“The Business of the Unexpected”: Why Bruce Springsteen Goes Above and Beyond on Tour

Bruce Springsteen has always gone the extra mile on tour, from the very beginning. Even now, he continues to push three and four hour sets. For Springsteen, it’s about giving the audience the best experience he can. That work ethic hasn’t changed over the years, and it’s unlikely it ever will.

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Columbia Records exec and writer Paul Rappaport reminisced about Bruce Springsteen’s work ethic with a post on his blog in 2022. There, he recalled Springsteen giving everything he had to the tour. He also brought up Springsteen’s mention of “the business of the unexpected.”

“Bruce Springsteen was your friend, your confidant—he stood for everything you did and he was your voice, speaking your truth, and speaking it to millions of others who felt just like you,” Rappaport wrote.

He went on to describe working with Springsteen from the beginning, with the album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. as his first with Columbia Records. Rappaport was enticed by the music and writing, but it was Springsteen’s performances that truly captured him. They still do, if his gushing blog post is to be believed.

Bruce Springsteen’s Tour Attitude: “The Business of the Unexpected”

Rappaport explained Bruce Springsteen’s stage design, which included a 100 foot long mic cord so he could travel everywhere. From across the stage, into the audience, and further back to the sound board. Springsteen wasn’t just rehearsing, said Rappaport, he was directly influencing his sound design.

“I’d never seen such detailed attention to the control of the overall concert sound of a band by an artist like that before, and I’ve never seen it since,” wrote Rappaport.

Additionally, Springsteen often took time to meet people backstage. Even after grueling three hour shows, he gave everyone a bit of his time. Rappaport recalled that these meetings often went until one in the morning. From there, Springsteen would get a few hours of sleep, then get up to do it all again.

“In later years, at one concert after Bruce’s traditional three or four encores, he came backstage totally spent, dripping in sweat, yet looked from behind the stage curtain to see if any audience members were still standing and clapping,” Rappaport wrote. 

He continued, “Columbia’s then head of sales, Tom Donnarumma, was backstage as well. He looked at Bruce quizzically and said something like, ‘Gee whiz Bruce, you’ve already done way more than anyone would ever expect of you. Are you actually thinking about going out there again??’” 

Here, Springsteen imparted some wisdom on those gathered backstage, ultimately the secret to his work ethic. According to Rappaport, Springsteen said, “’Donnarumma, I’m in the business of the unexpected.’”

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)