WHO'S THE BOSS?
Unrecognizable on-mend Bruce back on tour
“Bruceeeeee!” — or Ellen DeGeneres?
Bruce Springsteen showed up to his first show in months looking unrecognizable — and a little bit like Tilda Swinton.
Dressed in a half-buttoned red flannel and dark jeans, the “Born to Run” musician, 74, returned to touring in Phoenix on Tuesday, after postponing shows due to his peptic-ulcer disease.
Springsteen’s once-toned and tanned upper body appeared paler than usual, and he rocked stark white hair and a rather pallid complexion.
“That’s Tilda Swinton,” one person commented.
“I’m not even trying to be funny when I say I thought this was Megan Rapinoe,” a second person said, referring to the former soccer star of the US women’s national team who retired in November after an injury.
“Is that Ellen DeGeneres?” cackled a third.
Tuesday’s show at the Footprint Center marked the first time that the “Born in the USA” crooner performed alongside the E Street Band since September.
At the time, Springsteen announced that he was postponing shows after being diagnosed with peptic-ulcer disease.
Springsteen briefly touched upon his illness toward the end of his nearly three-hour set, according to the Associated Press.
“Phoenix, first I want to apologize if there was any discomfort because we had to move the show last time,” Springsteen said to the riled-up crowd.
“I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much.”
Peptic-ulcer woes
Springsteen’s worldwide tour has been fraught with various medical complications since it was announced in May 2022. The 20-time Grammy winner ultimately revealed his ailment in September. “Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” read a statement on his Instagram on Sept. 27. “We’ve been having a blast at our US shows, and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon. Love and God bless all, Bruce.” Springsteen would later call his brush with the disease a “monster” and stated that it was “rocking my internal world.” In November, Steven Van Zandt — one of Springsteen’s guitarists — stated Spring was steen in “great shape.” “We’re gonna come back stronger than ever in March,” Van Zandt, 73, told People during a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “It was a very, very intense first six months of the tour — maybe our most intense ever,” he continued. “And so we’re gonna come back with that same intensity, and it’s gonna be great.” The nine-month tour is set to hit 17 countries across 52 dates before ending Nov. 22 in Vancouver.