Bruce Springsteen Honors Mandela At First South African Gig

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s first show of 2014 had special meaning as it was also the group’s South African debut. Last night’s performance at the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town saw the group augmented by Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello and included a few tributes to the late Nelson Mandela.

Did you ever think you’d see #BruceSpringsteen crowdsurfing in #CapeTown? My amazing view last nite cc @springsteen pic.twitter.com/kHGSUeWfzp

— Ian Bredenkamp (@IanBredenkamp) January 27, 2014

The Boss and his soon-to-be Hall Of Fame band opened up the show with a cover of The Specials’s “Free Nelson Mandela,” an E Street debut. Springsteen mixed material from throughout his career during the 27-song performance. Bruce’s first song in the encore slot was “We Are Alive,” which he dedicated to Mandela telling the crowd he was honored to have “been alive on the Earth at the same time” as the former South Africa president. The ever-political Springsteen took numerous opportunities to rail against inequalities in both America and South Africa. The New Jersey native ended the show with an acoustic “Thunder Road.”

Here’s a look at last night’s setlist:

UPDATE 1/29 2:00 p.m. PT: Watch PRO-SHOT footage of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s version of “Free Nelson Mandela”: