Bruce Springsteen began his first tour with the E Street Band tonight (Feb. 1, 2023), their first together in six years, with a 28-song performance in Tampa, Fla. In the interim, the classic rock star has kept busy with two lengthy solo residencies on Broadway, three studio albums, two concert LPs, including a souvenir of his sold-out Springsteen on Broadway run, and two soundtracks. This tour begins with 31 dates in U.S. arenas through April 14. It resumes, after a two week break, with concerts in European stadiums that continues through July 25.
A press release today from his publicist also reminded us that the band will return to North America for another run of yet-to-be-announced shows in the fall. Our recap includes a variety of fan clips from a variety of vantage points.
Springsteen, with and without the E Street Band, now has 21 studio albums under his belt. And with so many tracks to draw from, his tours’ setlists generally vary each night with a blend of fan favorites, album cuts, and choice covers where he and the E Street Band get to put their own stamp on some rock classics. The breadth of Springsteen’s catalog is such that, save for such anthems as “Badlands,” “Born To Run,” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” many of the songs he performed at the 2023 opener were different than the ones he played on Feb. 25, 2017, in Auckland, New Zealand, the final date of the E Street Band’s lengthy run that began “The River” anniversary tour.
He turned 73 on Sept. 23, 2022, began tonight’s concert at the Amalie Arena, amid the first crowd chants of “Bruuuuce!,” with “No Surrender” from 1984’s Born In the U.S.A., the album that turned him into an international superstar. “Good evening, Tampa!” The band immediately segued into “Ghosts” from 2020’s Letter To You, his first with the E Street Band in six years.
The band played several songs from his 2022 album of classic soul covers, Only the Strong Survive.
The E Street Band’s members are: Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa – guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent – bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt – guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg – drums; with Soozie Tyrell – violin, guitar, vocals; Jake Clemons – saxophone; and Charlie Giordano – keyboards.
The main set lasted roughly two hours, ending in a high note with the fan favorites “The Rising” and “Badlands.”
Naturally, the seven-song encore was loaded with classics.
Tickets for the tour are available here and on StubHub.
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Feb. 1, 2023, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla., Setlist
No Surrender
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Letter To You
The Promised Land
Out in the Street
Candy’s Room
Kitty’s Back
Brilliant Disguise
Nightshift
Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)
The E Street Shuffle
Johnny 99
Last Man Standing (acoustic)
House Of a Thousand Guitars
Backstreets
Because the Night
She’s the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Encore
Burnin’ Train
Born To Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Glory Days
Dancing In the Dark
(Band Intros)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
I’ll See You In My Dreams (acoustic)
Thanks to Spring-Nuts (and others) for the great clips.
Related: When Springsteen broke his own record with a 4-hour concert
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