Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band shocked fans with their setlist for their homecoming show in Asbury Park, New Jersey, at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival. The setlist was drastically changed from the Boss’s usual shows from his 2024 tour.
A return to Bruce Springsteen’s first two albums
After starting his set with “Lonesome Day,” Springsteen dug out a few deep cuts from his first two albums. He played three songs from his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey, “Blinded by the Light,” “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” and “Growin’ Up.”
These were the first times “Blinded by the Light” and “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street” had been played since 2017. The former was first played during Springsteen’s February 11, 2017, show in Newham, Australia. The latter was played once on the same tour, being played on the January 22, 2017, show in Perth, Australia.
Other deep cuts followed. The Boss played “Thundercrack” and “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” later in the set. The latter song had not been played since 2016. He played it four times on the River Tour. The last performance was on September 14, 2016, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Later on, Springsteen also played “Meeting Across the River” for the first time since 2016. “Jungleland” and “Jersey Girl” also made their tour debuts during this show.
In total, seven of the 30 songs from the setlist were from Springsteen’s first two albums. Add in his third, Born to Run, and 13 total songs from his early albums were played in the setlist. That is almost 50% of the setlist.
Bruce Springsteen’s homecoming Asbury Park show full setlist
Below is the full setlist from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Asbury Park show on September 15, 2024.
- “Lonesome Day”
- “Blinded by the Light”
- “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?”
- “Growin’ Up”
- “The Promised Land”
- “Spirit in the Night”
- “Thundercrack”
- “The E Street Shuffle”
- “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”
- “Hungry Heart”
- “Local Hero” (tour debut)
- “Atlantic City”
- “Tougher than the Rest” (with Patti Scialfa)
- “Long Walk Home”
- “Because the Night” (Patti Smith Group cover)
- “She’s the One”
- “Wrecking Ball”
- “The Rising”
- “Badlands”
- “Thunder Road”
Encore
- “Meeting Across the River” (tour debut)
- “Jungleland” (tour debut)
- “Born to Run”
- “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
- “Bobby Jean”
- “Dancing in the Dark”
- “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
- “Twist and Shout” (the Top Notes cover)
Encore 2
- “Jersey Girl” (Tom Waits cover; tour debut)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2024 Tour
The Asbury Park show was the final show planned for the United States on Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2024 Tour. Their tour has been ongoing since 2023, which was their first since the River Tour, which ran from 2016-17.
They will now head to Canada for eight shows. The tour is slated to end in 2025 with four shows in Europe. The tour is scheduled to conclude after six legs and 118 shows.
Springsteen and the E Street Band have constantly been trying to surprise their fans with setlist changes. The Boss did it once again in his return to Asbury Park. We will see if this was a special one-off show or if some of the deep cuts will make their way into future setlists.
Follow Us
Subscribe
