09-04-2025
Bruce Springsteen: My first UK gig was so bad I got PTSD
Bruce Springsteen has said his first concert in the UK was so bad that he got post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Grammy-winning American singer, 75, will appear in a new BBC documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of his 1975 Hammersmith Odeon gig.
In an interview for the film, titled When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, the Born in the USA star said he was so disappointed in his performance that he couldn't watch the footage back for more than 30 years.
Springsteen said: '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. 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… I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show!'
The singer, who was 26 at the time, performed at a sold-out Hammersmith Odeon – now the Eventim Apollo – with the E Street Band as part of the European premiere of the Born to Run album.
The singer, from New Jersey, said he had been dismayed to see posters at the venue which proclaimed 'Finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band' after his record label had billed him as the next Bob Dylan.
Fortunately, his second gig at the same venue one week later proved a triumph, but he did not return to the UK for another six years.
Elsewhere in the one-hour documentary, Springsteen recalled his first trip to Newcastle for his 1981 The River Tour, which also saw him perform for six nights in Wembley Arena.
'It was huge for us to go to Newcastle,' he said, adding: 'All I knew was, Newcastle – The Animals! I was one of the biggest Animals fans, and to this day still am.'
In the BBC Two programme, Springsteen also talks about his memories of first hearing a Beatles song and his 'love of all things British' in the 1960s.
Other musicians also feature, including the English musician Sting, the E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt and the singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel.
The programme celebrates Springsteen's UK tour last year and his awards, such as the highest honour at the Ivor Novello Awards – a fellowship of the songwriting academy.
The BBC documentary promises to 'lift the lid on his early visits to the UK,' according to Rachel Davies, the BBC Music commissioning editor.
She added: 'Bruce Springsteen is not only a global music icon, but he's an honorary Brit here in the UK. He's become one of our own.'
Springsteen, whose career has spanned six decades and included 21 studio albums as well as an Oscar, a Tony and 20 Grammys, became the first international star to receive the prestigious music fellowship.
He has also recently announced the release of seven new 'lost albums' of unreleased songs he has recorded over a 35-year period. Tracks II: The Lost Albums, to be released in June, includes 83 tracks recorded by Springsteen between 1983 and 2018.
When Bruce Springsteen Came To Britain will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in May.
