BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Tue 23 July
As well as hopefully more sunshine, July will see the return to Wales of Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band, 17 months into a globe-straddling tour in support of the musically diverse and righteously angry long player that was Wrecking Ball.
Although never having been one to do things by halves, the tour has been one of Springsteen’s most ambitious ever. On the road and onstage for far longer than anyone could reasonably expect a 63-year-old to be, with shows routinely running to three-plus hours, the ranks of the E Street Band have also risen to an all time high of 17. Amidst their number is saxophonist Jake Clemons, nephew of dearly departed founding member Clarence Clemons.
As ever with The Boss, expect a surprise or two. From this most recent European tour alone there has been performances of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Born In The USA and Born To Run albums in their entirety, pre-show acoustic mini sets for those early-arriving devotees, and unsurprisingly for one with such a vast expanse of music to call on, there has been a steady stream of rarely heard cuts from throughout his remarkable career. Most remarkably, a request for Tougher Than The Rest was taken from the belly of a pregnant fan, a novel approach but if you must daub yourself just make sure it’s not permanent… Tickets: £62.50/£55. Info: 08442 777888 (NM)