Bruce 'The Boss' Springsteen returned to the stage for the first time since playing in Auckland back in 2017 with a 28-song set in Tampa.
"Good evening Tampa" was all the Boss said before ripping into "No Surrender" off the 1984 album ‘Born In The USA’.
He then proceeded to deliver material from throughout his career.
Early tracks in the set featured some of Springsteen's more recent tunes, such as "Ghosts" and "Letter to You" from 2020's Letter to You. Two other songs from that album made their live debut this night: "Last Man Standing," which he delivered solo acoustic and "Burnin' Train."
He also performed his rendition of "Nightshift," the Commodores classic he covered on 2022's ‘Only the Strong Survive’, complete with backing singers and a horn section.
After 21 songs, Springsteen took a break, only to come back on stage for an encore, where he played many of his most beloved hits. "Born to Run," "Glory Days" and "Dancing in the Dark" ramped up the energy, with the Boss then closing his night with a solo acoustic rendition of "I'll See You in My Dreams."
This was carefully watched by our own Woodsie, who as the drummer for the Boss Tribute Band will look to present many of these songs live across four North Island shows this year (that's if we give him time off!)
Here’s the full setlist from The Boss’ return to the stage:
1. "No Surrender"
2. "Ghosts"
3. "Prove It All Night"
4. "Letter to You"
5. "The Promised Land"
6. "Out in the Street"
7. "Candy's Room"
8. "Kitty's Back"
9. "Brilliant Disguise"
10. "Nightshift" (Commodores cover)
11. "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" (Ben E. King cover)
12. "The E Street Shuffle"
13. "Johnny 99"
14. "Last Man Standing"
15. "House of a Thousand Guitars"
16. "Backstreets"
17. "Because the Night" (Patti Smith Group cover)
18. "She's the One"
19. "Wrecking Ball"
20. "The Rising"
21. "Badlands"
22. "Burnin' Train"
23. "Born to Run"
24. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
25. "Glory Days"
26. "Dancing in the Dark"
27. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
28. "I'll See You in My Dreams"
