Bruce Springsteen Thought He Was Not Going to Sing Again
Bruce Springsteen thought he was not going to sing again when he was sidelined for six months due to peptic ulcer disease.
In a new interview, The Boss details many of the mental and physical aspects of dealing with peptic ulcer disease. He described how the stress and pain in his diaphragm for about three months was “killing” him. As a result, he “literally couldn’t sing at all.”
Springsteen said, “I was, during the course of it, before people told me, ‘Oh no. It’s gonna go away, and you’re gonna be OK,’ you know, you’re thinking like, ‘Hey, am I gonna sing again?’ and you know, this is one of the things I love to do the best, the most, and right now I can’t do it.”
He also noted that it took doctors a while before they said he was going to be okay and be able to sing again. Understandably, this uncertainty made Springsteen very nervous about treatment and what the future would be like. Fortunately, his treatment was successful, and he’s very grateful to be back to performing again.
Bruce Springsteen Returns to Touring
The Boss finally returned to the road on March 19 in Phoenix. Despite the uncertainty during his break, it clearly did Springsteen some good.
Billboard noted, “The Boss was in top form from show opener ‘Lonesome Day’ and fully had his sea legs back by third song, ‘No Surrender,’ when he gave his first trademark shout out, ‘C’mon, Steve!’ beckoning for his brother-in-music for over half a century, Steven Van Zandt, to join him on the mic.”
Below is the setlist from Springsteen’s first show back, per Setlist.fm.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Phoenix, AZ – 3/19/2024 – Setlist
Lonesome Day
Night
No Surrender
Two Hearts
Darlington County
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Letter to You
The Promised Land
Spirit in the Night
Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)
Nightshift
Mary’s Place
Last Man Standing
Backstreets
Because the Night
She’s the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
ENCORE
Born To Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Twist and Shout
ENCORE II
I’ll See You in My Dreams