Bruce Springsteen kicked off his UK and European tour last night (May 5) in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium – read on for the full setlist and footage from the gig.
The Boss played his first show in Wales for 11 years at the start of a three-month string of dates that will take him up to two climactic shows at London’s Wembley Stadium on 25 and 27 July.
The three-hour, 29-song setlist opened with a deep cut in the form of ‘So Young And In Love’, an outtake from the 1974 recording sessions for ‘Born To Run’ that finally saw a release as part of the 1998 box set ‘Tracks’. It was the song’s first performance since 2013.
SO YOUNG AND IN LOVE OPENS CARDIFF!
Thank you @mightyfraz Jason Farrelly via Spring-Nut Facebook Page! @springsteen #SpringsteenTour2024 #Springsteen #estreetband pic.twitter.com/HN6H93rTvD
— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) May 5, 2024
“It’s great to be in Cardiff, it’s good to be in Wales,” Springsteen said to introduce the show. “The E Street Band is here tonight to bring you the joyous power of rock ‘n’ roll. We’re gonna need some help, we’re gonna need a lot of help, we’re gonna need a shit load of help!”
As is now customary at Springsteen shows, diehard fans held up signs with song requests, and on this occasion, the E Street Band complied with performances of ‘Better Days’ and ‘If I Was the Priest’. Springsteen introduced the latter by saying: “Here’s a song I wrote 50 years ago. It was what I was busy doing while you weren’t here.”
IF I WAS A PRIEST IN CARDIFF
(@springsteen says they never performed it before but they have lol.)
WRITTEN 50 YEARS AGO!! And YES it gets requested a lot lol!
AWESOME PERFORMANCE AND @StevieVanZandt ABSOLUTELY SMOKES THAT OUTRO GUITAR SOLO! DAMN ITS HOT IN CARDIFF!!
Thanks… pic.twitter.com/KFV2uvPz0i
— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) May 5, 2024
About last night… 🤯🥳👏#SpringsteenTour2024 #Springsteen @springsteen https://t.co/S0ke0h3P1N pic.twitter.com/JGusgbT6x1
— Dan B (@danbullock) May 6, 2024
Springsteen has been digging deep into his catalogue for his 2024 shows – he recently enlisted Tom Morello to help perform ‘Open All Night’ and ‘Sherry Darling’ for the first time on this tour in April, for example, while he also gave a rare airing to ‘Seeds’ in Connecticut.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played in Cardiff:
‘So Young And In Love’
‘Lonesome Day’
‘No Surrender’
‘Prove It All Night’
‘Darlington County’
‘Ghosts’
‘Better Days’
‘The Promised Land’
‘Spirit In The Night’
‘Hungry Heart’
‘If I Was The Priest’
‘My City Of Ruins’
‘Nightshift’
‘The River’
‘Last Man Standing’
‘Backstreets’
‘Because The Night’
‘She’s The One’
‘Wrecking Ball’
‘The Rising’
‘Badlands’
‘Thunder Road’
‘Born In The USA’
‘Born To Run’
‘Bobby Jean’
‘Dancing In The Dark’
‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’
‘Twist And Shout’
‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’
Springsteen last night was just… ❤️❤️ Three hours of absolute joy and perfection. No one does it better than The Boss and the E Street Band pic.twitter.com/yIQh8SIp07
— Sophie Williams (@sophierose233) May 6, 2024
What a night , what a set list , what a Boss ! #BruceSpringsteen #cardiff #springsteen #bruce @springsteen pic.twitter.com/aEjL1p4mLO
— ANDY (@Andy_AVFC_Hanna) May 6, 2024
TRULY BETTER DAYS IN CARDIFF
From Jason Farrelly Via Spring-Nut Facebook Page.
Thanks Jason! Enjoy!! @springsteen #SpringsteenTour2024 #Springsteen #estreetband pic.twitter.com/ICASsOGTPH
— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) May 5, 2024
Elsewhere, the Boss recently took part in Mark Knopfler’s star-studded charity re-recording of ‘Going Home’, which starred the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and many more.
He also made a cameo appearance in a recent episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and announced details of a career-spanning compilation, titled ‘Best Of Bruce Springsteen’ – due for release on Friday, April 19 via Sony Music.