Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Play First Show Since New Zealand 2017

Bruce Springsteen & The Street Band kicked off their first world tour since 2017 this week in Tampa, Florida.

The last shows The Street Band did were the Australia and New Zealand shows ending in Auckland on 25 February, 2017.

Bruce has had a prolific time since the last Australia and New Zealand tour. In 2019 he released ‘Western Stars’, 2020 was ‘Letter To You’, 2022 saw the release of the soul covers album ‘Only The Strong Survive’ and inbetween the live ‘Springsteen On Broadway’ (2018) documenting his legendary theatre shows.

The first show of the ‘Springsteen & The E Street Band 2023 Tour’ gave a nod to the two recent album with ‘Letter To You’ represented on five songs and ‘Only The Strong Survive’ on two.

There were a few surprises along the way. ‘Kitty’s Back’ wasn’t played at all from 1979 to 2000 and played sparingly over the past 23 years. ‘Brilliant Disguise’ had a burst across 2017 and 2018 but was rarely played before that after 1993. Likewise ‘Johnny 99’ hadn’t been played since 2017 and with the exception of 2009 when Bruce gave it a dominant run, it has been a rarity in a Springsteen set since 1996.

So with seven newly performed songs and three rarities, the first show in Tampa was a special treat for long-time Springsteen fans (and lets face it, if you aren’t a long-time Springsteen fan you were only there out of curiosity anyway).

The E Street Band was Roy Bittan, Charlie Giordano, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Soozie Tyrell, Steve Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg accompanied by Anthony Almonte. The E Street Choir featured Curtis King, Michelle Moore, Lisa Lowell, Ada Dyer, and the E Street Horns is Curt Ramm, Barry Danielian, Eddie Manion, Ozzie Melendez, Jake Clemons.

Bruce Springsteen setlist, Tampa Florida, 1 February 2023

No Surrender (from Born In the USA, 1984)
Ghosts (from Letter To You, 2020)
Prove It All Night (from Darkness On The Edge of Town, 1978)
Letter to You (from Letter To You, 2020)
The Promised Land (from Darkness On The Edge of Town, 1978)
Out in the Street (from The River, 1980)
Candy’s Room (from Darkness On The Edge of Town, 1978)
Kitty’s Back (from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, 1973)
Brilliant Disguise (from Tunnel of Love, 1987)
Nightshift (from Only The Strong Survive, 2022)
Don’t Play That Song (from Only The Strong Survive, 2022)
The E Street Shuffle (from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, 1973)
Johnny 99 (from Nebraska, 1982)
Last Man Standing (from Letter To You, 2020)
House of a Thousand Guitars (from Letter To You, 2020)
Backstreets (from Born To Run, 1975)
Because the Night (from Live 1975-85, 1986)
She’s the One (from Born To Run, 1975)
Wrecking Ball (from Wrecking Ball, 2012)
The Rising (from The Rising, 2002)
Badlands (from Darkness On The Edge of Town, 1978)

Encore:
Burnin’ Train (from Letter To You, 2020)
Born to Run (from Born To Run, 1975)
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, 1973)
Glory Days (from Born In the USA, 1984)
Dancing in the Dark (from Born In the USA, 1984)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (from Born To Run, 1975)
I’ll See You in My Dreams (from Letter To You, 2020)

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