Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have announced the initial dates for their 2023 world tour. “The Boss” will kick off the year in North America next February with a string of arena dates still yet to be announced, followed by three months in Europe playing stadiums across the continent and hitting Spain, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, and Germany.
The opening night of the European leg is set for April 28th in Barcelona, Spain at Estadi Olímpic. The concerts mark the E Street Band's first road trek since the 2016/2017 tour behind The River. They last played together on December 20th, 2020, when they served as the musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
Springsteen said in the tour announcement: “After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I’m looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year — and beyond.”
Bruce Springsteen admitted that the shape of his concerts is constantly evolving in his mind throughout any given tour: “It's always a work in-progress. So, I'm laying in bed and I'm going, 'Okay, the other 35 nights, what did I play after 'The Promised Land? Well, what can I do in Belgium that's gonna be different tonight (laughs)?' So, on any given night, I know that these five songs work after this song and still keeps the narrative of what we're talking about intact.”
Steve Van Zandt explained why the E Street Band has been able to serve Bruce Springsteen's music in a way no other group of musicians could: “He picked guys that could handle a wide variety of things and could basically follow orders. We had a really fast, 'know, ability to learn. Every one of us — there was a lot of spontaneity goin' on in the show. A lot. We, we gotta move like one thing, one entity, y'know, no matter what move he makes. Y'know, he never does a song the same way twice.”
JUST ANNOUNCED: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band tour dates (subject to change):
April 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadi Olímpic
May 5, 7 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS Arena
May 7 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS Arena
May 13 – Paris, France – La Défense Arena
May 18 – Ferrara, Italy – Parco Urbano G. Bassani
May 21 – Rome, Italy – Circo Massimo
May 25 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Johan Cruijff ArenA
June 11 – Landgraaf, The Netherlands – Megaland
June 13 – Zurich, Switzerland – Stadion Letzigrund
June 21 – Düsseldorf, Germany – Merkur Spiel Arena
June 24, 26 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Ullevi Stadium
June 30 – Oslo, Norway – Voldsløkka Stadion
July 11, 13 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken Stadium
July 15 – Hamburg, Germany – Volksparkstadion
July 18 – Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadion
July 23 – Munich, Germany – Olympiastadion
July 25 – Monza, Italy – Prato della Gerascia, Autodromo di Monza