The Boss is back! What you need to know about Springsteen’s Wearside return

Rock superstar Bruce Springsteen will make a triumphant return to the North East for the first time in over a decade as he embarks on a colossal European Tour in 2024. 

The 74-year-old “Born to Run” singer announced that he will be embarking on a 22-show tour of Europe along with the E Street Band. 

Sunderland’s Stadium of Light has been selected, with “The Boss” playing one date at the Black Cats ground on May 22, 2024.

Fans of the New Jersey-born musician can buy general admission tickets from Ticketmaster, Live Nation and AXS, Tickets are priced from £70 to £145 plus fees. They go on sale at 10am on Friday, November 3.

General sale tickets are limited to six per person.

AEG will also be holding a presale for the show, which will go live at 10am on Thursday – the link can be found here.

Sunderland AFC season card holders will receive a presale link to get tickets at 10am on Thursday. 

The Stadium of Light has a range of hospitality packages for the show, with prices starting at £269 per person (plus VAT), packages include “red carpet entry”, pre-show entertainment, food and drink, and premium seating.

Sunderland City Council told Spark how such concerts bring a large economic boost to the city.

A Sunderland City Council spokesperson said: “As well as residents and visitors enjoying the opportunity to see internationally recognised and legendary live acts, stadium concerts have a major economic and positive impact on Sunderland businesses.

“We know from past experience that stadium concerts play an important role in helping to support and grow our economy.”

They added: “This is because each concert generates several million pounds of spending with local businesses as people spend time in city hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants before and after concerts.

“Having big name acts like Springsteen playing at the stadium next year is sure to give a big boost to Sunderland, and builds on our city’s reputation for hosting world class events.”

Springsteen’s show will be the 25th major concert held at the Stadium of Light, with other musicians such as P!nk, Elton John, Oasis, Rhianna and many more having played on Wearside. 

“The Boss” will join Take That and Beyonce in being the only acts to play at the Stadium of Light on multiple occasions. 

This will be the sixth time Springsteen has come to the North East, playing in Newcastle four times before – including the infamous “Born in the USA Tour” shows at St James’ Park in 1985.

Fans will be hoping Springsteen is at the peak of his performing powers after he announced that the remainder of his 2023 tour dates would be postponed due to peptic ulcer disease.

This is the first time Springsteen will play at the Stadium of Light in over a decade after his Wrecking Ball tour came to Wearside in 2012. Then, he played a 28-song set to the huge crowd in the pouring rain, famously saying “Who needs 75 degrees and sunny?

Bruce Springsteen; Wrecking Ball Tour; at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, UK;21 June 2012; Credit : Mel Longurst / Performing Arts Images; www.alamy.com

Springsteen and the E Street Band’s last SoL gig was described as “pure rock ‘n’ roll from beginning to end” by The Chronicle, whose reviewer added: “They showed today’s pop pretenders how it should be done.” 

The Chronicle added: “There’s no need for a support act when you’re The Boss and there’s no need for frivolities and distractions either.”

A reporter from The Independent said: “There had been moments before the concert when it had seemed as if the fog would make it all but impossible for anyone beyond the golden circle to see the stage. In the end, the weather abated and Bruce rocked for close to three hours to an adoring crowd.”

Springsteen and The E Street Band’s 2023 European tour sold over 1.6m tickets and earned widespread praise as some of the best shows of the band’s career.

The 2023 European run received praise as “one of the greatest shows ever” (Daily Telegraph) as well as five-star reviews from The Times, The Independent, NME and many others across its 14 countries.

Highlights included a two-night kick-off in Barcelona which “unleashed euphoria” (El Correo), as well as performances to over 130,000 fans across two dates in London’s Hyde Park and a final night to over 70,000 in Monza, Italy. 

In the UK, the Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band 2024 World Tour will come to Cardiff, Sunderland and London.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band delivered "the greatest show on earth" (Billboard) across Europe this past summer, and they'll make a triumphant return to the continent in 2024 with a just-announced 22-show stadium run:

May 5 – Cardiff, Wales @ Principality Stadium… pic.twitter.com/JH8Gl0ZEVx

— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) October 31, 2023