Bruce Springsteen fans are full of praise for the veteran performer, who is in the middle of his Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
The Boss has been playing across North America and has included songs like Streets of Minneapolis and American Land, the latter for the first time since 2017. Springsteen‘s show in Phoenix, Arizona, was singled out for praise by attendees who were moved by the performance. One fan took to the r/BruceSpringsteen subreddit to share their thoughts on the show, which they say left them “in pieces” by the end of the three-hour performance. The E Street Band has been backing Springsteen across the tour, with guitar legend Tom Morello also featuring for parts of the show.
The fan wrote: “Springsteen gave me chills last night (Phoenix). It was a spontaneous decision for me to go solo to this show. I thought it would be fun and nostalgic because Bruce was my first concert ever back in 1984!
“I did not expect the sense of hope, grief, and love to wash over me as it did last night. It was so healing and cathartic. I was blown away by the music. Bruce’s band is amazing! I was surprised to recognise them all and loved Max’s drums, Tom Morello absolutely shredding, the sax solos, and Bruce’s harmonica … all had me in pieces. Much love to the man and the band! I’m so lucky to have been there!”
Another fan agreed, adding: “It was an incredible show, deeply meaningful for me while also being a hell of a good time!” A third added: “I went solo too (used to go with my dad before he had cancer) and it was absolutely the best choice to fly down for the show. It felt as close to a religious experience as I’ll ever have.”
Springsteen’s Phoenix show setlist can be found below.
- War (The Temptations cover with Tom Morello)
- Born in the U.S.A. (with Tom Morello)
- Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)
- Clampdown (The Clash cover with Tom Morello)
- No Surrender
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Streets of Minneapolis
- The Promised Land
- Two Hearts
- Hungry Heart
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- American Skin (41 Shots) (with Tom Morello)
- Long Walk Home (with Tom Morello)
- House of a Thousand Guitars
- My City of Ruins
- Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
- Wrecking Ball
- The Rising
- The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
- Badlands (with Tom Morello)
- Land of Hope and Dreams (with Tom Morello)
- American Land (with Tom Morello)
- Born to Run
- Dancing in the Dark
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (with Tom Morello)
- Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover with Tom Morello)
Springsteen has performed The Clash’s Clampdown a total of ten times in his career, six performances of which were on his 2014 tour. The Boss has since brought back the song to his setlist, performing it a further four times on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour. Springsteen and The E Street Band are set to tour across the US between April and May, with dates in Arizona, New York, and Boston to come.
In a statement issued in February, Springsteen shared the reason behind touring in the US at such a fraught political time.
He said: “We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair — the cavalry is coming”Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be taking the stage this spring from Minneapolis to California to Texas to Washington, D.C. for the Land of Hope And Dreams American Tour. We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America — American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C. Everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in, is welcome — so come on out and join the United Free Republic of E Street Nation for an American spring of Rock ‘n’ Rebellion! I’ll see you there!”
