Bruce Springsteen Gives Ode to New Jersey at Tour Finale in Newark
Homecoming
The Boss and the E Street Band performed “Local Hero” and Tom Waits’ “Jersey Girl” in return to the Garden State
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band closed out their first tour together in six years Friday in their native New Jersey, with the Boss changing up the setlist to give ode to the Garden State.
While “No Surrender” kicked off nearly every show on the E Street Band’s U.S. arena trek — which began Feb. 1 in Tampa — Friday’s concert at Newark’s Prudential Center opened with the Lucky Town cut “Local Hero,” a fitting choice given it was the band’s return to New Jersey for the first time in six years.
The performance also marked the first time that Springsteen had played “Local Hero” since 2013, and only the second performance of the track since 2003.
Springsteen had one more surprise in store as he and the E Street Band busted out “Jersey Girl” for the first time since 2016, the Tom Waits-penned classic that the Boss can practically claim ownership of at this point:
Springsteen and the E Street Band will next head overseas for a European tour that starts in Barcelona in two weeks. After their semester abroad, the band will return stateside for their North American stadium trek that launches Aug. 8 and 11 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and will keep Springsteen and company on the road through December.
