It’s been a big week in the Bruce Springsteen world, as The Boss announced his return to Broadway with a 31-show run at the St. James Theatre beginning later this month. As he was promoting the return of Springsteen On Broadway on his dedicated SiriusXM channel E Street Radio, the classic rocker let some more juicy details slip regarding upcoming projects. It appears Bruce Springsteen will once again tour beside the E Street Band in 2022, as well as release upcoming collaborations with The Killers and John Mellencamp.
In an on-air chat with hosts Dave Marsh and Jim Rotolo, ostensibly about the return of Springsteen On Broadway, Springsteen’s loose lips let out a teaser for an upcoming tour.
“[My manager] Jon [Landau] mentioned it to me,” he said of reviving Springsteen On Broadway. “I knew we were going to tour with the band next year, so I said, ‘Maybe I’ll take the time off.’”
If true, this would mark Bruce’s first tour with the E Street Band since The River Tour in 2017. The group came together to record Letter To You in 2019 but were unable to tour behind it due to the pandemic. Last month, while accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize, The Boss also teased a new album with his longtime backing band. Bruce Springsteen has performed live with the E Street Band only once since 2017, during an appearance on Saturday Night Live that featured a truncated lineup due to the pandemic. Bassist Garry Tallent and violinist Soozie Tyrell were unable to make that gig, the band’s only one in support of Letter To You.
In addition to those alleged live performances, Bruce has plenty going on in the studio. Later on in the interview, Springsteen teased an upcoming collaboration with The Killers that could be released as early as next week.
“It’s [Killers frontman Brandon Flowers] and I with the band,” he said. “We have done something that is going to come out soon, in a week or so.”
This leak was then confirmed by The Killers with a tweet reading, “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag. When The Boss decides it’s time to make an announcement, it’s time to make an announcement.” Along with the confirmation came what appears to be the artwork for a single titled “Dustland”.
Looks like the cat’s out of the bag. When The Boss decides it’s time to make an announcement, it’s time to make an announcement. pic.twitter.com/0ltbHfwdpG
— The Killers (@thekillers) June 10, 2021
Bruce still wasn’t done dropping knowledge, as he also let some details slip on an upcoming collaboration with John Mellencamp.
“I worked on three songs on John’s album and I spent some time in Indiana with him,” Springsteen said. “I love John a lot. He’s a great songwriter and I have become very close and had a lot of fun with him. I sang a little bit on his record.”
The new record, though not officially announced, will mark Mellencamp’s 25th studio outing. Per his website, the fellow classic rocker had already cut ten tracks prior to the pandemic with plans to record 17 more.
The Boss also discussed how this run of Springsteen On Broadway shows will differ from his 236 performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2017 and 2018 (later released as a Netflix special).
I have a script. I haven’t looked at it and I haven’t done any rehearsing. [laughs] The truth is, I didn’t much rehearse it the first time. My recollection was we played a few dress rehearsals and I played it once here down at Monmouth College, but that was all I did. It’s not something you can really stand there and talk to yourself in the afternoon. I am not going to tell myself those same stories. Part of it is there is an element of spontaneity, even if the script is relatively fixed. I got it set up for Monday, I am going to start re-freshening up the script and going through it again and see if I am going to make any changes, some small changes or not. It’s pretty much going to be the same show that it was because I think it’s what people expect and that is what I have.
Take a listen to a clip from Bruce Springsteen’s recent appearance on E Street Radio, where he teased tours, collaborations, and discussed his upcoming Broadway run. For tickets and more information for Springsteen On Broadway click here.
Bruce Springsteen on the Return of ‘Springsteen on Broadway’
[Video: SiriusXM]
[H/T Consequence of Sound]
The post Bruce Springsteen Teases 2022 Tour, Collabs With John Mellencamp, The Killers On SiriusXM [Listen] appeared first on L4LM.
