Bruce Springsteen, “The Boss,” is returning to rock out in Detroit on March 29th, 2023! He will be joined by a special guest, The E Street Band, for their shared 2023 tour at Little Caesars Arena. I had the pleasure of seeing Bruce in concert a few times.

First-time I saw him was compliments of my high school pal, Dan Zilko. Dan was such a big fan that he bought a bunch of tickets for his friends. Dan wanted us to see how great a Bruce show was live.

My first impression was I could not believe how long he played. Toping over 3 hours plus encore after encore. This was just before Bruce Springsteen’s epic, Born in the USA album was released. What stood out was a 6’5″ towering fellow called, “The Big Man,” Clarence Clemons on the saxophone. Steve Van Zandt, Max Weinberg on drums, and Nils Lofgren.

Bruce was on his album tour, “The River.” and the show was at Joe Louis Arena. It was a completely sold-out show. The year was 1981 and he pulled out classics from, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, “Born to Run”, “Greetings from Asbury Park” and so many more. I got my money’s worth and I didn’t even pay for my ticket.

These next songs in my personal opinion made Bruce “the undisputed Boss.”

• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

  Bruce tells us a tale about a girl with overprotective parents that don’t want their daughter to go out with a musician. He tells us this extraordinary story way in seven minutes. Also getting a record contract and saving the day.

• Prove it All Night

  If I had a time machine I would love to go and see those concerts in the mid 70’s shows. Bruce is a pretty underrated guitar player. Just on this video alone shows off his skills. But his storytelling ability is off the charts. This song is from his  fourth album, “Darkness on the Edge of Town.”  

• Jungleland

  My favorite from Bruce’s Born to Run album. Big fan favorite at his shows. After the passing of,” The Big Man,” wonder who could fill his shoes on this song? You will see in concert Clarence’s son, Jake, on the saxophone this time around. Song clocks in over 9 minutes and worth every second to see it done live.

• Thunder Road

  This song was the 1st track from, “Born to Run.” The song that vaulted Bruce into mainstream success. More and more radio stations started to play the album. This version I thought was unique because it was from the MTV unplugged show.

• Born to Run

  The existence of this footage is a sheer miracle. 1975 established Bruce’s mark as a great showman. Raw, and musically the talent is off the charts. A true part of rock and roll history. Bruce is the voice of the underdogs and America’s working class. Good to know one of Bruce’s friends is our own Bob Seger. Bruce was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 1999. 

  Hope to see you all at the show with WCSX, on March 29th at the LCA. Don’t forget to visit http://www.wcsx.com Keyword CONTEST for your shot to win!

Sign me up for the 94.7 WCSX email newsletter!

Stay connected to all things Classic Rock, join the WCSX Workforce- it’s free and you can win prizes, concert tickets and VIP experiences.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.