Bruce Springsteen's ongoing quest to stay out of his house as much as possible continues, with the news that he is bringing the E Street Band back to Europe next summer for another leg of his tour to promote the Wrecking Ball album.
Springsteen begins his European swing on 26 May in Munich, with three UK stadium shows scheduled – 15 June at Wembley Stadium, 18 June at Hampden Park in Glasgow and 20 June at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. There are 12 spare days before the Wembley show, then three more before Glasgow, opening the possibility that further dates may be announced. Tickets for those shows go on sale on 7 December. He returns to the UK on July 20 to play Belfast King's Hall, with tickets on sale from 6 December.
This summer, Springsteen played 33 Wrecking Ball shows in Europe, to a rapturous response, and playing some of the longest sets of his career, stretching towards four hours. However, his London appearance – at the Hard Rock Calling festival in Hyde Park – was blighted by low sound levels, and by promoters pulling the plug when he overran, despite the fact Paul McCartney was on stage with him at the time. E Street Band guitarist Steven van Zandt suggested Britain had become a "police state" on Twitter. The Guardian suggested he simply play Wembley next time he visited London, to ensure adequate sound.
However, the option of Hyde Park was not open to Springsteen this time. Live Nation – the promoter of Hyde Park events, including Hard Rock Calling, for more than a decade – decided to stop using the space for concerts in October. Live Nation told the Royal Parks Agency, which is in charge of events in Hyde Park, that its tender process for promoting shows there was "flawed". It is also believed to have highlighted the noise restrictions imposed at the request of residents near the park.
Springsteen is currently taking a winter break from touring after finishing his most recent US jaunt in Buffalo, New York. The Wrecking Ball tour resumes in Atlanta, Georgia, on 18 March, three days after a special live performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas. This year, Springsteen gave the keynote address at the event.
