Bruce Springsteen Breaks Out ‘Streets Of Philadelphia’ In Philadelphia

Last night, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park 554 days after the show was announced thanks to a year-long postponement due to The Boss’ peptic ulcer. Springsteen used the occasion to perform his Grammy & Academy Award-winning song, “Streets Of Philadelphia,” for the first time in nearly eight years.

Springsteen and the E Street Band launched the long-in-the-making show with “Atlantic City.” The Nebraska gem was last used as an opener back in 2012. It was a fitting choice considering Philadelphia is the closest tour stop to Atlantic City. “Lonesome Day,” the song most frequently performed to open this year, fell in the two-slot last night.

Bruce Springsteen rolled through tour staples such as “Ghosts,” “The Promised Land,” and “Hungry Heart” before performing the more infrequently played “Youngstown” and “The E Street Shuffle” with “Long Walk Home” slid in between. The return of “Streets of Philadelphia” then followed a cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift.”

The Boss wrote and recorded “Streets Of Philadelphia” for the 1993 film Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks at the behest of director Jonathan Demme. The single was released early the next year and became what currently stands as Springsteen’s most recent top ten hit in the United States. “Streets Of Philadelphia” earned Springsteen four Grammys and the Oscar for Best Original Song.

“Streets Of Philadelphia” had been on the shelf Bruce Springsteen’s last shows at Citizens Bank Park on September 7 and 9, 2016. Only six versions were played previously since 1999.

Watch Bruce Springsteen perform “Streets Of Philadelphia” in Philadelphia below:

A double dose of “Street” songs was completed with “Racing In The Street.” The rest of the night played out in a similar fashion to other tour stops.

“Badlands” and “Thunder Road” drew the main set to a close. The encore was heavy on fan-favorites including “Born To Run,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Dancing In The Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Bruce Springsteen went solo to end the night like all other 2023/2024 shows by performing “I’ll See You In My Dreams.”

Springsteen and the E Street Band close out their two-show run at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Scroll down for a full list of upcoming tour dates.

Setlist (via Brucebase)

Set: Atlantic City, Lonesome Day, Night, No Surrender, Ghosts, Working On The Highway, The Promised Land, Spirit In The Night, Hungry Heart, Youngstown, Long Walk Home, The E Street Shuffle, Nightshift, Streets Of Philadelphia, Racing In The Street, Last Man Standing, Backstreets, Because The Night, She’s The One, Wrecking Ball, The Rising, Badlands, Thunder Road

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