Support truly
independent journalism
Bruce Springsteen has emphatically shot down rumors that he and his E Street Band have plans to retire anytime soon.
The 74-year-old rock icon, who is currently touring with his longtime backing band, addressed ongoing speculation that he had plans to embark on a farewell tour.
“We’ve been around 50 f***ing years and we ain’t quitting!” Springsteen declared in videos from his recent Philadelphia concert shared on social media. “We ain’t doing no farewell tour bulls***! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!
“Hell no. Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name? Yeah, I wanna quit that,” he teased sarcastically. “That’s it. That’s all it takes. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
The “Dancing in the Dark” singer-songwriter’s proclamation was met with uproarious cheers and applause from the massive Philadelphia crowd.
Springsteen’s Friday (August 23) show marked his second night at the city’s Citizens Bank Park.
He was initially scheduled to perform two concerts at the venue last September; however, he ended up canceling and postponing the shows hours before the first date citing “doctors’ orders.”
Later, he announced the cancelation of all the remaining 2023 shows on his world tour while he underwent treatment for peptic ulcer disease.
Springsteen and the E Street Band made their triumphant return to the road in March, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona. Following several stops in other major US cities, including San Francisco, California; Uncasville, Connecticut; Albany, New York; and Columbus, Ohio, they made their way to Europe and the UK in May.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was forced to postpone three of his gigs that month due to “vocal issues.”
In late July, Springsteen brought his tour to London’s Hyde Park, which constituted his first gig in the city since 2016.
“How and why after all these years, the musician, now 73, still wishes to put himself through such a physically gruelling set is a mystery but one that serves the 65,000 people in the crowd tonight well,” The Independent’s Annabel Nugent wrote in her five-star review. “From the moment he and the E Street Band arrive on stage promptly at 7pm, it’s a breathless race to the finish line.”
Springsteen will resume his North American tour on September 7 in Washington DC. He will continue with stops in Baltimore, Maryland; Ashbury Park, New Jersey; and Montreal, Quebec before wrapping it up on November 22 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
