Here’s what Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played as he returned from health break to kick off 2024 tour

20 March, 2024

Bruce Springsteen performs at Footprint Center on March 19, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona

Bruce Springsteen kicked off his 2024 world tour in Arizona last night (March 19), after taking a health break in recent months. Check out fan footage of the show and the full setlist below.

Held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona last night, the show marked the first of Springsteen’s comeback shows with the E Street Band after having to postpone a hefty chunk of shows in 2023 due to health concerns.

The worries arose towards the end of last year, when the singer-songwriter needed to be treated for peptic ulcer disease, and was forced to delay all of his shows after playing in New Jersey on September 3.

He went on to make a number of guest appearances at various events – including joining John Mellencamp for a surprise duet on March 10, and taking part in the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year gala honouring Jon Bon Jovi on February 2.

Ahead of the new show, Springsteen teased fans with a post online, saying that the new run of live shows would see him return stronger than ever. “Greeting freaks, fans and friends in Phoenix, Arizona,” he said in the clip. “I am coming to see you on Tuesday night. And I want you to ready, be prepared, be afraid, because we are going to rock you into the ground. See you then.”

Now, on the opening night of his 2024 shows, The Boss has kicked off the tour with a huge 29-song setlist which features all his fan favourites, as well as a number of covers.

To open the show, Springsteen started by performing his 2002 track ‘Lonesome Day’ – taken from his album ‘The Rising’. From there, he launched into renditions of ‘Night’, ‘No Surrender’, ‘Two Hearts’ and ‘Darlington County’.

The set saw him incorporate tracks from across his extensive discography, ranging from songs from his first album, ‘Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.’, through 2022’s ‘Only the Strong Survive’.

Covers on the night included a spin on Ben E. King’s ‘Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)’, ‘Nightshift’ by the Commodores, Patti Smith’s ‘Because The Night’ and ‘Twist and Shout’ by The Top Notes.

The latter appeared during the encore, alongside ‘Born To Run’, ‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’, ‘Glory Days’, ‘Dancing in the Dark’, ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’ and an acoustic performance of ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’.

Check out fan footage of the show below, as well as the full setlist.

Bruce Springsteen’s setlist in Phoenix, Arizona was:

‘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)’ (Ben E. King cover)
‘Nightshift’ (Commodores cover)
‘Mary’s Place’
‘Last Man Standing’ 
‘Backstreets’
‘Because the Night’ (Patti Smith Group cover)
‘She’s the One’
‘Wrecking Ball’
‘The Rising’
‘Badlands’
‘Thunder Road’
‘Born To Run’
‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’
‘Glory Days’
‘Dancing in the Dark’
‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’
‘Twist and Shout’ (The Top Notes cover)
‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’ (Acoustic solo)

In other Bruce Springsteen news, the Boss recently took part in Mark Knopfler’s star-studded charity re-recording of ‘Going Home’, which starred the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and many more.

He also made a cameo appearance in a recent episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and announced details of a career-spanning compilation, titled ‘Best Of Bruce Springsteen’ – due for release on Friday, April 19 via Sony Music.

Later this summer, The Boss is set to return to this side of the pond for his 2024 UK and Ireland tour – find any remaining tickets here.

The post Here’s what Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played as he returned from health break to kick off 2024 tour appeared first on NME.