30-Song Finale In Ohio Wraps Triumphant Coast-To-Coast Run

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band capped the opening leg of their 2024 World Tour last night, a cross-country run that brought setlist rarities, surprise guests and blistering three-hour shows. Adding tour debuts “Youngstown,” “Streets of Fire” and “I’m Goin’ Down” last night in Columbus, Ohio, Springsteen and The E Street Band grew the number of songs they’ve played live in 2024 to 60 after just 11 shows — including fan-favorite regulars “Born to Run,” “Dancing In The Dark,” “Badlands” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” with ruminations on loss, mortality and living for each day like “Backstreets,” “Nightshift,” “Last Man Standing” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” The 2024 shows have earned widespread praise as among the best of the band’s career:

“Springsteen continues to set the standard… six dates into their return to the road, they sounded like they had never been interrupted.” – Rolling Stone

“Springsteen can’t help but give his fans his all… he manages to make a room full of nearly 20,000 fans feel just as intimate as a showing of Springsteen on Broadway.” – Billboard

“Bruce Springsteen’s tour resumption is its own kind of Promised Land.” – Variety

“He kept the crowd on their collective feet… hauling ass on stage… rocking with the prowess of a man half his age.” – SPIN

“Transcendence through abandon… a luscious and muscular ‘Thunder Road’; ‘Born to Run,’ delirious as always… he stood with an ease that looked like purpose.” – L.A. Times

“Years from now this should be viewed as one of the best tours ever… as good as live music gets.” – Forbes

“I Think We Can Officially Say Bruce Springsteen is Back” – Consequence

“He’s better than ever… you can’t look away from the charisma of Springsteen when he’s onstage and, more importantly, you don’t want to miss a note.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“It was fantastic. The show was a blast, start to finish.” – USA Today

“More than enough purpose, passion and precision to reaffirm the power of their music… a winning combination.” – San Diego Union-Tribune

Before Springsteen and The E Street Band head to Europe next month, Sony Music has just released a career-spanning “Best Of Bruce Springsteen” collection this week — which comes in physical formats as an 18-track set across two LPs or one CD, and digitally as an expanded 31-song package. Springsteen will also serve as a presenter at the second annual American Music Honors this Wednesday, April 24 in Long Branch, N.J. — organized by The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. The band’s summer European tour will include shows from early May to late July, before they return to North America for 15 more shows before the end of the year. For a full list of tour dates and ticket information, visit brucespringsteen.net/tour.

For more about “Best Of Bruce Springsteen,” visit brucespringsteen.lnk.to/BestOfBruce.

Photos by Rob DeMartin.