Springsteen’s Glory Days in SA end with Surprise Appearance at own Show

Bruce Springsteen and his E-Street band came to South Africa and rocked it! At times it was difficult to see who was enjoying the show more – Springsteen or his fans. And at his last show he delighted earlybird fans with a short surprise solo set hours before the ‘real’ show began! (See video below.)

One Springsteen fan in Cape Town – Warwick Richter – who went to two of the gigs in Bellville, sums up the experience for most when he says “a tour-de-force of kick-ass rock-n-roll! Jangling guitars with a conscience, a seventeen-piece band with a smile! The Boss came, he saw, he conquered.

“When he left, it was like saying good-bye to an old mate! I may never get to see Bruce again, but I shan’t forget his two nights in Bellville! He got through nearly sixty songs during those two gigs … with only nine songs common to both!!!! Extraordinary!”

At the close of Wednesday’s concert in Cape Town, before an acoustic run-through of ‘Thunder Road’, the Boss paid a heartfelt thank you to Cape Town for the manner in which the city had welcomed him and his band.

The same sentiments were felt in Johannesburg, where much of the three-hour concert was in the rain – with both the band and the crowd getting drenched! But “rain is good for you”, said Springsteen.

Springsteen puts on Surprise Appearance at his Own Show

Earlybird fans in Jo’burg, who arrived three-and-a-half hours before the start of the show at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night, were treated to a surprise when Bruce appeared on stage at 5.30pm and performed a short “loose and spontaneous” preview of the evening’s show.

He walked out with his guitar, welcomed everyone and sang a three-song acoustic solo set. You can see the video below.

Springsteen’s Soundtrack to South Africans’ Lives

The Springsteen tour was a special one for many South Africans who have grown up with the singer’s hits as the soundtrack to their life.

“As best as I can recall, I first heard the Boss at the Rand Easter Show, in JHB, in 1980, when “The River” was released,” says Warwick.

“Then came the moody “Nebraska” and “Born in the USA”, to flavour my ‘varsity years. I clearly remember nostalgically listening to the boxed set of live recordings (“1975-1985”) on the night before I went into the Army and took the train to Oudtshoorn in January ’86. “Tunnel of Love” came out when I was a young beginner teacher.

“‘Human Touch’ played on every radio when I met [my partner] in France, on Rotary Exchange. “The Rising” came out in 2002, while I was doing a teachers course in Bordeaux. As a twelve-year-old, my son came to appreciate 2007’s “Radio Nowhere”…”

And so the Glory Days continue.

Bruce Springsteen Solo Set Surprise for Earlybird Fans at Johannesburg FNB Stadium

Bruce Springsteen Show Live in Cape Town on 26 January 2014

If you missed the show, here’s a taster. Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band opened their first South African concert ever with a tribute to Nelson Mandela on at Cape Town’s Bellville Velodrome.

All Photographs by Warwick Richter