The Springsteen Thread

[HarmonicGenerator]

9 minutes ago, SaitoRyo said:

Reading you lot having such a lovely time at the gigs is just getting me more amped up for Prague on the 15th. My mate was at Anfield last night and said it was class, although he was sitting (free ticket off another mate) and would've enjoyed it more standing. 

Out of curiosity, are any of you picking up merch at the gigs? And how much is it setting you back for pints etc. once you're in the stadium/arena? Cheers!

You’ll love it, so excited for you to see the show!

I got a t-shirt last night, I limit myself to one per tour as they’re so expensive (£45 in Liverpool, €50 in Lille), but some decent designs. They do a nice basic “On Tour” one with your specific gig printed on the back which I quite like - and they vary the colours for different cities too (blue and white for Nijmegen, navy for Lille, black and red for Liverpool).

[SaitoRyo]

3 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I bought the sweatshirt and the Manchester shirt at the first gig, giddy with excitement, but I'm trying to stop myself now.

£45 for a t-shirt is a bit mad.

There is a really nice range of merch though, more varieties than I've seen at other big gigs.

I never bother with food and drink at a big show though as I'm a tight arse (preferring to save money for tickets and t-shirts, clearly), I absolutely despise queuing for long periods of time and I'm worried about needing the toilet and losing my space.

At Manchester, my ticket came with access to the 'backstage club' which was just a smaller, less crowded version of the normal concessions. It was like £8 a pint and £13 a pizza if memory serves.

Bloody hell, those are eye-watering prices. However, I have in the past opted not to buy merch at gigs and lived to regret it, so I can't blame anyone for wanting a keepsake. 

I have a feeling prices will be lower in Prague to reflect the local market. A neighbour went to the same venue to see Iron Maiden last weekend and reported that a beer was 100 Czech crowns, which is roughly £3.50. 

I reckon I'll need a piss every five songs. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

6 minutes ago, SaitoRyo said:

Bloody hell, those are eye-watering prices. However, I have in the past opted not to buy merch at gigs and lived to regret it, so I can't blame anyone for wanting a keepsake. 

I have a feeling prices will be lower in Prague to reflect the local market. A neighbour went to the same venue to see Iron Maiden last weekend and reported that a beer was 100 Czech crowns, which is roughly £3.50. 

I reckon I'll need a piss every five songs. 

Ive so far got through every show without a piss, which im pleased with.

If I break my streak and need one on Saturday, I'll try and time it for House of a Thousand Guitars. Try as I might, I just can't have it with that song. I think it's my least favourite Springsteen song, and probably the only song of his I can remember not really liking in any way.

I don't know about anyone else, but one of the things I'm getting from this tour amongst the audience is a real sense of bittersweet melancholy - particularly amongst the older audience. There's a real sense of this might be a goodbye. Either from talking to people, or hearing snippets of conversations, there's a lot of talk of how many times they've seen him and how this will probably be their last - either through his age or their own.

It's bringing a sweet, albeit sad, element to the gigs. 

Yesterday, and I nearly fucking cried, the old boy next to me (minimum 65) started crying as soon as Bruce came on and wept throughout. Between songs about half way through, he just put his head on his wife's shoulder and said 'where did all our time go' and they both started crying. Absolute hammer blow, that. Really got me. 

Edited June 5, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[DavidB6937]

Well now I'm crying and I wasn't even there damnit.

[SaitoRyo]

20 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Yesterday, and I nearly fucking cried, the old boy next to me (minimum 65) started crying as soon as Bruce came on and wept throughout. Between songs about half way through, he just put his head on his wife's shoulder and said 'where did all our time go' and they both started crying. Absolute hammer blow, that. Really got me. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

@SaitoRyo not to excite your further but I think Springers voice is getting stronger as the tour goes on. It was his best night vocally last night, even if he seemed to be fighting back a cold.

He also seemed energised by the environment. At the end of the Manchester shows he seemed spent, but I got the impression last night he could have done another hour.

Edited June 5, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[d-d-d-dAz]

Best night of my life.

Not even hyperbole I don't think. It was already probably the best all round performance of the tour for me (and to be fair, they've all been spectacular), with the band on fire and Bruce's voice being the best it's been.

Then McCartney came out and I had an outer body experience. Seeing McCartney and Springsteen doing 'Can't Buy Me Love' was just something other worldly.

A billion out of ten.

There was a hairy moment during the opener, Ghosts, where the speakers blew completely for a second before springing back to life. Stevie looked shook.

Worst crowd of the tour was the only drawback, a proper pissed up laddy lot near me. But not enough to spoil anything.

Edited June 7, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[SaitoRyo]

Bruce played Berlin last night, which means next stop is Prague on Sunday! 

He debuted Two Hearts and Seven Nights to Rock during the three-hour gig. I'd be happy with either of those showing up in the Czech capital!

Also, my mate who is flying over for the show brought up the possibility of a Beach Boys cover/tribute due to the death of Brian Wilson. I hadn't considered it, but it seems like a possibility given Bruce loved the Beach Boys and hung out/performed with Wilson on a number of occasions. 

Either way, I can't fucking wait for Sunday. 

[SaitoRyo]

Fucking hell that was incredible.

Took two casual Bruce fans who are now total converts. He opened with Summertime Blues. It started pissing down during Rainmaker, accompanied by lightning. I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts later, but that was sensational and up there with the best gigs I’ve been for. 

BRUUUUUUUUUUUUCE

EDIT: Some more thoughts and observations

The day of the gig it was positively boiling in Prague. 32 bastard degrees, but felt more like 35.

We got to the venue a good few hours ahead of the scheduled start time. It all ran really smoothly and the setup was class, but I didn't like the digital bracelet system for getting concessions and so on, mainly because it just annoys me (what's wrong with cash or card?). Even though it was scorching hot, the vibe was great, A beer was 125 crowns, or about four quid. My mate who had been to the first Anfield gig and paid more than double that was pleased with the prices. You got a plastic Bruce & The E Street souvenir cup for 95 crowns, which you could get back if you returned the cup (but why would you?). Didn't check out the merch stand as the designs weren't my thing, but I presume merch was also cheaper to reflect the local market. 

Had a few pre-gig pints in the sun and then made our way to the crowd about an hour before they were due on. We were in the B section, not far from the dividing barrier between A & B so they didn't look like ants, even though you spend most of the gig looking at the giant screens. Everything is always so well filmed during E Street shows. Top production. The sun mercifully stopped blazing in the half an hour before start time. 

The tone of the show was set with Summertime Blues, which took people a couple of seconds to recognise since it's not one he plays often and hasn't played for close to a decade. A great choice for an opener and the crowd were with Bruce and the band right from the get-go. Was chuffed to hear My Love Will Not Let You Down as it's always been a favourite. As mentioned earlier, Rainmaker was incredible due to Bruce seemingly summoning rain, wind and lightning during it. Could not have timed that more perfectly if they'd tried. 

Youngstown is sensational live. Nils absolutely ripped it up during his guitar solo. My mate teared up during The River, as did Bruce, who dedicated it to someone they'd lost recently. There were a group of four lads from somewhere near Brighton standing right in front of us who we became fast friends with. During Long Walk Home, one of them completely broke down in tears. His mate said he'd had a rough year (his young son had been having health problems) and that being there at the gig, in Prague, with his mates just overwhelmed him, especially as Bruce was doing his pre-song anti-Trump speech. God bless him.

Was chuffed to hear Human Touch, as he's not played it any of the previous times I've seen him. Fucking great song. The energy seemed to pick up even more after it had been chucking down and the crowd was feverish during the encore. According to some people who were there at the front, Nils and Bruce were talking about what a good show it was as they were walking off the stage. 

I'd say it was probably the best of the four times I've seen him. His voice is obviously weaker than it was when I last saw him twelve years ago, but why wouldn't it be? Mid-70s is a lot different to early 60s and he's been touring a lot in that time. He's still in phenomenal shape and it's not like he was gasping for air during songs or anything. He's just older, but the band are as good, if not better, than they have ever been and the sound was great.

People online who have been to multiple gigs this tour seem to be putting this one up there as one of, if not the best, so far. My mate who saw him at Anfield said Bruce seemed to be a lot looser and having much more fun last night. It was a great setlist and I had no 'Awww, I wish he hadn't played that!' feelings when it was over. I enjoyed every single song.

Was this the last time? It felt like it. I doubt that I'd specifically travel to go and see them live and I can't see him playing Prague again anytime soon, since the last time was thirteen years ago. If he does, I'll be buying a ticket the minute they go on sale. It really is a life-affirming experience and they are one of the best live acts on the planet.

(Apologies for the long-winded post, I just had a fucking great night and I thought the fellow Springsteen maniacs would like to read about the Prague experience)

Edited June 16, 2025 by SaitoRyo

[SuperBacon]

Refuse to watch trailers but here you go.

My beautiful Jeremy.

[SaitoRyo]

Stevie is off the tour (for now) as he was taken to hospital with appendicitis a few days ago. 

Last night in San Sebastian (night two), House of a Thousand Guitars was stopped early due to a storm and they took a 35-minute break. When they came back, Bruce tore up the setlist and decided to play Growin' Up (solo electric), Darlington County, Working on the Highway and I'm on Fire instead of the usual My City of Ruins etc. 

Tracks II coming out on Friday. Cannot fucking wait. That's the driving soundtrack sorted for the next month. Also, he recently confirmed Tracks III as being in the can and set for release in future, as well as a solo record. 

Oh, and apparently Electric Nebraska exists, albeit not in a completed form. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 hour ago, SaitoRyo said:

Stevie is off the tour (for now) as he was taken to hospital with appendicitis a few days ago. 

Last night in San Sebastian (night two), House of a Thousand Guitars was stopped early due to a storm and they took a 35-minute break. When they came back, Bruce tore up the setlist and decided to play Growin' Up (solo electric), Darlington County, Working on the Highway and I'm on Fire instead of the usual My City of Ruins etc. 

Tracks II coming out on Friday. Cannot fucking wait. That's the driving soundtrack sorted for the next month. Also, he recently confirmed Tracks III as being in the can and set for release in future, as well as a solo record. 

Oh, and apparently Electric Nebraska exists, albeit not in a completed form. 

They opened last night with Prove It All Night, too. So naturally I'm furiously jealous.

[SaitoRyo]

37 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

They opened last night with Prove It All Night, too. So naturally I'm furiously jealous.

I could've sworn I'd heard that at previous gigs, but apparently not. It is an absolute belter. I'm still chuffed we got Human Touch in Prague. Didn't realise how rarely he played it, plus it made my brother incredibly jealous, which is a nice bonus. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

I'm sure everybody in this thread already knows this, but nugs.net offers downloads of all Springsteen's shows, so you can relive the exact gig(s) you went to. The European shows go back to the River tour in 2016. I love listening back to these - the first few songs of Barcelona in 2023, the first time we'd seen him since Covid, 'Backstreets' in Edinburgh which might be my favourite live performance of any of the shows I've been to the past few years, 'If I Was The Priest' from Nijmegen last year, pretty much anything from Sunderland where he acknowledges the torrential rain... it's the best, I love it.

All the Manchester shows from this tour are on there now. I've preordered the Lille and Liverpool gigs we went to. Can't wait to hear them again.

[SaitoRyo]

Happy Tracks II: The Lost Albums release day to all who celebrate! 

I thought I'd listen in order, but I went for Somewhere North of Nashville and Inyo while I worked this morning. Loved 'em both for different reasons. Currently listening to Perfect World. I reckon this box set will be my driving soundtrack for the next couple of weeks.