Bruce Springsteen has just announced new concert dates with the E Street Band for the U.S., as well as additional stops around the world. The first leg of the 2012 Wrecking Ball World Tour begins on March 18 in Atlanta. Springsteen had previously confirmed shows in London, Prague, Dublin and elsewhere overseas. The E Street Band has already sold out all of its Scandinavian performances.
Here’s a look at the just-announced dates for the U.S.:
March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena (on sale Feb 4)
March 19 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum (on sale Feb 3)
March 23 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Times Forum (on sale Jan 28)
March 26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden (on sale Jan 28)
March 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center (on sale Jan 28)
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 1 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 3 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center (on sale Jan 27)
April 4 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center (on sale Jan 27)
April 6 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (on sale Jan 27)
April 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (on sale Jan 27)
[CAN’T GET ENOUGH BRUCE?: Check out our weekly feature ‘Sparks Fly on E Street,’ where Mark Saleski breaks down Bruce Springsteen’s legendary career — song by memorable song.]
April 12 – Detroit, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills (on sale Jan 28)
April 13 – Buffalo, NY – First Niagara Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 16 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center (on sale Jan 28)
April 17 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena (on sale Jan 28)
April 24 – San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion (on sale Feb 3)
April 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (on sale Feb 3)
April 29 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (on sale now)
May 2 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center (on sale Jan 27)
Additional information, and tickets are available at Bruce Springsteen’s Web site.
Springsteen’s new album Wrecking Ball has been set for March 6 release on Columbia Records. Marking his 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball features 11 new Springsteen songs and was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen and executive producer Jon Landau. A special edition of the project will also be available and include two bonus tracks and exclusive artwork and photography.
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Bruce Springsteen. Click through the titles for complete reviews …
FRIDAY MORNING LISTEN: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN” (2012): I popped in the earbuds, pulled the comforter up over my head, and pressed play. Nobody could see it but a huge grin came across my face. The drums lead into the Telecaster arpeggios, and then the glockenspiel, and piano, and … and I’m a kid again. This is where I almost feel sorry for the nitpickers. It’s like people forget what the joy of discovery is like, choosing to remain attached to a kind of negative spirit that suits every occasion. Is it a control thing? I guess I don’t know, and certainly won’t spend a whole lot of time trying to figure it out. So press play I did. About ten times.
SOMETHING ELSE! SNEAK PEEK: HERE FOUR TRACKS FROM ‘WRECKING BALL’: Can’t wait for Wrecking Ball? Neither can we. So, we dug around and collected four songs from the just-announced track listing. There are 13 tunes slated for the deluxe edition of album, including the lead single, “We Take Care of Our Own.” But Springsteen’s previously introduced fans to the title song, an album cut called “Land of Hopes and Dreams” and a bonus track from the deluxe edition of the album, as well. Here’s a quick listen to those earlier takes, plus the new single, to enjoy in the run up to Springsteen’s 17th official studio recording.
SHOWS I’LL NEVER FORGET: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, APRIL 22, 2009: Earlier in the day, I had an e-conversation with a writer cohort about the issue of emotion at concerts. I can easily be overwhelmed with emotion in the moment and wondered how I would react last night, given the crazy changes that have affected my family over the last year. Well, there were a couple of times when it was tough to hold back. The first came early, during the louder parts of “Candy’s Room.” My mom loved that song and would always ask me to crank it up during those parts. The second, which did overcome me, came during “The Promised Land.” When Bruce sang “Mister I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man…” it just hit me that I am, indeed, no longer anybody’s little boy. I sort of hoped that nobody would see the tears, but I sort of didn’t care either.
ONE TRACK MIND: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, “YOU’RE MISSING” (2002): This song, issued in the wake of the devastating attacks on New York City in 2001, nearly overwhelmed me with grief the first time I heard it. I thought of my father. He’s been dead more than 20 years, and I must admit that — like everything from that long-ago time — there are moments when it is hard to fully grasp his memory. I think of him more and more in the abstract, like a fading image from an old photograph. Springsteen’s ardent eye on this shattering tune — “shirts in the closet, shoes in the hall … coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair, paper’s on the doorstep … everything is everything, but you’re missing” — took me back to the specific. The billowing power of a song like this is that it connects, on some elemental, emotional level, and you make it your own.
Here are the European tour dates …
May 13 – Seville, Spain – Estadio Olimpico (on sale now)
May 17 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadio Olimpico Lluis (on sale now)
May 18 – Barcelona, Spain – Estadio Olimpico Lluis (on sale now)
May 25 – Frankfurt, Germany – Commerzbank Arena (on sale now)
May 27 – Cologne, Germany – RheinEnergieStadion (on sale now)
May 28 – Landgraaf, Netherlands – Pinkpop (on sale 3 March)
May 30 – Berlin, Germany – Olympia Stadion (on sale now)
June 2 – San Sebastian, Spain – Estadio Anoeta (on sale now)
June 3 – Lisbon, Portugal – Rock in Lisbon (on sale now)
June 7 – Milan, Italy – Stadio Meaza (on sale now)
June 10 – Florence, Italy – Stadio Francesco (on sale now)
June 11 – Trieste, Italy – Stadio Trieste (on sale now)
June 17 – Madrid, Spain – Estadio Santago Bernabu (on sale now)
June 19 – Montpellier, France – Park & Suites Arena (on sale now)
June 21 – Sunderland, UK – Stadium of Light (on sale now)
June 22 – Manchester, UK – Etihad Stadium (on sale now)
June 24 – Isle of Wight, UK – Isle of Wight Festival (on sale now)
July 4 – Paris, France – Bercy (on sale now)
July 5 – Paris, France – Bercy (on sale now)
July 7 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival (on sale now)
July 9 – Zurich, Switzerland – Stadium Letzigrund (on sale now)
July 11 – Prague, Czech Republic – Synot Tip Arena (on sale now)
July 12 – Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadium (on sale now)
July 14 – London, UK – Hard Rock Calling (on sale now)
July 17 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS (on sale now)
July 18 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS (on sale now)
July 21 – Oslo, Norway – Valle Hoven (on sale now)
July 23 – Bergen, Norway – Koengen (on sale now)
July 24 – Bergen, Norway – Koengen (on sale now)
July 27 – Gothenberg, Sweden – Ullevi (on sale now)
July 28 – Gothenberg, Sweden – Ullevi (on sale now)
July 31 – Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium (on sale Jan 25)
