Releasing his first album, Greeting from Asbury Park, N.J. in 1973, Bruce Springsteen couldn’t imagine the success that would come over the following decades. Recording hit song after hit song, the singer sold over 140 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and even landed a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “The Boss”, Springsteen looked back on his career thanks to the upcoming documentary focused on his first concert in the UK. And according to the singer, he never forgot the performance as it caused him PTSD.
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Titled When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, the singer spoke with BBC2 about the documentary and remembered when he took the stage at the Hammersmith Odeon on November 18, 1975. Although those in attendance appeared to love the set offered by The Boss, Springsteen believed he produced a subpar performance. “After the show I went to a party that was supposed to celebrate my triumph, but I felt I’d been terrible and so I was embarrassed to even go in.”
Not wanting to completely skip the part, Springsteen decided to go but only stayed for a few moments before retreating back to his hotel room. “I went in for a few minutes, couldn’t stand myself being there, went out, ran back to the hotel, sat in my lonely room under a big black cloud, ate whatever I had and went to bed.” He added, “I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show.”
Bruce Springsteen Helped Inspired British Songwriters And Musicians
Although Springsteen wished he could go back and redo the performance, he still loved aspects of the trip, like visiting Newcastle. “It was huge for us to go to Newcastle. All I knew was, Newcastle – The Animals! I was one of the biggest Animals fans and to this day still am.”
With the documentary set to premiere in May, director Mark Robinson discussed what fans should expect from the hour-long film. “This documentary chronicles a truly special relationship between an iconic American artist and the UK – and one who seems to inspire an unrivalled loyalty and passion from his fans. Not only has Bruce been influenced by British songwriters and musicians, in turn he has influenced new generations of them too.”
Besides Springsteen, the documentary will also include never-before-seen footage and even interviews with Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Steven Van Zandt, who was a member of his E Street Band. While not the greatest moment of Springsteen’s career, he eventually returned to the UK in 1981 for The River Tour.
(Photo by Al Pereira/WireImage)
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