“Boss” returns to the stage.
On Tuesday night, Bruce Springsteen resumed his tour after postponing several of his 2023 shows due to a peptic ulcer.
According to the Associated Press, the “Born to Run” singer, 74, appeared in good spirits as he performed alongside the E Street Band — without wife Patti Scialfa — at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Dressed in sporty dark jeans and a red flannel shirt, Springsteen was greeted with cheers of “Bruuuuce!” before his performance, at the exit.
Bruce Springsteen performs at the Footprint Center on March 19, 2024 in Phoenix.
John Medina/Getty
Bruce Springsteen is postponing his remaining 2023 tour dates as he recovers from a peptic ulcer
At the end of his 29-song set — which included hits like “Born to Run” and a slew of soulful covers like “Nightshift” by the Commodores, “Because The Night” by Patti Smith Group and “Twist and Shout” by The Top Notes/The Isley Brothers/The Beatles — addressed his illness before launching into his final song, “I’ll See You In My Dream,” according to the AP.
“Phoenix, first of all I want to apologize if there was any inconvenience because we had to postpone the performance last time… I hope we didn’t upset you too much,” he told the crowd, according to the agency.
In May 2022, Springsteen initially announced that he would embark on a tour in February 2023 for his and the band’s first international tour since 2017, their first US tour since 2016. However, his journey back to the stage was rockier than expected.
Just a month after the tour began, Springsteen has postponed three shows in a week “due to illness,” according to a statement shared on the musician’s Twitter page.
That April, the rock icon and Scialfa, 70, tested positive for COVID at the end of the first leg of his tour and his first hometown show in their native New Jersey in seven years.
By August, Springsteen had to postpone two of his shows in Philadelphia because he “got sick.”
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Jake Clemons and Bruce Springsteen perform at the Footprint Center on March 19, 2024 in Phoenix.
John Medina/Getty
In early September, it was revealed in a statement posted on the singer’s social media accounts that he was “being treated for symptoms of a peptic ulcer.”
The statement said that due to Springsteen’s medical treatment and “the decision of his medical advisors,” the remainder of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s September shows have been postponed.
The message also included a personal note from “The Rising” artist, who assured fans that the band would be “back soon” with new tour dates.
“Here at E Street, we are heartbroken to have to postpone these shows. First, apologies to our awesome Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We’ll be back to pick up these shows and then some,” it read.
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Bruce Sprinsteen and John Mellencamp at the 17th Annual Stand Up for Heroes Charity Event in November 2023 in New York City.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
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The message continued: “Thank you for your understanding and support. We had a great time at our American shows and look forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon.”
Later in the month, Springsteen’s remaining dates in 2023 were canceled and a statement was released on his social media explaining that he was recovering from a peptic ulcer: “Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover from a peptic ulcer over the past few weeks and will continue his treatment until the end of the year according to the doctor’s advice. With this in mind and out of an abundance of caution, all remaining 2023 Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band tour dates will be postponed until 2024.”
The 20-time Grammy winner shared a message of gratitude to his fans as well: “Thank you to all my friends and fans for the good wishes, encouragement and support. I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”
Before resuming his tour, Springsteen made a surprise appearance during John Mellencamp’s concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey earlier this month, where he joined the singer on stage for a special duet of “Pink Houses.”
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Source: HIS Education