Bruce Springsteen brought his wild energy to Wembley Stadium in London, proving he’s still a rock ‘n’ roll superstar at 74 years old. He sang “Spirit in the Night,” a fun, rowdy song from his first album in 1973, about a crazy Saturday night with characters like Crazy Janey and Killer Joe. Even after 50 years, Bruce’s spirit is as strong as ever.
Bruce has done a lot in his career. He’s made albums of old songs, written a book about his life, and even performed on Broadway. He sold his music for a huge amount of money and had to cancel some shows because of a stomach problem that hurt his singing. But when he stepped on stage at Wembley, wearing a vest and tie with his sleeves rolled up, he was ready to rock. For three whole hours, he sang and danced like he did when he was younger, showing no signs of slowing down.
He started the night with noises like “Hun, hoo, hee, haw” and jumped into “Lonesome Day,” a song from 2002. Bruce mixes new songs with his old favorites, so fans don’t just hear the same old hits like “Born in the USA.” Instead, he played exciting newer songs like “Wrecking Ball” and “The Rising,” which the crowd loved. He even brought back rare songs like “Seeds,” turning it into a loud, fun tune, and “Ghosts,” a song about friends he’s lost, with a melody you can’t forget.
Bruce’s band, the E Street Band, is amazing too. With 18 members, they play with so much power and happiness. During “Youngstown,” a song about a tough town in Ohio, guitarist Nils Lofgren played an incredible solo. Roy Bittan made “Racing in the Street” beautiful with his piano, and Jake Clemons played the saxophone in “Thunder Road” just like his famous uncle Clarence used to. Bruce leads them all like a storm, smiling and connecting with the crowd. He even gave his harmonica to a couple in the audience who asked him to help with their marriage proposal!
Sometimes, Bruce shows he’s getting older. In “Letter to You,” he sings about life’s big lessons, and in “Last Man Standing,” he talks about being the only one left from his very first band after his friend George Theiss passed away in 2018. “Grief is what we feel because we loved someone,” he said. Then he sang “Backstreets” and added a story about things he keeps from his friend, like old records and a guitar, saying he’ll carry the memories in his heart forever.
The concert didn’t stop after three hours. Bruce kept going with huge songs like “Badlands,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “Born to Run,” turning on all the stadium lights so everyone could see each other. He surprised everyone by singing “Nightshift,” a soul song, and then rocked out with “Twist and Shout,” ignoring the time limit. At the very end, he came back alone with his guitar and sang “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” a gentle song about life after death. It felt like Bruce could keep playing forever—even the Grim Reaper might join in for one more song!
