It had been a while. The last time Bruce Springsteen visited Minnesota was on Leap Year Day 2016 when The River Tour made a stop at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. 

Setting aside world events over the past seven years, a lot has happened in Springsteen’s artistic life, too. He released two albums of original material — 2019’s Western Stars and 2020’s Letter to You — and the 2022 covers album Only The Strong Survive. There was also the music-and-stories Springsteen on Broadway run of solo shows that begat a popular Netflix special.

So on Sunday night in St. Paul, there was a lot of catching up to do. Once the Xcel Energy Center’s lights dimmed, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took the stage one by one to joyous adulation. 

To kick off the show, Springsteen simply said, “Good evening, good evening,” as the band eased into “No Surrender” from Born in the U.S.A. The first set featured deeper back-catalog cuts, a few chestnuts, and newer material from Letter to You and Only the Strong Survive. They played three 1970s releases in a row: “The Promised Land,” “Candy’s Room” and “Kitty’s Back.”

The last of those three included improvisational flourishes by keyboardists Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano. Jazz-inflected solo work highlighted the entire horn section of Barry Danielian on trumpet, Eddie Manion on baritone sax, Ozzie Melendez on trombone, Curt Ramm on trumpet, and saxophonist Jake Clemons, who, besides the Boss, was the featured player of the night. Nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, the longtime E Street Band sax player, Jake Clemons channels not only his uncle’s saxophone lines, but also his warmth, charm, and enthusiasm. Each time Jake Clemons stepped up to take a sax part, the crowd roared.

To conclude “Kitty’s Back,” Springsteen bent his G-string into a captivatingly lengthy sustain — even playfully smoothing his hair to note the passage of time — before laying into his own solo.

Springsteen let the songs do the talking until the conclusion of this first part of the concert. While introducing the song “Last Man Standing” from 2020’s Letter To You, he told the story of his friend George Theiss, who gave a 15-year-old Springsteen his first spot in a rock ‘n’ roll band, the Castilles. “He knew I played guitar and asked me to audition for his band,” he recalled. “It was from there that I embarked on the greatest adventure of my life.”

Theiss’s died from lung cancer in 2018, which inspired Springsteen to write “Last Man Standing.” “It makes you remember how important living every moment of every day is,” he said to the crowd. “I dedicate this song to you, wishing you a glorious life.”

When the lights came back up, the next portion of the concert was a riotous sing-along of a dozen well-loved songs from Springsteen’s back catalog, including “The Rising,” Thunder Road,” “Born To Run,” “Glory Days,” and “Dancing in the Dark” — the last of which had its music video, featuring a pre-Friends Courteney Cox dancing onstage with the Boss, filmed at the St. Paul Civic Center, which once stood on the ground now occupied by the Xcel Energy Center.

Throughout the show, the E Street Band’s sheer power and energy exemplified Springsteen’s words in Springsteen on Broadway: “When they play together, there is a communion of souls, and a natural brotherhood and sisterhood manifests itself … In a real band, principles of math get stood on their head, and one plus one equals three.”

Springsteen’s role as bandleader was in full effect as he joyously conducted while simultaneously fronting the group. Tirelessly keeping everything in time was the dapper Max Weinberg, augmented by Anthony Almonte, who layered in additional drums as well as congas, washboard, and a range of percussion instruments. Helping the Boss with harmony vocals was the delightful Stevie Van Zandt, who, during “Thunder Road,” did some playful Three Stooges-style taunting of Springsteen, who chuckled and played along with the sight gags.

Guitarist Nils Lofgren absolutely shredded with his Merle Travis picking technique on “Because the Night.” Vocalist Curtis King owned the spotlight on the band’s cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift,” from Only The Strong Survive. During the traditional “Pay Me My Money Down,” Soozie Tyrell on fiddle and Giordano on accordion layered on the textures, and to round out the Big Easy vibes. The entire horn section marched upstage like a New Orleans second line.

Along with King, vocalists Ada Dyer, Lisa Lowell, and Michelle More added more vocal power to the outfit — notably in songs like “Prove It All Night,” “The Promised Land” and “Burnin’ Train.” Holding up the bottom end was bassist Garry Tallent, who, with Springsteen, is the only other member who has been in every iteration of the E Street Band. Notably missing from the lineup was Patti Scialfa, who has missed a few shows on this tour due to illness.

Springsteen himself was a bundle of energy: a living, breathing, rock-’n’-rolling testimonial for the healthy regimen of running, strength training, and eating right that keeps him soaring onstage at age 73. With a concert that began at 7:50 p.m. and wrapped up just after 10:30, it was clear he has the endurance of a marathoner and an indisputable dedication to the music, band, and audience. When he raised his hands to cheers, it feels like he’s saluting the crowd. When his band exited the stage at the end of the night, he was at the tunnel entrance giving out handshakes, hugs, and high-fives.

As the 16,000-plus fans emptied out of the Xcel, countless post-show smiles shining through the falling snow said it all. It was truly great to have the Boss back in town. 

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Set List

No Surrender
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Letter to You
The Promised Land
Candy’s Room
Kitty’s Back
Pay Me My Money Down (Traditional)
Nightshift (Commodores cover on Springsteen’s 2022 album Only The Strong Survive)
Burnin’ Train
Working on the Highway
The E Street Shuffle
Last Man Standing (dedicated to audience)

Backstreets
Because the Night
She’s the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Bandlands 

Thunder Road
Born to Run
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
10th Avenue Freezeout

I’ll See You In My Dreams (dedicated to Second Harvest Heartland)