At his concert at Murrayfield in late May Bruce Springsteen was handed a copy of a dissertation by an enterprising fan, Nathan Collett, who had travelled to Edinburgh from his home near Liverpool.
But a couple of fans managed to go one better at Springsteen's most recent concert, in Oslo.
There, standing near the front at the Voldsløkka Stadion, a young woman reached out to hand him a Springsteen poster. A message scribbled on the back said that if he gave her boyfriend a harmonica, he would consider proposing to her this summer.
We got a Springsteen proposal in Oslo! pic.twitter.com/QKXiGTOuvb
— Eric Dunlap 🦚 (@eric_mark) July 2, 2023
"Consider?!" Springsteen retorted in mock disapproval. He handed her a harmonica, got her up on stage and then summoned the boyfriend up, too. As the crowd cheered lustily the man got down on one knee and put the question to her - and, clearly emotional, she said yes.
Springsteen has given away more than a few harmonicas on his current tour. He distributed several of them to fans at Murrayfield and at least one, to a young fan, at his recent show at Villa Park in Birmingham.
This week - on Thursday and on Saturday - Springsteen, 73, winds down the UK leg of the world tour he has been playing alongside the E Street Band.
They are among the big names in this summer's edition of the annual BST festival, which in its 10th anniversary season has already featured Take That, Pink, Guns n' Roses and the K-pop sensations, Blackpink, and a host of special guests. Billy Joel is the headliner on Friday, with Lana Del Rey, whose recent Glastonbury set ended in some disarray, the headliner on Sunday.
Though the two sold-out E Street Band concerts will see Springsteen making his BST debut, he did stage a memorable gig at Hyde Park in June 2009 as part of the Hard Rock Calling Festival - an epic show captured on a bestselling DVD, London Calling: Live at Hyde Park.
Bruce Springsteen in Edinburgh 1981: Playhouse nights
The current run of shows has seen Springsteen earn some of the best reviews of his career.
The Daily Telegraph critic, Neil McCormick, spoke for many when, in reviewing the Boss's Barcelona concert in May, wrote: On a balmy Spanish night under a dark velvet sky, Springsteen and his magnificent ensemble delivered almost three hours of roaring, soulful, moving and inspirational rock and roll. It was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen".
Murrayfield review: Springsteen delivers a stunning show in Edinburgh
Speculation has been growing that this might be the last time that Springsteen embarks on such an arduous tour with the band, but it might not be the case.
At Murrayfield, near the end, Springsteen uttered something vague to the effect about not waiting so long to come back next time.
The Observer's critic, Kitty Empire, mentioned this in her review, adding: "This tour’s high ticket prices – much grumbled about by fans – indicated this jaunt might be one last chance power drive to see the E Street experience in full. But despite all the arms waving from side to side across this big bowl full of people, it really doesn’t feel like goodbye".
10 Bruce Springsteen songs that tell the rock legend's story
More than a few fans have complained about what they see as the static nature of the setlist, but most people seemed to be content with the songs that have been played. They cover most parts of his stellar career, with Nightshift, which he covered on his most recent album, Only the Strong Survive, a particular highlight.
It's possible that Springsteen will vary the setlist in his two shows at Hyde Park, and might also alter the succession of glorious encores with which he rounds off each show: Born in the USA, Born to Run, Bobby Jean, Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and a poignant, solo acoustic number, I'll See You in My Dreams.
Either way, the Hyde Park shows should be something special, and not just for their intensity or their three-hour-plus running time. They will be a potent reminder of Springsteen's peerless talents as a songwriter, and how much his songs have soundtracked all our lives.
As Stephen Deusner notes in the latest edition of Uncut magazine: "Over the last 50 years [Springsteen's] written old songs about youth and big dreams and he's written new songs about ageing, and he throws them all together on the stage and finds new corners to explore in even his most familiar hits. It's not a show about defying age but embracing it.
Springsteen's setlist, Oslo, July 2
"The power of his current tour, even with its hiccups, is how Springsteen embodies both the hopes of youth and the ruminations of age".
Share