When the North American leg of the River tour wrapped in Brooklyn on April 25th, Springsteen told the crowd it was the "last official performance of The River from start to finish." The tour heads to Europe for a long run of stadium and festival dates next week. "We're gonna open up our set lists over in Europe," Springsteen said in Brooklyn. "The band is looking forward to coming off a leash," E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent wrote on Twitter. "This could get interesting."
Some European fans voiced frustration that they wouldn't get to see a complete performance of The River. Guitarist Steve Van Zandt pledged to refund their money, while Tallent tried to mollify them. "Have a little faith," he tweeted. "The Americans will be whining because they didn't get the show you are going to see."
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Springsteen had no concrete plans to tour with the E Street Band this year until November 2015, when he decided to supportThe River box set with a series of arena shows that gradually grew into a huge world tour. "The [new album] I've been working on is more of a solo project," he told E Street Radio late last year. "It wasn't a project I was going to probably take the band out on. So I said, 'Gee, that's going to push the band playing again until a ways in the future. It'll be nice to get some playing in so you don't wind up being two or three years between E Street tours.' This will give us a chance to get out there and stretch our muscles a little bit."
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Bruce Springsteen The River Tour - Summer Leg
August 23 – East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium
August 25 – East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium
August 28 – Chicago, IL United Center
September 1 – Washington, DC Nationals Park
September 3 – Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
September 7 – Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park
September 11 – Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL Energy Center
September 14 – Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium