed to be of one mind. And it’s difficult to think of any other rock band of any vintage that can gain as much traction from so many slow-paced songs.

With few exceptions, Young’s biting guitar solos contained a minimum of notes, but he made each one count, repeatedly going into a zone where feeling and intensity trump quantity. Or, to invoke the title of Young’s 1988 album: “This Note’s For You.”

Apart from a heartfelt spoken tribute to the late David Briggs — the producer of many of Young’s albums with (and without) Crazy Horse — Young’s comments to the audience were along the lines of: “Thank you” and “How ya doin’?”

Otherwise, he let his music speak for him, and it spoke volumes.

[email protected]

Get U-T Arts & Culture on Thursdays

A San Diego insider’s look at what talented artists are bringing to the stage, screen, galleries and more.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

springsteen tour on hold

More from this Author

Roger Daltrey of The Who  August 28, 2023 in Sandringham, Norfolk, England.

Roger Daltrey, at 80, readying for life after The Who: ‘Every dog has its day, and it was a wonderful ride’

April 26, 2024

Electric Mud members, from left, Colton Cori, Marc Hansen, Matt Sorena and Matty Hansen.

San Diego band Electric Mud will open Rolling Stones’ May 7 Arizona concert

April 25, 2024

 Sara Petite

San Diego concert picks: Adams Avenue Unplugged with ‘Recordially Yours, Lou Curtiss’ screening; Luciana Souza and Mark Guiliana

April 24, 2024

Peter Frampton encouraged attendees at his April 14 concert at The Shell in San Diego to vote for him to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2024 inductees include Peter Frampton, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige

April 21, 2024

SAN DIEGO, CA - APRIL 16: Members of Women in Jazz, Allison Adams Tucker, left, Melonie Grinnell, Monette Marino, Evona Wascinski, Samantha Lincoln, and Lexi Pulido, right, will perform on April 30, at the Quartyard in East Village, celebrating International Jazz Day 2022. Photographed April 16, 2022. (Howard Lipin / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Four San Diego concerts you certifiably won’t want to miss

April 18, 2024

San Diego, CA - April 13: Sting and Billy Joel perform in concert at Petco Park on Saturday, April 13, 2024 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Review: Billy Joel and Sting light up Petco Park on a cool, sometimes wet Saturday night

April 14, 2024

More in this section

The dance floor and stage at Lou Lou's Jungle Room supper club at the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego.

San Diego Dining and Drinking

Step inside San Diego’s luxurious new supper clubs

Lou Lou’s Jungle Room at the Lafayette Hotel and Santa Gula in the Gaslamp offer intimate dining, drinking and live music

DANA POINT, CA - SEPT 26: Eddie Vedder of the rock band Pearl Jam performs during a concert at the Ohana Festival on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 in Dana Point, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Pearl Jam, Neil Young with Crazy Horse top the 2024 Ohana Festival lineup

Pearl Jam’s frontman Eddie Vedder is the curator of the seaside event, which will marks its eighth appearance at Dana Point’s Doheny State Beach in September

Fans cheer for Bryan Adams at the Sunset Cliffs stage at KAABOO Del Mar on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.

Solana Beach settles lawsuit over the KAABOO music festival’s return to Del Mar this year

The city of Solana Beach settled a lawsuit that it filed against the Del Mar Fairgrounds due to concerns about the environmental effects of the KAABOO music festival, which is scheduled to return to the fairgrounds later this year.

April 17, 2024

Members of Radical Ensamble perform "Transborder Scenes."

Classical Music

Review: International voices bring resonance to ‘Transborder Scenes’ concert at Bread & Salt

The concert in Logan Heights was co-presented by San Diego New Music and the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library

April 15, 2024

Mandy Patinkin performs "Being Alive."

Entertainment

JFest set to return in May with its first internationally renowned headliner: Mandy Patinkin

The 31st Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival will feature nine events at seven venues countywide May 30-June 30

Faye Webster photographed in her native Atlanta on Feb. 17, 2024.

Faye Webster hates attention, but her songs keep getting bigger

The singer-songwriter, who performs in San Diego Thursday and at the Coachella festival in Indio Friday, makes emotionally bare songs walk the line between indie-rock and country

IMAGES

  1. Playlist: Springsteen on tour and The Hold Steady

    springsteen tour on hold

  2. Springsteen announces 2023 world tour!

    springsteen tour on hold

  3. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Announce First 2023 United

    springsteen tour on hold

  4. Springsteen (Tenth) Hold On, I'm Comin' at Apollo Theater

    springsteen tour on hold

  5. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band 2023 Tour

    springsteen tour on hold

  6. Bruce Springsteen Tour Poster Digital Art by Aswego Arts

    springsteen tour on hold

COMMENTS

  1. Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band 'Reset The Bar' (Variety) On

    30-Song Finale In Ohio Wraps Triumphant Coast-To-Coast Run Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band capped the opening leg of their 2024 World Tour last night, a cross-country run that brought setlist rarities, surprise guests and blistering three-hour shows. Adding tour debuts "Youngstown," "Streets of Fire" and "I'm Goin' Down" last night in Columbus, Ohio, […]

  2. Bruce Springsteen postpones remaining 2023 tour dates until 2024 due to

    Updated 9:47 AM PDT, September 27, 2023. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2023 tour will be postponed until 2024, citing doctor's advice. The Boss, who last week celebrated his 74th birthday, is "steadily recovering" from peptic ulcer disease, a press release read. "Out of an abundance of caution," the ...

  3. Bruce Springsteen's Tour Resumption Is a Don't-Miss: Concert Review

    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 ...

  4. Bruce Springsteen Columbus show postponed due to illness before

    It wasn't clear whether Springsteen himself was sick, or if another band member fell ill. Since the group's 2023 tour began last month, a number of members have contracted COVID-19, including guitarist Steven Van Zandt and saxophonist Jake Clemons.But those illnesses did not result in postponed shows, with sick band members instead taking scheduled shows off.

  5. Illness sidelines Springsteen tour as 3 concerts postponed

    FILE - Singer Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform during their 2023 tour on Feb. 1, 2023, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Springsteen's planned performance Tuesday, March 14, in Albany, N.Y., has become the third concert in a week postponed by the New Jersey rocker due to illness, a month into his first major tour in six years.

  6. Tour

    Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kick off their 2023 international tour with performances across the United States, before heading to Europe, and then returning to North America. The shows mark Springsteen and The E Street Band's first tour dates since February 2017, and their first in North America since September 2016.

  7. Bruce Springsteen Is Ill, Postpones Two Tour Dates

    An announcement on his X/Twitter page said that concerts on Wednesday and Friday night would need to be rebooked. "Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with the E Street ...

  8. Bruce Springsteen Postpones September Tour Dates As He ...

    Key Background. Springsteen and the E Street Band's current tour began in February this year after plans to hold the tour in 2020 and 2021 were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

  9. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Add North American Shows In 18

    Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have announced additional North American dates on their 2023 international tour in 18 cities. Tickets for the 22 added North American shows will go on sale over the course of the next two weeks, with the first onsale beginning February 19 at 10am local time.

  10. Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band Announce 2023 U.S. Tour Dates

    Bruce Springsteen Danny Clinch. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced the dates for their 2023 U.S. tour on Tuesday (July 12). The 31-show swing is slated to kick off on Feb. 1 in ...

  11. Bruce Springsteen Surprises the Crowd at John Mellencamp Concert

    Springsteen will resume his world tour on March 19. In September 2023, he put the tour on hold to give himself more time to recover from a peptic ulcer.

  12. Bruce Springsteen postpones Philly shows because of illness

    Springsteen's tour opened last weekend with two shows at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The next scheduled dates on the band's itinerary are at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Aug. 24 and 26.

  13. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's World Tour Setlist: All the

    Fans were delayed but not denied their visit from The Boss Tuesday night (March 19) in Phoenix as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band relaunched their world tour after a six-month break ...

  14. Bruce Springsteen Makes Comical Promise About His U.S. Tour Finale

    Bruce Springsteen is getting ready for the final concert of his current U.S. tour leg with the E Street band, and—surprise, surprise—he has a message for fans who will be coming out to the ...

  15. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Announce 2023 US Tour

    Here are Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's complete North American tour dates. February 1, 2023 - Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena. February 3 - Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena. February 5 ...

  16. Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band concert review at Nationwide Arena

    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 ...

  17. Bruce Springsteen Cancels September Tour Dates Due to Illness

    Bruce Springsteen is postponing more tour dates due to ongoing illness. The musician, 73, took to social media on Wednesday, September 6, to reveal he's suffering from peptic ulcer disease. He ...

  18. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Kick Off 2024 World Tour This

    NEW CAREER-SPANNING 'BEST OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN' COLLECTION ARRIVES APRIL 19 FROM SONY MUSIC HEADLINING SET AT ASBURY PARK'S SEA.HEAR.NOW FESTIVAL JUST ANNOUNCED FOR SEPT. 15 Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band return to the road on March 19, building on a triumphant 2023 hailed as "a masterclass in the uplifting power of rock-and-roll" (Washington Post). Kicking […]

  19. Bruce Springsteen Concert Review: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH, April

    Concert Review April 24, 2024 12:35 PM By Chris DeVille. 1. People pay to sit behind him. Sunday night, hundreds, maybe thousands of seats behind the stage at Nationwide Arena were filled by ...

  20. Announcing US Tour Dates!

    The shows will mark Springsteen and The E Street Band's first tour dates since February 2017, and their first in North America since September 2016. See all dates & register for tickets! European dates for the 2023 international tour were announced in May and over 1.2 million tickets have already been purchased across the continent, with many ...

  21. Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour

    MetLife Stadium, September 3, 2023. The Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour is an ongoing concert tour by American singer Bruce Springsteen and his backing band the E Street Band.The tour began on February 1, 2023, in Tampa, Florida; it marks the first time since 2017 that Springsteen and the E Street Band have toured together.The tour is scheduled to conclude on November 22, 2024, in ...

  22. Springsteen jams with Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and more in N.J

    Hot off the latest leg of his ongoing concert tour, Bruce Springsteen returned to the Jersey Shore Wednesday night for a jam session with rock nobles. The Boss was in West Long Branch, at his own ...

  23. Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge tour could be his best

    The tour kicked off in Buffalo at Shea's Performing Arts Center on May 24, 1978. Bruce slowly and methodically added song after song to the set list creating a 25 or more-song set list.

  24. Bruce Springsteen previews Syracuse concert with 'plans to destroy your

    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.

  25. Bruce Springsteen tour 2024: Where to buy tickets, best prices

    A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here: Bruce Springsteen tour dates. Ticket prices. start at. April 7 at the Kia Forum ...

  26. Video post: Surprise, surprise

    2024-03-25 Bruce Springsteen-Rosalita at Pechanga Arena, San Diego, CA Multicam Mixed By WildBilly. March 27: Bruce made a surprise appearance with Zach Bryan, performing Bryan's songs "Sandpaper" and "Revival" — the latter along with the supremely talented Maggie Rogers — as the show's encore. Not only that, he flew 3,000 miles back to the ...

  27. Bruce Springsteen gets a flat tire in Jersey, gets to Mohegan Sun ...

    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.

  28. John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples Honored by Bruce Springsteen Archives

    Springsteen, dressed in a white shirt, vest and tie, honored Mellencamp for his musical legacy and activism, as well as creating Farm Aid with Willie Nelson in 1985.

  29. Home

    Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band 2023 tour dates, concert recordings, new album Only The Strong Survive, news, songs and more. ... Bruce Springsteen is one of the world's best-selling artists. Long recognized as an incomparable live performer, he has won 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a Special Tony Award. ...

  30. Neil Young & Crazy Horse strike gold at tour-opening San Diego concert

    April 25, 2024 3:18 PM PT. When Neil Young sang "rock and roll will never die" near the conclusion of his tour-opening LOVE EARTH concert with Crazy Horse Wednesday in San Diego, you believed ...