The Boss is back. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band returned to the stage last night in Phoenix, AZ for the group’s first performance since Springsteen’s peptic ulcer forced the health-related postponement of several months of shows in fall 2023. Tuesday’s concert at the Footprint Center marked the ensemble’s first performance together since September 3rd.
If there were any lingering concerns about Springsteen’s health, the 74-year-old rock icon put them to rest with a vibrant, 29-song performance featuring two encores. Bruce did not address his respite from the road, but rather let the music do the talking as he fired the concert’s starting gun with “Lonesome Day”. The setlist was similar to those from his 2023 concerts, as classics like “Prove It All Night”, “The Darkness on the Edge of Town”, and “The Promised Land” rubbed up against some ’60s soul classics from Bruce’s 2022 cover album Only The Strong Survive.
After finishing the main set strong with a double shot of “Badlands” and “Thunder Road”, Bruce and the band returned for a six-song encore that was one hit after another. “Born to Run” kicked things off followed by “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”, “Glory Days”, “Dancing in the Dark”, and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”—the typical full-band show closer—before Springsteen took an audience request for The Top Notes‘ “Twist and Shout”. The song made famous by The Beatles was the first song Bruce ever learned to play, bringing the evening to a poignant close—or so everyone thought. As the rapturous applause continued, Springsteen came out from the tunnel one last time to finish off the show with a solo acoustic rendition of “I’ll See You in My Dreams”, the perennial encore closer throughout the 2023 tour.
Related: Bruce Springsteen Issues New 2024 Tour Dates For Postponed Shows
Check out some fan-shot videos from Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band in Phoenix on Tuesday. Springsteen and company are off to Las Vegas for a show on Friday ahead of stops in San Diego (3/25) and San Francisco (3/28, 3/31). For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit his website. Listen to full concert recordings from the Boss’ 2023 tour here.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band — Entrance, “Lonesome Day” — 3/19/24
[Video: OhioRails]
Setlist: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | Footprint Center | Phoenix, AZ | 3/19/24
Set: Lonesome Day, Night, No Surrender, Two Hearts [1], Darlington County, Ghosts, Prove It All Night, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Letter to You, The Promised Land, Spirit in the Night, Don’t Play That Song (You Lied) (Ben E. King), Nightshift (Commodores), Mary’s Place, Last Man Standing [2], Backstreets, Because the Night (Patti Smith Group), She’s the One, Wrecking Ball, The Rising, Badlands, Thunder Road
Encore: Born To Run, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Twist and Shout (The Top Notes)
Encore Two: I’ll See You in My Dreams [3]
[1] w/ a snippet of Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston’s “It Takes Two”
[2] acoustic w/ Barry Daniellan on trumpet
[3] solo acoustic