Bruce Springsteen Puts Farewell Tour Rumors To Rest: ‘We Ain’t Quitting’

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band still has the “Fire” to perform. Springsteen addressed the ongoing rumors of his impending retirement during his second of two shows at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and emphatically denied them in strong terms.

The Boss spoke to the capacity crowd about his future late in his marathon Friday night set. “We’ve been around 50 fucking years and we ain’t quitting!” Springsteen said. “We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullshit! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!”

“Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name? Yeah, I wanna quit that,” The Boss added. “That’s it. That’s all it takes. I ain’t going anywhere.”

The comments came amid Bruce Springsteen’s introduction to “Last Man Standing.” Each show he dedicates the song to George Theiss, the rhythm guitarist and vocalist in the pre-E Street Band outfit The Castiles.

Watch fan-shot footage of Bruce Springsteen squashing retirement rumors in Philadelphia:

E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt previously discussed Springsteen retirement speculation with The Telegraph. “We treat every show like it could be the last show, and we’ve been doing that for 50 years. But the audience is still there, and we can see them getting younger every year,” Van Zandt responded when asked about the possibility The Boss would hang it up at the end of his current tour with the E Street Band.

“I don’t see the end anywhere in sight, to be honest, especially in Europe, where we’re bigger than we’ve ever been,” Van Zandt added. “I think we can play every summer for evermore, man. I love that the Stones are still out there. Because as long as they’re out there, man, we’re still the new kids on the block, right? So I’m good with that.”

Bruce Springsteen was forced to postpone 2024 shows due to vocal issues and rescheduled several 2023 dates after he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disorder. The shows in Philadelphia were supposed to take place the previous summer.

Springsteen and the E Street Band fit a handful of surprises into the setlist on Friday night. “My Love Will Not Let You Down” and “Waitin’ On A Sunny Day” were performed with the E Street Band for the first time on American soil since 2016. Additionally, the tour’s second “Growin’ Up” was played.

The tour picks up on Saturday, September 7 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. Find a complete list of Bruce Springsteen tour dates by scrolling below.

Setlist (via Brucebase)

Set: Seeds, Prove It All Night, My Love Will Not Let You Down, Two Hearts, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, The Promised Land, Hungry Heart, Waitin’ On A Sunny Day, Reason To Believe, Atlantic City, Long Walk Home, The E Street Shuffle, Growin’ Up, Nightshift, Last Man Standing, Backstreets, Because The Night, I’m On Fire, She’s The One, Wrecking Ball, The Rising, Badlands, Thunder Road

Encore: Born To Run, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), Glory Days, Dancing In The Dark, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Twist And Shout, I’ll See You In My Dreams

30-song setlist includes the tour’s second “Growin’ Up”. “Two Hearts” includes “It Takes Two”. Bruce during the intro to “Last Man Standing”: “We ain’t quittin’! We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullshit! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!” Show rescheduled from August 18, 2023.