Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Announce The River Tour 2016

[axlslash]

I will almost certainly be going to the United Center show on January 19. I haven't seen the Boss in a little over 3 years (the longest I've gone without a Boss show since August of 2003), so I am thoroughly fucking stoked that this is happening. Reports are he'll have a new record out early next year, so I expect that this will be it for the River portion of the tour, possibly the only dates with the E Street Band. Only just found out, and I already can't wait!

And speaking of the E Street Band - I love the horn section etc., but I'm super happy to see it stripped down. No backup singers, no extra percussionist, no orchestra. Just Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The press release identifies the E Street Band as Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg, and also names Soozie Tyrell, Jake Clemons, and Charlie Giordano as people going on the coming tour.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launch The River Tour 2016, a nine-week US trek, on Jan. 16 in Pittsburgh. The announcement of the tour coincides with today’s release of “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection,” a comprehensive look at the era of the 1980 “The River” album that “Rolling Stone” calls “Springsteen’s best archival release yet.”

Each night of the tour will be mixed for release on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net as high-quality downloads and CDs. Recordings will be available within days of each performance.

The original The River Tour began Oct. 3, 1980, two weeks before the release of Springsteen’s fifth album, and continued through Sept. 4, 1981. With sets that regularly approached the four-hour range, the 140-date international tour firmly established a reputation for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as marathon performers.

Tickets to The River Tour go on sale Dec. 11.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2016 US Tour Dates:
Jan 16 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Jan 19 Chicago, IL United Center
Jan 24 & 27 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Jan 29 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Jan 31 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Feb 2 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Feb 4 Boston, MA TD Garden
Feb 8 Albany, NY Times Union Center
Feb 10 Hartford, CT XL Center
Feb 12 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Feb 16 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Feb 18 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Feb 21 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Feb 23 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Feb 25 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center
Feb 27 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
Feb 29 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Mar 3 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
Mar 6 St Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
Mar 10 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Mar 13 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Mar 15 & 17 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

[Black Sabbath]

Depending on GA cost I would like to try to go to DC or Philly.

[axlslash]

Depending on GA cost I would like to try to go to DC or Philly.

The Prudential Center website, if it is to be believed, has tickets priced around $75, $100, and $150 or so

[MrBrownstone531]

I'll be at the Consol for the first show.

[axlslash]

I'll be at the Consol for the first show.

I've never been to a show this early in a tour before (earliest I've seen was Philly 2012, about 2 weeks into the Wrecking Ball tour). Hoping they'll be loose already and pulling out some surprises!

[gunsfanoldie]

Very excited for the tour. I'm NOT excited for the ridiculous mark up in ticket prices. I paid $120 with fees the last time I saw him 3 years ago. Now it will be $170 with fees. Thats McCartney/Stones level and Bruce has always been reasonably fair keeping those prices down, even though I thought $120 was still too high it was at least explainable.

[DieselDaisy]

Bruce is cashing in.

[axlslash]

Very excited for the tour. I'm NOT excited for the ridiculous mark up in ticket prices. I paid $120 with fees the last time I saw him 3 years ago. Now it will be $170 with fees. Thats McCartney/Stones level and Bruce has always been reasonably fair keeping those prices down, even though I thought $120 was still too high it was at least explainable.

$170 for floor tickets is absolutely NOT Stones/McCartney levels. It's higher than usual, but you're lucky to even get lower bowl for the Stones for under $200, let alone on the floor, let alone GA. Yeah, Bruce is charging a bit more, but let's not get carried away.

[DieselDaisy]

$170 is a pauper's seats at one of Sir Mick's events these days.

[gunsfanoldie]

Very excited for the tour. I'm NOT excited for the ridiculous mark up in ticket prices. I paid $120 with fees the last time I saw him 3 years ago. Now it will be $170 with fees. Thats McCartney/Stones level and Bruce has always been reasonably fair keeping those prices down, even though I thought $120 was still too high it was at least explainable.

$170 for floor tickets is absolutely NOT Stones/McCartney levels. It's higher than usual, but you're lucky to even get lower bowl for the Stones for under $200, let alone on the floor, let alone GA. Yeah, Bruce is charging a bit more, but let's not get carried away.

True. I didn't mean EXACTLY Stones/McCartney levels. Just for Bruce its a lot. I'd rather fork over $100 and see him 3 times than pay $170 and see him once. But everything you said is exactly what people are saying over on the Bruce forums when I bring it up. Sad that people are just accepting it, although maybe its me that is just hoping for an unrealistic scenario.

I just think when people like Pearl Jam and Phish actively fight to keep their prices lower, Bruce has been steadily rising. I know he's at a higher level than them, but he's got the same repeat customer base and those other guys still do play arenas for less than $100. I do feel Bruce could if he wanted to. I already got turned off on the High Hopes tour when prices reached $140, which was a tipping point for me. No shows close by, and for that price I wasn't gonna travel.

But, I am very excited about the tour. I saw the River MSG 09 show and it was one of the best shows I ever saw so I wonder if this'll be River heavy or just River outtakes heavy. He's never really done a tour like this. Really looking forward to seeing him tour my area again as 3 years has just been way too long.

[axlslash]

Very excited for the tour. I'm NOT excited for the ridiculous mark up in ticket prices. I paid $120 with fees the last time I saw him 3 years ago. Now it will be $170 with fees. Thats McCartney/Stones level and Bruce has always been reasonably fair keeping those prices down, even though I thought $120 was still too high it was at least explainable.

$170 for floor tickets is absolutely NOT Stones/McCartney levels. It's higher than usual, but you're lucky to even get lower bowl for the Stones for under $200, let alone on the floor, let alone GA. Yeah, Bruce is charging a bit more, but let's not get carried away.

True. I didn't mean EXACTLY Stones/McCartney levels. Just for Bruce its a lot. I'd rather fork over $100 and see him 3 times than pay $170 and see him once. But everything you said is exactly what people are saying over on the Bruce forums when I bring it up. Sad that people are just accepting it, although maybe its me that is just hoping for an unrealistic scenario.

I just think when people like Pearl Jam and Phish actively fight to keep their prices lower, Bruce has been steadily rising. I know he's at a higher level than them, but he's got the same repeat customer base and those other guys still do play arenas for less than $100. I do feel Bruce could if he wanted to. I already got turned off on the High Hopes tour when prices reached $140, which was a tipping point for me. No shows close by, and for that price I wasn't gonna travel.

But, I am very excited about the tour. I saw the River MSG 09 show and it was one of the best shows I ever saw so I wonder if this'll be River heavy or just River outtakes heavy. He's never really done a tour like this. Really looking forward to seeing him tour my area again as 3 years has just been way too long.

That totally makes sense. And yeah I saw the last 2 Spectrum shows in 09 for 160 total (one from the venue at $80 face value plus fees, one for $60 off the Backstreets Ticket Exchange). I know he's fought to keep them down, and frankly is still WAY undervaluing his tickets relative to the market, but at a point supply and demand kicks in - he's only doing so many shows, plus we don't know how many more times he and the band will tour, soI can understand these sorts of slight increases.

And I admit, I'm caught hook line and sinker. If there is any way I can afford it, I will see at least one show per tour no matter what he charges.

m

[gunsfanoldie]

That totally makes sense. And yeah I saw the last 2 Spectrum shows in 09 for 160 total (one from the venue at $80 face value plus fees, one for $60 off the Backstreets Ticket Exchange). I know he's fought to keep them down, and frankly is still WAY undervaluing his tickets relative to the market, but at a point supply and demand kicks in - he's only doing so many shows, plus we don't know how many more times he and the band will tour, soI can understand these sorts of slight increases.

=

And I admit, I'm caught hook line and sinker. If there is any way I can afford it, I will see at least one show per tour no matter what he charges.

m

I get it. And at least you see the point as opposed to just shutting it down. It does make more sense when you factor in how much time is left. I too am totally caught. I HAVE to see one show a tour, but usually 3-5. Gonna try and catch the 2 MSGs and the Pru show, but if price is too much I'll certainly be catching just one. They'll all be hard to get since its his core market, so I'll be scouting Backstreets Ticket Exchange quite frequently! At least its the beginning of the tour and I'll only have to look for a month (and I can hope many aren't paying attention over the holidays).

What shows are you hoping to catch?

[axlslash]

That totally makes sense. And yeah I saw the last 2 Spectrum shows in 09 for 160 total (one from the venue at $80 face value plus fees, one for $60 off the Backstreets Ticket Exchange). I know he's fought to keep them down, and frankly is still WAY undervaluing his tickets relative to the market, but at a point supply and demand kicks in - he's only doing so many shows, plus we don't know how many more times he and the band will tour, soI can understand these sorts of slight increases.

=

And I admit, I'm caught hook line and sinker. If there is any way I can afford it, I will see at least one show per tour no matter what he charges.

m

I get it. And at least you see the point as opposed to just shutting it down. It does make more sense when you factor in how much time is left. I too am totally caught. I HAVE to see one show a tour, but usually 3-5. Gonna try and catch the 2 MSGs and the Pru show, but if price is too much I'll certainly be catching just one. They'll all be hard to get since its his core market, so I'll be scouting Backstreets Ticket Exchange quite frequently! At least its the beginning of the tour and I'll only have to look for a month (and I can hope many aren't paying attention over the holidays).

What shows are you hoping to catch?

The UC show on Jan 19 is the only show I'll be able to make, but come hell or high water I will be there. Looking forward to hopefully adding a new batch of River songs to the list of tunes I've heard live, maybe even a full album set? No matter what, I'm just happy to be seeing the band again (and without the extra clutter of the last few years, too)

[username]

Assuming they'll do a European leg too, I will definitely go! It'll be my fifth time seeing Springsteen and the E-Street Band. Hands down one of the best live bands in history.

[Mansin Humanity]

Hell yeah. ATL for me. Only wish Tom Morello was gonna be out with them again, but I'll take it.

[Black Sabbath]

So I'm guessing GA will be like $170 after fees?

Sorry Bruce...

[James Bond]

I really want to cross Bruce off my hit list but damn, I'm not sure I can justify those prices for someone I'm only a casual fan of. Maybe I'll see what kind of upper bowl seat I can get for the $68 tier.

[RandallFlagg]

Lost in the Flood is my fave Springsteen track at the moment.

[gunsfanoldie]

The UC show on Jan 19 is the only show I'll be able to make, but come hell or high water I will be there. Looking forward to hopefully adding a new batch of River songs to the list of tunes I've heard live, maybe even a full album set? No matter what, I'm just happy to be seeing the band again (and without the extra clutter of the last few years, too)

Very cool! Sorry, I lost track of the board for a few days. Yeah, despite the prices, I'm still trying to hit all my area shows. Both MSG and Prudential Center, all of which are gonna be really friggen impossible, but I'll definitely get one and I hope I'll get at least two. Haven't seen him in 3 years, and with nothing else on the horizon, 3 shows would really satisfy right now. Especially if its gonna be heavy on the River stuff, my favorite album. I saw the 2009 performance, so personally I don't need to hear him do the whole album again, but I love stuff like Crush On You and I'm A Rocker and Ramrod, and I'd love to hear the outtakes as well as stuff like Roulette. A lot of great stuff for him to choose from and this is probably the most interested I've been in what his set will be in awhile. Whether he actually sticks with "The River" theme or kind of goes free form.

Assuming they'll do a European leg too, I will definitely go! It'll be my fifth time seeing Springsteen and the E-Street Band. Hands down one of the best live bands in history.

Not looking great for that right now, but hopefully I'm wrong. It seems like a short little tour they're doing this time (pretty unlike what he's ever done), with maybe a bigger tour and new album coming soon. Like I've said elsewhere, he's played Europe in 2013. Hasn't really played the area he's playing since 2012. So I think it might be a priority thing. Europe hasn't been as long a wait, so I don't know if they're coming now but I hope they do soon.

Hell yeah. ATL for me. Only wish Tom Morello was gonna be out with them again, but I'll take it.

I liked the addition of Morello for the last tour, but honestly I think that was enough. Let's get back to basics. Morello was a nice shot in the arm, but he's kind of a one trick pony with Bruce and I think if he stayed longer he'd wear out his welcome.

[gunsfanoldie]

Lost in the Flood is my fave Springsteen track at the moment.

One of his absolute best, and a monster live. One of the rare few that he truly does better in the reunion era than he ever did before. That Live In NYC from 2000 performance is positively smoking. I freaked out when I finally caught it at my last run of shows. Didn't expect him to pull it out in a stadium.

[Mansin Humanity]

Hell yeah. ATL for me. Only wish Tom Morello was gonna be out with them again, but I'll take it.

I liked the addition of Morello for the last tour, but honestly I think that was enough. Let's get back to basics. Morello was a nice shot in the arm, but he's kind of a one trick pony with Bruce and I think if he stayed longer he'd wear out his welcome.

I feel that. It's mostly selfish - Morello is one of my favorite guitarists of all time (I'm a huge Rage fan) and I've never had a chance to see him live, so I was hoping this might have been the time I got to.

[axlslash]

Morello is great but a weird fit with Bruce, especially in an E Street context. That first Ghost of Tom Joad performance in Anaheim in 07 was lightning in a bottle, and I think having him on full time was mostly a futile attempt to catch that again. Definitely had some fun points to it - getting Clampdown into the nightly setlist, for one - but more of a one time gimmick than something I'd hope for on the regular.

[gunsfanoldie]

Morello is great but a weird fit with Bruce, especially in an E Street context. That first Ghost of Tom Joad performance in Anaheim in 07 was lightning in a bottle, and I think having him on full time was mostly a futile attempt to catch that again. Definitely had some fun points to it - getting Clampdown into the nightly setlist, for one - but more of a one time gimmick than something I'd hope for on the regular.

Definitely. Personally, I'd have no problem seeing it, as I've never seen Morello guest live and he does kill on certain songs, Tom Joad being the definitive example. But in the end, there's little he can add to a band like this, and being on board all the time I think actually lessens his impact. It was nice to have him there to replace Stevie last tour, but sorry, there's nothing I wanna see more than Bruce and Little Steven sharing the mic. Especially now that Clarence is gone, I want as much "pure E Street" as possible while we still have it.

[gunsfanoldie]

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2015/12/07/Springsteen-will-play-the-whole-album-The-River/stories/201512070154

Claims he's playing the whole album, at least in Pittsburgh. Really hope its not for the whole tour. Would just be unbelievably rote night to night and very un-Springsteen. Definitely gonna be one of his more interesting tours setlist wise.

[axlslash]

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2015/12/07/Springsteen-will-play-the-whole-album-The-River/stories/201512070154

Claims he's playing the whole album, at least in Pittsburgh. Really hope its not for the whole tour. Would just be unbelievably rote night to night and very un-Springsteen. Definitely gonna be one of his more interesting tours setlist wise.

I'm undecided. On the one hand, I love the spontaneity of a non-album show, but on the other hand a guarantee that I'll finally get Drive All Night feels alright to me. Plus Bruce doesn't shy away from two-encore shows, and that could open up plenty of time for rotating hits.