Illness sidelines Springsteen tour as 3 concerts postponed

SOUTH AMBOY, N.J. (AP) — Bruce Springsteen’s show Tuesday in Albany has become the third concert in a week postponed by the New Jersey rocker citing illness reasons, a month into his first major tour in six years.

“The Boss,” as he is known to his fans, also gave himself and his E Street Band sick days last Thursday when they were to have performed in Columbus, Ohio, and again for a concert planned Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Details were lacking in Springsteen’s social media posts, including a Twitter feed which blamed the latest postponement on illness without specifying who was ill or what kind of illness was involve.

It merely said: “Due to illness, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s concert at MVP Arena in Albany on Tuesday, March 14 has been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show.”

The postponement notice made no mention of the major winter storm set to hit Albany late Monday.

Springsteen, 73, began the tour on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida, before 20,000 fans who mostly stood through the 28-song arena show that included staples like “Born to Run,” “Glory Days,” “Rosalita,” “Promised Land” and “Backstreets.”

In a story last month that began “COVID has come to E Street,” the Asbury Park Press reported that E Street Band members Little Steven Van Zandt and Soozie Tyrell missed a Feb. 10 show in Dallas.

The newspaper, quoting one of the show spectators, said Springsteen from the stage blamed their absences on COVID-19.

In his Twitter feed at the time, Van Zandt answered a fan who asked why he missed the show with: “Sorry folks. Covid.”

He added that he had “a very mild case,” crediting his vaccines and adding: “No real danger or damage.” He returned to the tour soon afterward.

On Saturday, Van Zandt posted an encouraging message about the concert postponements on Twitter, saying: “No need to be anxious or afraid. Nothing serious. Just a temporary situation. We will all be back in full force very soon.”

The setbacks come several months after Springsteen released his latest album, “Only the Strong Survive,” in November.

The famed musician has sold about 140 million albums while winning 20 Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony award in a career that has spanned all or parts of six decades.

The first leg of his U.S. tour was to end with a homecoming April 14 in New Jersey before he was to go abroad for dates starting with an April 28 show in Barcelona, Spain. Then, he was to return for more U.S. concert dates this summer, including at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and other dates into December.

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