Bruce Springsteen To Ride ‘The River’ To The U.K.

Bruce Springsteen has been making his way to the American working man on his concert tour to promote his two-disc collection The River. Now, The Boss is taking that tour overseas to bring his rock ballads and blue collar anthems to the people of the U.K., but his first stop is already creating a stir among Real Madrid fans. Springsteen’s plans to play at the Santiago Bernabeu will affect the Copa del Rey final in ways neither team could have predicted.

The River Washes Away Plans for the Copa Del Rey Final, Proving Bruce Springsteen is Bigger Than Real Madrid

The Santiago Bernabeu venue has been a source of contention in the Copa del Rey for several years. In 1997, Real Madrid’s biggest rival won the title, which is something the club wants to avoid in future competitions. Last year, the venue was undergoing renovations at the time of the competitions, but this year, Real Madrid had been delaying a response to requests from both Barcelona and Sevilla to play at the venue. It seemed there would be no way out of the predicament, but then along came The Boss.

Springsteen’s plans to bring The River tour to Spain have solved the controversy surrounding the Copa finals for yet another year. Hoping to promote The River to as many locations as possible, Springsteen booked his concert at the Real Madrid venue before any decision had been made regarding the Copa del Rey final. The River concert is scheduled for May 21 at Real Madrid.

Bruce Springsteen Brings The River To The U.K.

This summer, Bruce and the E Street Band will be hitting the U.K. tour circuit, bringing The River tour to such cities as London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Coventry. The tickets for the concerts, which will encompass dates throughout May and June, will go on sale this Thursday, February 25.

The added European concert dates for Bruce Springsteen’s The River tour are as follows.

Etihad Stadium, Manchester on Wednesday, May 25
Hampden Park, Glasgow on Wednesday, June 1
Ricoh Arena, Coventry on Friday, June 3
Wembley Stadium, London on Sunday, June 5

Springsteen added these new dates in response to a huge demand for the tour in Europe.

The Ties That Bind: The River honors the 35th anniversary of the original release of The River double album in 1980 and includes 22 outtakes from that original release, making it a must-have for Springsteen fans in the U.S. and abroad.

Through the years, Bruce’s E Street band has gone through many changes, as members either left of their own volition or passed away. New musicians were brought in to replace those former members, changing the sound and feel of the band little by little, but Springsteen says each new lineup of the E Street band is just as powerful and just as dedicated to providing their best performances as any previous version.

“It’s a richer experience now because there is so much material to draw from,” Mr. Springsteen says of the current edition of his E Street band. “That shared history you have with people makes the night very full, very beautiful.”

The new lineup will bring a distinctive and rich sound to Springsteen’s singing as he performs old favorites and some new or unheard tracks for U.K. audiences. However, Bruce says there is nothing new and that the box set includes all that was worthy of a listen.

“The box cleared out everything that was listenable. There might have been some curiosities. When we put these boxes out, I discount those things where the only interest is ‘This happened’ [laughs]. I don’t go for the multiple outtakes.”

Springsteen is satisfied with The Ties That Bind: The River as it stands now, but he reveals it wasn’t first intended to be a big box set. Bruce says there were just too many tracks that he didn’t want to cut. Although it was a massive undertaking, the end result has been a huge hit with Bruce Springsteen’s fans.

[Photo by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images]