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Bruce Springsteen – ‘Birmingham, Villa Park’ live review & setlist

The law of Rock ‘n’ Roll is one of diminishing returns with age. The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith are all touring bands with singers who are not really able to hit the heights of their previous 70s and 80s glories and bands whose studio output is way past their best. Not Bruce Springsteen. At 73 years old his live shows are still a thing of legend and his last original studio album, ‘Letter To You’ contained all the hallmarks of everything Springsteen fans have come to expect from him over the past 50 years.

Walking on stage at around 7.15pm on a sunny, hot night in Birmingham, UK, Springsteen and the E Street Band launched into ‘Born in the USA’ deep-cut fan-favourite “No Surrender.’ He left around 10.15pm after bringing a sizeable chunk of this football stadium crowd to tears with the emotional, heartfelt ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’ which he played solo on an acoustic guitar, serving as a kind of soft goodbye to his fans should circumstance mean we never get to see this iconic, authentic artist again.

In-between those two songs, Springsteen rocked this soulless football ground in the only way he can. A see of arms greeted almost every song and multiple cries of ‘Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce’ resounded around the stands as song after song came in fiery blasts and heartfelt hammer-blows. The elephant in the room, when you are playing a stadium show in the middle of June in the UK, is that it is going to be light until at least 9.30pm so performers can’t rely on lights, bells and whistles to augment their songs but Springsteen is one of a rare breed of artists that don’t need that, as was proven by the seven song encore which was largely played under the full glare of the stadium lights and little else.

Early songs, like ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Prove it All Night’ had to stand or fall on the strength of Springsteen’s performance alone and, by god, he nailed it. The church of Rock ‘n’ Roll is still alive and well in the hands of this unique artist. ‘Out in the Street’ saw him prowling the front rows like a man possessed, imploring the crowd to join him on this musical journey. The way Springsteen connects with his fans, from the hard core fan right down at the front who had been queueing at the venue since midday, to the bloke in the top corner of the Holte End stand who only came because he is an Aston Villa supporter who bought ‘Born in the USA’ on cassette back in the 80’s out for a good time on a Friday night, is amazing and something I’ve rarely seen in all my 30+ years of concert going.

When you go and see a band like Bon Jovi the setlist is often pitched to please the casual fan. I’ve read numerous interviews with Jon Bon Jovi over the years in which he states his job is to please the person attending their first Bon Jovi gig. For any artist with a sizeable back catalogue, this is a crime, ignoring the hard core fans that got you to where you are now. Springsteen refuses to do that, so “Candy’s Room’ and the seven minute Jazz-Rock epic, ‘Kitty’s Back’ were played for the long time fans leaving a good portion of the crowd a little confused as to what they were listening too although the power of the individual performances on display were fascinating to watch even if you hadn’t heard those particular songs before. Similarly, songs like ‘Last Man Standing’, which was beautifully introduced by The Boss with a touching speech about him being the last man alive from his original band that he joined back in school in 1965, and ‘Wrecking Ball’, a gaelic-tinged romp from the 2012 album of the same name, might have been unfamiliar to some but were performed with such style and verve that it didn’t really matter whether this was the first or the four hundredth time you’ve heard them.

Springsteen’s iconic ‘Born in the USA’ album was well served in Birmingham with six songs being pulled from it. Another highlight was the tour debut of ‘The River’, delivered beautifully, as always. ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’ is also an emotional cornerstone of the set these days since the passing of E Street legends Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. Images of them were broadcast on the video screens, serving as a wonderful tribute to their time, impact and talent. They say time is a cruel mistress and the older Springsteen has got the more it has crept, naturally, into his writing. Both ‘Last Man Standing’ and ‘Ill See You in My Dreams’ deal with loss explicitly but a large portion of this show hints towards goodbyes, gratitude and gratefulness with Springsteen, always front and centre. The conductor of a Rock ‘n’ Roll orchestra, old father time himself, content with his life’s work but still cradling the burning flame of creative passion deep inside, as was proved by his recent outstanding stint on Broadway and the ‘Only the Strong Survive’ covers album.

At 73, Bruce Springsteen has lost none of the fire or the passion that he had in 1983 and neither has his fans. This show in Birmingham was a triumph: an inclusive stadium gathering for hard core fans and casuals alike, all gathered to worship at the altar of the high priest of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Three hours of the finest showmanship and skilled, musical talent that has gone unrivalled now for nearly 50 years. Times change, fads come and go and even Springsteen himself has gone through multiple eras (to borrow a term and a mindset from Taylor Swift) but through it all the flame endures.

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. Nightshift 10. Mary’s Place 11. The E Street Shuffle 12. My Hometown 13. The River 14. Last Man Standing 15. Backstreets 16. Because the Night 17. She’s the One 18. Wrecking Ball 19. The Rising 20. Badlands 21. Thunder Road 22. Born in the USA 23. Born to Run 24. Bobby Jean 25. Glory Days 26. Dancing in the Dark 27. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out 28. I’ll See You in My Dreams Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham Date: Friday 16th June

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LIVE: Bruce Springsteen 2023 tour tickets: onsale time, tickets, pricing, Ticketmaster updates

Everything you need to know to get tickets for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's long-awaited return to the UK

• Updated 09:13, 21 JUL 2022

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are set to return to the UK for a stadium tour in 2023, with tickets going on sale this morning for a host of dates including one at Birmingham's own Villa Park.

Tickets for all the gigs in the tour, which also include dates at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and London's Hyde Park alongside the Friday, June 16, 2023 Villa Park event, go on general sale at 9am via The Ticket Factory and Ticketmaster .

The announcement of the much-anticipated gigs, the musicians' first UK shows since 2016, comes after Springsteen's triumphant cameo at Glastonbury, where he joined Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on stage as part of the former Beatle's iconic 38-song headline set.

With Springsteen's 2016 ‘The River Tour’ the year's highest grossing tour worldwide, we're expecting demand for tickets to be strong. But we will be here to help you through the general sale launch, with all the tips and advice you need to get those all-important tickets .

11,000 in the queue

There are 11,000 people in the Ticketmaster queue. Hold tight and do not refresh.

10 minutes to go

Not long to go. Get your clicking fingers ready.

Tickets will go on general sale at 9am for all four UK dates.

The tour dates

• Tuesday, May 30 - BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
• Friday, June 16 - Villa Park, Birmingham
• Thursday, July 6 - American Express Presents BST Hyde Park, London
• Saturday, July 8 - American Express Presents BST Hyde Park, London

The general sale tickets will be available on Ticketmaster from 9am this morning. We recommend signing up to Ticketmaster early if you haven't already and logging in so when the waiting room goes live - usually around 15 minutes before for a gig as popular as this one, but we recommend looking from anytime now - you're already to go. Tickets will also be going live simultaneously at See Tickets and Ticket Factory .

Ticket price for Birmingham and London

Birmingham general admission tickets start at £69 and go up to £162.50 including a service fee, with a £2.95 admin fee and £1 postage fee also applicable on all Ticket Factory orders.

London general admission is £101.15, Primary Entry is £111.85, Gold Circle Tier Two is £218.95 and Gold VIP Hydeaway is £324.95.

Tips to get your tickets

If you've ever tried to access Ticketmaster for a big ticket event you will be familiar with the website queue and the many page crashes that come with it.

If you’re new to buying tickets there are a couple of things you can do to get ahead of the queue. Sign up or log into your Ticketmaster account and check your banking details are filled in correct so you can save time once tickets are in your basket.

Load up a tab and get settled on the event page. Try readying a number of devices including a desktop as well as your phone to get tickets, this will increase your chances and you might be more lucky getting through

Once tickets go on sale at 9am be patient and wait in the queue until you’re allocated ticket(s) If your preferred ticket option isn’t available, maybe go for the ones offered from Ticketmaster to ensure you don’t lose out all together. Keep up-to-date with the latest ticket news here. Tickets go on sale at 9am via Ticketmaster.

Welcome to our Bruce Springsteen tickets live blog.

Looking for tickets to his Villa Park, BT Murrayfield or Hyde Park gigs? Then follow us for the latest information. General sale tickets will be available on Ticketmaster from 9am this morning.

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• June 8, 1981 Setlist

Bruce Springsteen Setlist at Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England

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Tour: The River Tour statistics Add setlist

• The Ties That Bind Play Video
• Prove It All Night Play Video
• Out in the Street Play Video
• Darkness on the Edge of Town Play Video
• Follow That Dream ( Elvis Presley  cover) Play Video
• Johnny Bye-Bye Play Video
• Jackson Cage Play Video
• Trapped ( Jimmy Cliff  cover) Play Video
• Two Hearts Play Video
• The Promised Land Play Video
• The River Play Video
• This Land Is Your Land ( Woody Guthrie  cover) Play Video
• Who'll Stop the Rain ( Creedence Clearwater Revival  cover) Play Video
• Badlands Play Video
• Thunder Road Play Video
• You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) Play Video
• Cadillac Ranch Play Video
• Sherry Darling Play Video
• Hungry Heart Play Video
• Jole Blon ( [traditional]  cover) Play Video
• Fire Play Video
• I Wanna Marry You ( with "Here She Comes" intro ) Play Video
• Racing in the Street Play Video
• Ramrod Play Video
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) ( with "Taps" and "Sweet Soul Music" snippets ) Play Video
• Jungleland Play Video
• Born to Run Play Video
• Detroit Medley Play Video
• Rockin' All Over the World ( John Fogerty  cover) Play Video

Note: Show rescheduled from March 28

Edits and Comments

23 activities (last edit by ndharris1 , 24 Jul 2020, 21:48 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Cadillac Ranch
• Hungry Heart
• I Wanna Marry You
• Jackson Cage
• Out in the Street
• Sherry Darling
• The Ties That Bind
• You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
• Follow That Dream by Elvis Presley
• Jole Blon by [traditional]
• Rockin' All Over the World by John Fogerty
• This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
• Trapped by Jimmy Cliff
• Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Darkness on the Edge of Town
• Prove It All Night
• Racing in the Street
• The Promised Land
• Born to Run
• Thunder Road
• Detroit Medley
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• Johnny Bye-Bye

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Bruce springsteen gig timeline.

• Jun 05 1981 Wembley Arena London, England Add time Add time
• Jun 07 1981 Birmingham International Arena Birmingham, England Add time Add time
• Jun 08 1981 Birmingham International Arena This Setlist Birmingham, England Add time Add time
• Jun 14 1981 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA, USA Add time Add time
• Jul 02 1981 Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, NJ, USA Add time Add time

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Bruce Springsteen review – after half a century, still having the time of his life

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Springsteen and the E Street Band feel like a bar band that can’t believe their luck to be playing a stadium – and the enthusiasm is infectious

E arly on in a show that tops out close to three hours, Bruce Springsteen does a guitar solo. He is joined at the front of the stage by saxophonist Jake Clemons, the nephew of Springsteen’s late stage foil Clarence Clemons. Jake stares at Springsteen’s fingers, apparently gawping in amazement at the dexterity of his playing. Then he closes his eyes and rests his head on Springsteen’s shoulder as he continues playing.

It’s a small moment that seems to sum up the continued appeal of Springsteen when in the company of his most celebrated backing band. It’s simultaneously hokey – could it be rehearsed? – and, with its echo of the pose struck by Springsteen and Jake’s uncle on the cover of 1975’s Born to Run, oddly moving.

A careful balance between the knowingly hammy and the earnest is very much what the E Street Band live experience is about: tonight’s show encompasses both Springsteen ripping his shirt open and hysterically enquiring whether Edinburgh “believes in the faith and the power and the holiness of rock’n’roll and introducing an acoustic version of Last Man Standing with a heartfelt eulogy for a member of the band he joined as a teenager. And, like the sheer length of their sets and the stagey cross talk routine that Springsteen and guitarist Steven Van Zandt indulge in towards the end of their performance (“Stevie! I think it’s time to go home!” “I don’t wanna go home!”, etc etc) it loudly telegraphs the sensation that this band are still having the time of their lives on stage, 51 years into their career.

For all the world knows, it might be icy silences, decades-old resentments and bitter arguments about money all the way to the dressing rooms, but under the spotlights, they invariably give off the air of people who are there because they desperately want to be there, a bar band that can’t quite believe their luck to be playing a stadium, despite the fact that they’ve been playing stadiums since the early 80s. Solos are spun out on a lengthy version of Kitty’s Back – a jazz-rock outlier in Springsteen’s oeuvre, from 1974’s The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle – as if it’s their solitary chance to grab the limelight rather than a nightly occurrence. It could all be for real or it could be a shtick, but even if it’s the latter, it’s infectious.

Infectious enough to carry the audience through a gig that unspools from a breathless opening – one song after another, delivered without pause, the selection leaping between decades while keeping the intensity roaring – into stuff such as Kitty’s Back and a cover of the Commodores’ Nightshift that semi-successfully attempts to dig past the original’s slick 80s gloss and retrieve an old-fashioned gospel-soul song from beneath it. And quite possibly infectious enough to convert the less committed observer, despite the fact that the set really isn’t designed for the uncommitted. The first song familiar to anyone who only knows the hits arrives an hour and 45 minutes in with Because the Night. The smashes – Thunder Road, Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark – are reserved for the show’s conclusion, which makes the opening sound like a band gently pacing themselves. Born in the USA concludes with a frantic, climactic drum solo and crashing guitars, with Springsteen yelling encouragement at drummer Max Weinberg, as if he’s somehow fearful that Born in the USA wasn’t sufficiently rousing and anthemic to start off with.

Then again, you wonder if there’s anyone uncommitted, or who only knows the hits in attendance. The bellows of “Broooooce!” never abate regardless of whether he’s excavating Candy’s Room from the recesses of 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town or powering thorough Glory Days. As the night wears on, the stage-side screens cut from the band to the crowd ever more frequently. You’d expect both to look a little wilted, but they don’t: it’s difficult to know who looks more euphoric.

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Get Loose in Los Angeles

By Ethan Millman

Ethan Millman

Three hours into Bruce Springsteen ‘s epic return to Los Angeles on Thursday night with the E Street Band, he stared down the sold-out crowd at the Forum. “Do you have anything left?” he shouted, midway through “Twist and Shout,” the second-to-last song of his first L.A. show in eight years. Five decades in, the magic of a Springsteen show remains: He always seems to have a little bit left in the tank. 

The 2024 version of the tour has been looser than last year’s, which stuck fairly close to a single set list, and Thursday was no exception. Springsteen kicked off with a true rarity, a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” (most frequently played on the Tunnel of Love Express Tour back in 1988), before jumping into “Lonesome Day” (rarely played last year, but now a staple in the set) and “Prove It All Night,” then his live -favorite arena-rock reworking of Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped.”

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Six dates into their return to the road, Springsteen and the E Street Band sounded like they had never been interrupted. “Are you having fun yet? Because we haven’t had fun yet,” Springsteen told the crowd just over an hour into his show. “This is our pre-fun. We’re here to wake you up, shake you up, and take you to higher ground. The E Street Band is here to bring the joyous power of rock & roll into your life. But we need your help. We plan on sending you home with your feet hurting, your hands hurting, your ass in paralysis, and your sexual organs stimulated.”

Springsteen maintains a remarkably simple setup and show presentation compared to the other blockbuster live shows currently on the road. The visuals are limited to video screens and elegant stage lights, keeping the focus on the 17 musicians onstage with him. He doesn’t really need much else. 

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From there, the show was all joy and catharsis, with an unbroken string of hits and live favorites, beginning with Nils Lofgren’s jaw-dropping guitar virtuosity on “Because the Night,” and inevitably reaching “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run.” As he has throughout the tour, Springsteen finished the show alone with his meditation on life after death, “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” 

Springsteen and the E Street Band will play another Forum show on Sunday.

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Music + Concerts | Bruce Springsteen dazzles in a marathon 3 hour…

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Music + concerts, music + concerts | bruce springsteen dazzles in a marathon 3 hour and 20 minute show at the kia forum on thursday.

Bruce Springsteen has talked of life and mortality as themes of the world tour that he and the E Street Band kicked off a year ago, and in the setlist Thursday, April 4 for the first of two shows at the Kia Forum there were plenty of of songs that reflected those feelings.

But at the end of the night, after 32 songs over three hours and 20 minutes, it’s the living that shined brightest through his time on stage, and the joy — of Springsteen, his band, and fans alike — that lingered after the final notes faded.

It’s been eight years since Springsteen last played Southern California . His long run on Broadway took a few years. The pandemic claimed a few more. And then, when he was scheduled to stop here in December, peptic ulcer disease forced the postponement of the Forum shows, and left Springsteen worried whether he’d ever sing again.

Any doubts about his vim and vigor vanished quickly in a show that ran a half hour longer than most on this tour,  which saw Springsteen at 74 as impossibly energized as ever.

Bruce Springsteen, right, performs with E Street Band members guitarist Nils Lofgren, Jake Clemons on saxophone, Soozie Tyrell on violin and drummer Max Weinberg, rear, during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen, right, performs with E Street Band member saxophonist Jake Clemons during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen, left, and E Street Band members drummer Max Weinberg and Stevie Van Zandt, right, perform during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen opens his show during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen, right, performs with E Street Band members Jake Clemons on saxophone and drummer Max Weinberg, rear, during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen, left, and E Street Band member Stevie Van Zandt, right, perform during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg perform during the first of two sold out shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Thursday night April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

An airliner flies over the Kia Forum that is lit up for the first of two sold out Bruce Springsteen shows in Inglewood on Thursday night, April 4, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

“Boom Boom” opened the show with a bang, the bluesy John Lee Hooker cover getting Springsteen and the 17 members of his band revved up for the night to come. Two songs later, the opening notes of “Prove It All Night” got a roar from the crowd for the fan favorite off “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” and from that point, the songs flowed one after another, separated only by Springsteen counting off the tempo before each new number.

The E Street Band remains one of the great bands in rock history, with guitarist Steven Van Zandt, bassist Gerry Tallent, pianist Roy Bittan, and drummer Max Weinberg going back 50 years or so with the Boss. Guitarist Nils Lofgren and singer-guitarist Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife, are the new kids with only 40 years in the band.

Their tight, intuitive playing sets the base for Springsteen to go where he likes. Slow it down for “Trapped.” No problem. Pick up the pace on “Two Hearts”? Van Zandt joins Springsteen on a shared microphone, singing harmonies, their faces inches apart, as they have for half a century.

After “The Promised Land,” the second of three “Darkness” tracks in the show, Springsteen announced Scialfa was in the house, and brought her out to sing a pair of songs with him. “Tougher Than the Rest,” a slow-burning romance, saw them harmonizing closely as Springsteen shifted from a low solo on his blonde Telecaster to harmonica for the finish. “Fire” was playful, fun, and a little bit sexy, Springsteen and Scialfa clearly having a blast with the number.

Each night on tour Springsteen plucks a sign from the audience to play an unexpected request. On Thursday, that arrived on the stage in the form of a white bedsheet spray-painted with black letters so hard to read Springsteen made a joke about it. The song, “Jole Blon,” was gorgeous, a Cajun-inflected traditional number that featured Soozie Tyrell on fiddle and Charles Giordano on accordian.

While “Born To Run” provided the most songs in the show with five — we’ll be getting to those soon, be patient! — the oldest songs often prompted the biggest responses from the crowd. “Spirit in the Night,” from Springsteen’s 1973 debut, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” was the first show-stopper of the night, its jazzy R&B giving Springsteen and the band, including saxophonist Jake Clemons, a chance to stretch and vamp a little.

“My City of Ruins,” from “The Rising,” shifted from the ecstasy of “Spirit” to a slower gospel soul, with Springsteen testifying most directly on thoughts of mortality.

“I know there’s a lot of us out there that are missing somebody special,” he said during a mid-song break to address the crowd. “Now I don’t know where we go when all of this is over. I just know what remains. And the only thing we can guarantee tonight is that if you’re here, and we’re here, then those that we are missing are here with us tonight.”

Two songs later, he finished the somber midpart of the show with a mostly solo acoustic guitar performance of “Last Man Standing,” a song inspired by the death of the last member of his first teenage band. “Death brings a certain clarity of mind,” Springsteen said by way of introduction. “And grieving is the price we pay for love.”

At that point, barely halfway through the show, things shifted toward the light and the living. “Backstreets,” from “Born To Run,” still has a melancholy feel, but its protagonist lives with his memories of young love and the places they used to travel, with Bittan’s piano part the secret sauce to its beauty.

“Because The Night,” which Springsteen gave to Patti Smith to record in the late ’70s, was reclaimed as a hard rocker that wrapped up with glorious guitar solo from Lofgren. “She’s The One” walloped its Bo Diddley beat in a primal rock ‘n’ roll rhythm.

The main set climaxed with “Badlands,” a Springsteen classic from the ’70s about a restless young man with dreams bigger than his life, and “Thunder Road,” one of his greatest numbers, which opened with the crowd singing loudly on the slow first verse before Springsteen and the band launched it to a huge finish.

At this point we’ve reached the encore, which Springsteen fans know means another 50 minutes of music, with one hit dropped after another.

After “Land of Hope and Dreams” opened it up, “Born To Run,” symphonic rock ‘n’roll hymn, exploded from the stage, the arena lights up now for fans to sing along. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” another early favorite, remains a joyful song of desire, and a chance for Springsteen and the band to take flight into extended versions. Here it wrapped up with Springsteen, Van Zandt, Lofgren, Tyrell and Clemons dancing and goofing at the end of a short ramp into the pit.

“Dancing In The Dark” is one of the sweetest simple pop songs that Springsteen’s ever written. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” saw him circle the pit, singing from a ramp at its edge to the fans in the floor seats. And “Twist and Shout” was a rock and roll party.

The 17 musicians walked off the stage then, with Springsteen giving them a pat on the back or handshake, telling them “good job” as if they were punching out at the end of a shift at the factory. He is the Boss, and he’s a good boss, too.

Then, one last encore, solo on stage with his acoustic guitar, singing “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” Or maybe on Sunday night, when he returns to the Kia Forum, as full of life as ever he was.

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Bruce Springsteen comes to the rescue for 11-year-old at his concert

• Published: Apr. 05, 2024, 5:30 a.m.

Bruce Springsteen performs at MetLife Stadium on August 30, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images

• Brian Linder | [email protected]

Bruce Springsteen is back on the road touring after a peptic ulcer late last year had him worried that he might never sing again.

It’s music to his fans’ ears. Also, “The Boss” is still pretty, danged awesome.

Don’t believe it?

Well, a clip from a recent concert is creating a social media stir because the 74-year-old came to the rescue of an 11-year-old in attendance. No, there wasn’t a life-or-death situation here, but it turns out the kid skipped school to make it to the show.

And when you skip school, you need an excuse.

That’s what the 11-year-old explained with a big sign, asking Springsteen to sign her excuse.

It resulted in the memory of a lifetime because Springsteen saw the sign and went to work. A clip from the concert shows him taking the note from the girl, kneeling down, and writing a long message on her excuse. He also held up the sign, and blew a kiss to her all while smiling.

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“No words!!!!!” Karen Pitcher Scovell wrote while sharing a recording of the interaction to Facebook. “To be in such close proximity to greatness was more than I had ever expected. Bruce knelt down directly in front of me to sing a school excuse for the little girl behind me…”

You can see her post here.

Apparently, it’s not the first time “The Boss” has come through for kids skipping school to see his show. You can read more about that here.

The 74-year-old Springsteen, who had to postpone his tour last September due to the ulcer, admitted in a recent interview that he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to sing again.

“Once I started singing, you know, you can rehearse singing, but your voice isn’t the same in rehearsal,” he said according to Deadline. “You don’t have the edge of adrenaline that really pushes it into a better place and the thing when I had the stomach problem, one of the big problems was I couldn’t sing.

“You sing with your diaphragm,” he continued. “My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, you know? 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.”

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Springsteen said people kept telling him he would return, but he said the ulcer was so painful that, at times, he did not believe that.

“You know, you’re thinking like, ‘Hey, am I gonna sing again?’” he said. “And you know, this is one of the things I love to do the best, the most, and right now I can’t do it.”

He said doctors kept telling him that would change.

“At the end of the day, I found some great doctors, and they straightened me out,” he said. “And I can’t do anything but thank them all.”

“The Boss” is slated to play in Pittsburgh on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18, and in Philadelphia on Aug 21 and Aug. 23. He also has a date in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 7 and in Baltimore on Sept. 13.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band to Perform Rescheduled Concert on April 18

For those heading to the show, here is the know-before-you-go information to make your travel and concert experience as smooth as possible.

Concessions/Merchandise

Cash is not accepted at any concession locations, the box office or merchandise stands. Major credit cards, debit cards and mobile payment (Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Wallet) are accepted. For those who just can’t resist buying a tour poster or T-shirt, there will be an outdoor tent located outside of Gate N prior to the show selling artist merchandise. Once the show begins, additional merch booths will open inside the venue as concourse traffic eases.

Clear Bag Policy

As with all events at the JMA Dome, a clear bag policy will be enforced. Each fan is allowed one clear bag and one small clutch or purse, with exceptions for medically necessary items. Please visit the  Clear Bag Policy webpage  for additional information. Being aware of the policy ahead of time will help expedite entry into the venue.

For those who purchased a parking pass in advance for the Sept. 7 show, it is still valid for this show.

If you are a member of our campus community planning to attend the concert, your existing campus parking pass will be honored in University Avenue Garage, Comstock Avenue Garage, University Avenue North and South lots and the Irving Avenue Hill lot, as space allows.

All parking is cashless. Customers may pay via credit card (including tap and pay), or through Google Pay or Apple Pay. Have payment ready for the lot attendants, to ensure an efficient flow of traffic.

Pay parking is available at several locations around campus, including:

• Skytop Lot (opens at 1 p.m.): $25 per car, includes free shuttle service to and from College Place beginning at 4 p.m.
• Limited availability in Comstock/Colvin Lots (opens at 1 p.m.): $25 per car, includes free shuttle service to and from College Place beginning at 4 p.m.
• Limited availability in University Avenue Garage and Comstock Avenue Garage: $35 per car, please note that garages close two hours after the event ends
• Accessible parking for those with a nationally-recognized handicap placard or license plate will be available at the Skytop Lot for $25 per car, which includes free shuttle service to and from Gate A of the JMA Wireless Dome

Those who haven’t purchased a parking permit in advance are encouraged to use the Brighton Avenue exit off 1-81 and take Ainsley Drive to the Skytop Lot.

Those “Born to Run,” “Born in the USA” or who simply want to do “The E Street Shuffle” for a couple of hours are in luck, as tickets are still  available through Ticketmaster , starting at $60.50 including fees.

As a reminder, those who purchased tickets for the September 7, 2023 show are still valid for the April 18, 2024 show.

To avoid delays at the gate, make sure to download your mobile tickets before you arrive to campus.

For those with general admission tickets for the pit, please enter through Gate D.

Campus Travel Before and After the Concert

Regular shuttles to South Campus and other campus and Centro shuttles will continue to run during and after the event, though arrivals and departures may be delayed due to the large amount of vehicular traffic in the University area.

Syracuse University’s Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) will make a temporary change to campus traffic patterns following the conclusion of the concert.

As the concert ends, PTS and the Syracuse Police Department will close Comstock Avenue to all traffic except parking shuttles, which will travel between the College Place bus stop, the Colvin Street and Comstock Avenue Lots and the Skytop Lot.

The concert is anticipated to end between 10:20 and 10:50 p.m., and at that time, PTS will direct all traffic away from Comstock Avenue between Waverly Avenue and East Colvin Street. As a significant crowd is expected for the concert, this will allow for the efficient exit and transportation of the concert attendees from the shuttle stop at College Place to their parking lots on South Campus. The road will reopen as soon as the concert shuttles are cleared. More information about parking is available on the  Parking and Transportation Services website .

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Bruce Springsteen epic appearance on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' was 'Spinal Tap' brilliant

3 minute read.

Bruce Springsteen rocked Larry David's bizarro world on the March 31 episode of  HBO's “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Springsteen was a Boss of comedy, with stellar comedic timing, darn-funny deadpans and classic raised eyebrows. The episode produced more than a few hilarious “Spinal Tap” moments, to say the least. Where do we start?

• Springsteen avoids calls from Don Henley because the Eagles frontman gave him a band tape he can't stand listening to.
• Springsteen's assistant Ken used to be a women named Kendra, who slept with David before she transitioned to a transgender man.
• David gave Springsteen COVID, which forced the cancellation of the final show of Springsteen's “farewell tour.”
• Springsteen's fans are mad at David and they attack his car as it departs Springsteen's residence in Los Angeles because David gave Springsteen COVID.

It's all fiction, of course, but there were enough elements that adhered close enough to fact to make Springsteen fans ask: “Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” For instance, Springsteen did have COVID last spring, and a bout with peptic ulcer disease did cause him to postpone multiple shows.

Also, the Springsteen and the E Street Band are not on a “farewell tour,” but the advanced age of some band members — the Boss is 74 — have led to murmurs of speculation among fans asking if this is the last go-round for the band. Perhaps Springsteen's appearance on “Curb,” specifically the notion of the “farewell tour,” is a truth through comedy moment?

Springsteen previously appeared on the Feb. 11 episode, when he publicly proclaimed that David was a man of “involvement” after David gave character Auntie Rae, in line to vote in Georgia, water because it was such a hot day. He was subsequently arrested for violating the state's Election Integrity Act, which makes it illegal to give free food or water to people in line to vote.

Springsteen, in Los Angeles for his “farewell tour,” wanted to meet David, who was involved in an imbroglio with a masseuse over the ending of a recent massage. The Boss sat down with David and Jeff Greene (Jeffrey Garland), David's manager, in Greene's home.

“I know one thing about Larry David, Larry David is a man who gets involved,” says Springsteen, referring to the Georgia episode. “The (blanks) it took to put yourself in that situation. I told myself, I want to meet Larry David — this guy's a hero of mine.”

An acquaintance calls to ask David if he's read a manuscript he's given him. David doesn't answer the call.

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“Same thing happened to me with a musician,” Springsteen says. “He gave me a demo of a band that that he liked and thought it could go somewhere. I get the tape and put it on for two seconds. I took it off. Never listened to the rest of it.”

Springsteen didn't want to say who it was, but after two seconds of prodding he divulges it was Henley.

“I would avoid him for the rest of my life,” David says.

Springsteen's assistant Ken (Ian Harvie) then comes with good news — the farewell tour is sold out. Ken then says he used to be a woman named Kendra, who slept with David multiple times at his former job with NBC/Universal.

They were often intimate on the floor.

“I didn’t make you out for a floor (blanker),” Springsteen says. “Small world, Larry, you and Ken sleeping together.”

“No, no, no, I slept with Kendra — not Ken,” David says.

“Kendra is Ken,” Bruce says.

Springsteen and David have a mix up over their glasses of water, a moment that will have consequences later. David has invited the masseuse over to meet the Boss, which might quell the disagreement over David's massage. It doesn't work as Springsteen is in a rush to leave — showtime is coming up — and he barely says hello.

Not so fast as Springsteen comes down with COVID. He blames David, who just tested positive, and the show's postponement is headline news. Fans are gathered outside Springsteen's Southern California residence.

“We love you, we miss you!” screams a fan.

“Asbury Park rules!” screams another.

David takes the masseuse over to Springsteen's place, and they sneak onto the grounds to where they're standing outside the room where the ailing rocker is watching “Young Mr. Lincoln” and blowing his nose.

David sheepishly refers to the fans outside.

“There's a lot of people out there, yeah, because they thought I was dying from the COVID I caught from you, Mr Three-Card Monte with the glasses,” Springsteen says. “That's how it happened. I lost  my sense of smell.”

“There's nothing to smell — everything stinks,” David says. “It doesn't matter, you're better off.”

David gets a pic of the masseuse, outside the room, with Springsteen inside. Ken comes and throw them off the property.

Springsteen fans recognize David and attack his car for giving the Boss COVID.

The series finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” famously set in Los Angeles, is Sunday, April 7. Springsteen and the E Street Band play the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, that night.

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

Bruce Springsteen to perform at Mohegan Sun Arena after rescheduling tour due to illness

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) – Tickets are still available to see Bruce Springsteen perform this Friday at Mohegan Sun.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour- including their Mohegan stop – was postponed last year while the 74-year-old rock star was recovering from peptic ulcer disease.

Their visit to Connecticut was postponed twice.

“Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement, and support,” Springsteen said in a short statement last year . “I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”

Friday’s show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Anyone who had tickets to the original September date can use their tickets for the rescheduled show.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.