Bruce Springsteen and his band, the E Street Band, started their Sunday night concert in Kilkenny, Ireland, with a special surprise. They played a song called “A Rainy Night in Soho” by the Pogues to honor Shane MacGowan, who passed away in November 2023. This was the first time they ever played a Pogues song at a show.
Bruce really admired Shane. After Shane died, Bruce wrote that Shane was one of his favorite songwriters. He loved how powerful and deep Shane’s music was. Bruce said Shane’s songs were some of the best in rock and roll. He even got to meet Shane and his wife Victoria the last time he was in Dublin. Shane was sick, but still full of heart. Bruce believes Shane’s music will last forever and that people will still sing it 100 years from now.
Before the main concert began, Bruce came out alone at 5:05 pm to play a song called “This Hard Land” for the fans who arrived early. He hadn’t played it since 2018, so it was a treat for those “early birds.” The rest of the night didn’t have huge surprises like those two songs, but the band still played some rare favorites like “Adam Raised a Cain,” “Seeds,” “If I Was the Priest,” and “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
They had planned to play a song called “Frankie Fell in Love,” which Bruce last performed in 2015 with another musician named Joe Grushecky. It didn’t happen this time, but it might show up at a future concert. Another song, “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch),” was also on the list but hasn’t been played since 2017.
Bruce and his band will keep touring. Their next show is May 16 in Cork, Ireland, and their last one in Europe is July 27 in London, England. After that, they’ll start playing in America on August 15 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and finish on November 22 in Vancouver, Canada.
