Bruce Springsteen surprises Shane MacGowan with visit ahead of Dublin shows

4 May, 2023

Bruce Springsteen and Shane MacGowan

Bruce Springsteen has made a surprise visit to former Pogues frontman, Shane MacGowan, ahead of his shows in Ireland.

News of the rock icon’s surprise visit to the fellow frontman was shared online, and comes ahead of his three headline shows in Dublin. Set to take place on May 5, 7 and 9, the singer-songwriter and guitarist will perform with his E Street Band at the RDS Arena.

Shared in an update on Twitter, MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, captured an image of the two musicians during Springsteen’s visit. “What an amazing honour and a beautiful experience to get a visit from The Boss,” she wrote in the caption, tagging the two. “Such a truly wonderful man and a total genius!”

The update quickly got a lot of positive feedback from fans, who were delighted to see the two musicians unite. “This made my whole day! There is a whole lot of awesome in this photo!!! Makes me happy to see it,” wrote one Twitter user.

Another agreed, writing: “Two geniuses! So much respect for them both. Great picture,” while a third added: “What a wonderful gesture. Two great artists and decent humans. Drove up Anglesea Road today and the stage structure looks amazing.”

Alongside his three headline slots in Dublin later this week, Bruce Springsteen is also set to perform at the BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh at the end of the month, as well as make an appearance at the Villa Park in Birmingham and at BST Hyde Park in July.

He kicked off the European leg of his tour at the end of April with two shows in Barcelona, and it is set to span across countries including Italy, France, Germany and Sweden. On the first night in Barcelona (April 28), The Boss was joined onstage by former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama and Stephen Spielberg’s wife, Kate Capshaw.

Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan. CREDIT: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

At the start of the year, MacGowan shared a health update with fans, following his hospitalisation in December 2022. “Hi friends, I’m sitting here suffering from encephalitis. The light is killing me,” he said, explaining why he was wearing sunglasses indoors, “but I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year and Happy Christmas.”

The musician was diagnosed with encephalitis in December — a rare condition that leads to swelling in the brain. His health later worsened when he caught shingles and the infection spread to his eye. He is still recovering from the illness.

The former frontman of The Pogues has experienced health issues recurringly over the last decade. This included a fracture to his pelvis in 2015, which led to him needing a wheelchair.

That same year — after years of oral health and dentistry complications — MacGowan also received a new set of teeth and titanium implants in his jaw. In 2016, MacGowan was hospitalised with hip pain, compounded by pneumonia.

The post Bruce Springsteen surprises Shane MacGowan with visit ahead of Dublin shows appeared first on NME.