Springsteen and E Street band tour: A peek at the set list
The career record of Bruce aged 74 years old is something that needs to be studied in schools. One, for us to know how he has managed to remain on top of his game for more than 6 decades, and secondly, how he has managed to maintain such agility after headlining 17 tours.
17 hours, with the current being the Springsteen and E Street Band tour, which started back in February 2023 with an amazing set list that has got the internet talking over and over again. Even though the show was planned to end in the same year, some dates got postponed to August through to December of 2024 because Bruce fell critically ill and his wife advised postponing the shows to avoid further health complications.
Currently, Bruce has announced additional dates between March and April of 2024, before the August to November postponed shows. This means that we all get to enjoy more of Bruce Springsteen’s rock magic for a couple of days more.
Considering the disturbing history associated with fans not getting tickets for the Springsteen shows on time, you can alternatively try to get Bruce Springsteen tickets from a common market, while we check out some of the most celebrated songs that made it to the Springsteen and E Street Band Tour’s setlist.
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball was written by Bruce Springsteen back in 2009. The song holds the name of his 17th studio album, “Wrecking Ball,” which was later released in 2012.
Maintaining the No.17 spot, Wrecking Ball is the No.17 song on the set list of Springsteen’s 2023 tour. Upon release, the song went on to reach No.3 on the Hot Singles Sales Chart, receiving heavy criticism along the line. One of the reviewers of the song was Steve Van Zandt, Bruce’s guitarist.
Steve said, “I think it’s a great example of how good craft becomes art. I believe that is how most of it happens. Someone rarely sets out to do something that is great art and succeeds at it. Most of the time that’s not the thought. Bruce certainly does that more than most.”
Glory Days
This is one of the oldest songs on the setlist of the Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour. It was released in 1985, making it the 5th song to be released from Bruce’s 7th studio album, “Born in the U.S.A.”
Bruce must be very lucky with numbers as Glory Days climbed up to No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was performed during the tour as an encore, making it the No.23 song on the tour’s setlist.
The song is generally about the life of a man who regretfully looks back on his “Glory Days.” Some time ago, a remix of the song was released with a verse that didn’t sit well with the initial storyline of the song. Bruce had to cut it out upon realizing the error.
She’s the One
This is the 16th song on the setlist of Springsteen’s 2023 tour. The song was released through Bruce’s 1975 album, “Born to Run,” making it one of the oldest songs in the setlist of the 2023 tour.
The storyline behind “She’s the One” is that of a coldhearted woman who is extremely beautiful. The song extensively tells the story of the lover who’s mostly hurt by her actions and lack of emotions, but incapable of letting her go.
Speaking of its reception by the crowd during live performances, it is one of the most favorite of fans, as well as Bruce. As of when this article was written, “She’s The One” has been performed 565 times with the first performance being on the 4th of October, 1974.
Letter to You
Placed at the No.4th position of the 2023 tour setlist is “Letter to You,” released in 2020 as a lead-in for Bruce’s 20th studio album.
The song climbed to the No.1 spot in the US Billboard Adult Alternative Songs mostly because of the massive fan base that Bruce has and also because he has a track record of releasing good rock music.
Additionally, “Letter to You” has been described as a song that defines Bruce’s relationship with the E Street Band. Sam Sodosky for one added that, “Letter to You is a heartfelt tribute to those ties that bind,” while noting the solid relationship between the two acts.
The Promised Land
When people hear about Bruce’s song named “The Promised Land,” they immediately remember his 4th studio album named, “Darkness on the Edge of Town.”
“The Promise Land” was first released in England as a single from “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” The song has been presented a couple of times during live performances and the reception by the crowd is always intriguing.
Speaking about the inspiration for the song, Bruce said the lyrics came to him from a trip he took to Nevada and Utah together with his photographer.
Johnny 99
Johnny 99 is the 12th song on the setlist of the Springsteen and E Street Band Tour. It was released through Bruce’s solo album, “Nebraska,” which was released in 1982.
The song talks about a worker who got drunk and committed murder after being laid off. As expected, the auto worker was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison. But the story took a shocking turn as the convict pleaded to be executed instead.
That is where the name, “Johnny 99” came from, and it’s safe to assume that the worker’s name was Johnny.
The Rising
The lead single on Bruce’s 12th studio album, “The Rising,” is “The Rising.” The album was released in 2002 and is believed to be inspired by the New York attack that happened on 11th September 2001.
“The Rising” received numerous praises that resulted in various awards including a Grammy for Best Rock Song, among others.
Every time Bruce performs The Rising, there comes an atmosphere of sadness that takes over the crowd. A line from the song goes, “Sky of blackness and sorrow ” as seen during the 2001 attack.
Thunder Road
“Thunder Road” was released as the debut single of Bruce’s 3rd Studio album, “Born to Run,” which was released in 1975. It is also the 20th and last song on the setlist of Bruce’s 17th headlined tour that is aside from Encores.
Even though the name makes the song look like one that talks about hitting the road, the meaning is completely different as it talks about the love life of a woman named Mary, and her lover who both have “One Last Chance” to make their relationship work.
The song received global recognition, as it was ranked No.1 by WXPN on a list that featured “885 All-Time Greatest Songs.”
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” was performed as an Encore during the 2023 leg of Springsteen and E Street Band Tour. It is the 2nd encore, as well as the 22nd song on the setlist of the tour, even though it was released in 1973.
The song tells the love story of Bruce and his lover. Her parents were against their love because of his profession which is a rock n roll band member.
“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” lasts for 7 minutes and is mostly used to close down live performances by Bruce. In 2021, the song was ranked the “446th Greatest of all Times” songs ever released, in their list of 500 songs.
No Surrender
The first song on the official setlist of “Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour” is “No Surrender” which was released on the 4th of June 1984 through Bruce’s 7th studio album, “Born in the U.S.A.”
The song has since been a favorite for the band; it is 4 minutes long and has been played more than 230 times as of the time of writing this article.
“No Surrender” is one of the most covered songs of Bruce Springsteen. The song had a slow start, but made Bruce even more popular after the US 2004 presidential candidate, John Kerry, used it as his main election campaign theme song.
The editorial unit
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