Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band headlined an epic show at BST Hyde Park, kicking off a final weekend of shows.
The final weekend of shows kicked off with a four-day live music extravaganza with Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band headlining an epic show at BST Hyde Park.
Springsteen delivered an over three hour set, filled with his tremendous signature guitar riffs, energy, rattling through hit after hit after hit – both old and new – from Letter To You, Ghosts, The Promised Land, Kitty’s Back and My Hometown – with the 73-year-old even stepping off the stage to take selfies with tearful fans.
The 18-strong band, which included guitarist Steven Van Zandt and saxophone player Jake Clemons – son of original member Clarence Clemons – also offered stellar cover performances of The Commodores’ Nightshift and a song written with Patti Smith, Because The Night.
Springsteen delivered an emotive performance, slowing the set down to share the story of his friend and original bandmate from The Castiles, George Theiss, who Springsteen had played music with at just 15 years old. Having sadly lost Theiss to cancer just five years ago, he dedicated the gentle Last Man Standing and Backstreets to his life-long friend, the latter of which included a spoken ode. “Be good to yourself and those around you,” he softly advised a silent crowd.
Closing the epic three-hour set was a phenomenal encore, packed with the iconic Born In The USA, Dancing In The Dark and Born To Run, as well as Bobby Jean, Glory Days and 10th Avenue Freeze-Out. An acoustic rendition of the haunting I’ll See You In My Dreams brought Thursday evening at Hyde Park to a memorable end.
