Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's 2023 UK tour has now finished
It was an amazing show
Legendary American musician Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have now finished the UK leg of their tour, as part of their global 2023 tour.
The UK tour saw them start in Edinburgh on Tuesday 30th May, before they continued to Birmingham, with two massive shows at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park in London from May to July. This was the first live UK performance from the group since their 2016 'The River Tour'.
The international tour started in the United States, where the Bruce Springsteen performed 'If I Was The Priest', a song he has not performed for more than 50 years.
When are Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 2023 on tour in the UK?
The tour has now finished, you can see the dates they performed below.
May 2023
Edinburgh, BT Murrayfield Stadium - Tue 30th
June 2023
Birmingham, Villa Park - Fri 16th
July 2023
London, American Express Presents BST Hyde Park - Thu 6th
London, American Express Presents BST Hyde Park - Sat 8th
How can I get tickets to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street band?
The gigs have now finished.
Who was supporting Bruce Springsteen & The E Street band?
The support acts at both BST Hyde Park dates were multi-million selling country act The Chicks – formerly The Dixie Chicks. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls also appeared on the Thursday line-up, and James Bay was confirmed for the Saturday.
Take a look through Bruce Springsteen's incredible career:
1964: Inspiration and career beginnings
In 1964, legendary Liverpool band The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and played hits including 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' to a record-breaking audience of 73 million Americans.
One of those viewers was a young Bruce Springsteen who shortly after the performance went to buy first guitar. In the following years, he went on to play local venues as part of a number of bands including the Rogues, Castiles and Earth.
1969 - 1972: Label attention and forming the E Street Band
From 1969 to 1971, Bruce played with his band Steel Mill in venues across the Jersey Shore, Nashville, Richmond and California and he recorded three original tracks with the group.
During the next couple of years, Bruce performed with his bands Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom, the Sundance Blues Band and the Bruce Springsteen Band. This musical and lyrical evolution would gain the attention of his future record label, Columbia Records, who he auditioned for in 1982.
1972-1973: Getting signed and forming the E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen formed a new band for the recording of his debut album 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.' This band would eventually be known as the E Street Band, who went on to be Bruce's backing band for the remainder of his career.
Bruce signed to Columbia Records in 1972 and released his debut album January 1973. He released the follow up album, 'The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle' just eight months later!
1975: Born To Run
Despite taking 14 months to record, 'Born To Run' was released in August 1975 and became Bruce's breakthrough album, catapulting the singer-songwriter to international stardom and sell-out shows.
The album's title track 'Born To Run' remains one of Bruce's biggest hits!
1979: Madison Square Garden
In September 1979, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took part in the historic No Nukes concert, organised by the Musicians United for Safe Energy collective, who protested against nuclear power.
A live album and documentary film was subsequently released documenting the performance. In 2021, it was announced that the performances will also be released as a new live film.
1984: Born in the USA
Springsteen released his seminal album and most famous work 'Born In The USA' in 1984. The LP sold over 30 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The title track and single 'Dancing In The Dark' were stand-out successes, with the latter's music video featuring a young Courteney Cox, who would later find fame in TV show 'Friends'.
The song also earned Bruce his very first GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance in 1984. Bruce has gone on to win 20 GRAMMY Awards in his career so far.
1999: Bruce is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame
In 1999, Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside artists including Sir Paul McCartney, George Martin, Dusty Springfield, Curtis Mayfield and Billy Joel.
He also reformed the E Street Band this year and they embarked on a huge reunion tour, which lasted over a year.
2002: 'The Rising' and The Rising Tour
In July 2022, Bruce Springsteen released his first studio album alongside the E Street Band in 18 years. The band toured the album playing huge arenas in the USA and Europe.
The album won the GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Album and its title track won the GRAMMY for Best rock Song and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
2008: Bruce supports Barack Obama's presidential campaign
Bruce supported Barack Obama's campaign to become the 44th President of the United States in 2008. He played acoustic performances in support of the campaign throughout 2008 and upon Obama's Inaugural Celebration, Bruce was the first to perform at the ceremony.
The pair remain good friends, and in 2021 are publishing a book based on their hugely successful podcast.
February 2009: Super Bowl XLIII
After previously declining invites to play the prestigious Superbowl halftime show, Bruce finally agreed to perform and on 1st February 2009 wowed fans around the world with hits like 'Born To Run', 'Glory Days' and 'Working on a Dream'.
December 2009: Kennedy Centre Honours
On 6th December 2009, Bruce received the Kennedy Centre Honours, an annual honour given to those in the arts for their lifetime of contribution to American culture.
Barack Obama introduced Bruce by saying: "I'm the president but he's The Boss."
In November 2016, Bruce received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.
2016-2017: Autobiography and Springsteen on Broadway
In September 2016, Bruce released his autobiography 'Born to Run' which quickly became a New York Times Best Seller.
In June 2017, the 'Born in the USA' singer announced Springsteen On Broadway - an eight-week run of shows which would commence in Autumn 2017. The show included live performances, stories and excerpts from his autobiography. The production was extended three times and he was honoured with a Special Tony Award in 2018.
In 2021, Springsteen returned to Broadway for another limited run of Springsteen on Broadway shows.
2021: Podcast series with Barack Obama
In February 2021, Bruce announced he would be releasing an eight-part podcast series with former US President and good friend Barack Obama called Renegades: Born in the USA.
The podcast features the singer in conversation with Obama, discussing a wide range of topics. Later in 2021, it was announced that the popular series would be published as a book.
2022: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band announce international tour
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band announced a 2023 international tour, taking them across the United States, Europe and the UK in spring and summer.
2022: Bruce Springsteen announces 'Only The Strong Survive' album
In September, Bruce Springsteen announced that he would be releasing a soul music album. Titled 'Only The Strong Survive', it was released on 11th November with 15 tracks, including reimagined classic soul songs.
Of the album, he said: "My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it."
2023: 'Springsteen and E Street Band Tour'
Bruce embarked on the 'Springsteen and E Street Band Tour' in 2023, which is a tour with his backing band. It began in Tampa, Florida in February and later came to the UK, with dates in Edinburgh, Birmingham and London.
Unfortunately, Bruce was forced to postpone his September North American tour dates due to being treated for peptic ulcer disease.
2023: Bruce Springsteen receives National Medal of Arts award
Bruce Springsteen received a prestigious National Medal of Arts award from President Biden in March 2023. Bruce was part of the 2021 class of the National Medal of Arts but the ceremony has previously been stalled due to the pandemic.
2023: Bruce Springsteen at BST Hyde Park
Bruce Springsteen gave an amazing performance at two sold-out gigs in Hyde Park, London.
2024: Bruce makes a return to performing
In March 2024, Bruce made a triumphant return to performing with The E Street Band following a six month absence due to health issues. Bruce had previously told fans that he was suffering from peptic ulcer disease, which causes ulcers to form in the stomach and/or small intestine.
2024: Best Of Bruce Springsteen
On 19th April 2024, Bruce released his 'Best of Bruce Springsteen' album, featuring a massive 31 tracks on the digital version, including his hits such as 'Born To Run', 'Badlands' and 'Streets of Philadelphia'.
2024: Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band documentary
In May 2024, it was announced that Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band had an upcoming documentary coming to Disney+ in the UK. The exciting new film - titled Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - documents the band preparing for their 2023/4 world tour, which saw them perform around the globe, with dates in the UK.
The feature-length documentary was released on Friday 25th October 2024.
2024: Bruce announces three UK shows for 2025
On 1st October 2024, it was announced that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were set to play a trio of concerts in May and June 2025. The Boss and his legendary band revealed a short run of shows, starting with two nights at Manchester's Co-op Live on Saturday 17th and Tuesday 20th May 2025, then an outdoor concert at Liverpool Anfield Stadium on Wednesday 4th June 2025.
Bruce Springsteen has played with The E Street band since 1972 and they have featured prominently on most of his albums, including his most famous record 'Born In The USA'. After not recording live music together in decades, the band got back together to create their 2020 album 'Letter To You', which featured 'If I Was The Priest'.
The E Street Band is made up of Roy Bittan on piano and synthesizer, Garry Tallent on bass guitar, Max Weinberg on drums, Soozie Tyrell doing violin, guitar and vocals, Jake Clemons on saxophone, and Charlie Giordano on the keyboard, with Nils Lofgren, Stevie Van Zandt, and Patti Scialfa providing guitar and vocals.
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