Bruce Springsteen, E St. Band launch 1st tour in 6 years
TAMPA, Fla. – It’s been six years since Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band embarked on a major tour.
Judging by the first show Wednesday night in Tampa, Florida, you’d never know it. The Boss and his band served notice they are back.
At just under three hours, it wasn’t quite one of the marathon performances the 73-year-old Springsteen is best known for. But kicking off with “No Surrender” and finishing with a solo acoustic “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” Springsteen was in fine voice, and his big band matched his energy.
There were 19 musicians on the Amalie Arena stage at various points during the show, including the core of Springsteen’s wife, singer Patti Scialfa, bandana-wearing guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, fellow guitarist Nils Lofgren, drummer Max Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent and keyboardist Roy Bittan.
Missing of course was the original “Big Man,” sax player Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011. But his nephew Jake Clemons didn’t miss a beat and ripped off some gorgeous solos throughout the night. He was backed by a brass section that rounded out the big sound.
The 28 songs included favorites like “Born To Run,” “Glory Days,” “Rosalita,” “Promised Land” and “Backstreets.” Yet six songs came from Springsteen’s 2020 album “Letter To You,” and left unplayed at least for this performance was the classic “Thunder Road.”
There was only one song from “The River,” which his 2017 tour played in its entirety. That was the exuberant “Out In The Street.” And the closing acoustic song “Dreams” was a staple of his “Springsteen On Broadway” performances.
Springsteen’s devoted fans ate it all up, with 20,000 people in the arena standing for almost the entire show. For them, a performance by the Boss is a kind of religious experience that simply must be sought out.
“This is a ray of light. This is something we’ve been waiting for,” said Billy Himmelrich, who came over from Delray Beach.
His wife, Shelly, took it a step further: “I listen to his music all the time. In a way, he’s my spiritual leader.”
Springsteen didn’t have a whole lot to say to his fans, ripping instead through song after song with little banter. But he did acknowledge his age – and theirs, too.