Setlist of the Bruce Springsteen Philadelphia concert at Citizens Bank Park

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band finally made it back to Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night, eight years after their last performance at the Phillies’ stadium and almost a year to the day after two 2023 shows were postponed at the last minute due to Springsteen’s stomach ulcer.

“Philly!” Springsteen yelled as he took the stage, his black tie pulled tight around his neck, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, ready to work at the unfashionably early hour of 7:34 p.m.

From there, he began with a selection that spoke to both Philly and the New Jersey coast: “Atlantic City” from 1982 Nebraskain a rough arrangement for the whole band. The first lyric that came out of his mouth was one of his most famous: “Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night, and they blew up his house, too.” (The Chicken Man, by the way, was Philadelphia gangster Philip Testa, who died in an explosion in South Philly in 1981.)

This set in motion a typically majestic Springsteen marathon, a three-hour, ten-minute, 30-song party that began with another Philly favorite, “Spirit in the Night,” which had a gospel twist, was mood-lifting, and was delightfully cheesy.

“We came all the way from Central Jersey,” he said, announcing the 1973 song. Greetings from Asbury Parkin full preacher mode. “A full 90-minute car ride! Just to ask you the question: Can you feel the Spirit?”

Anyone could. “Youngstown” was delivered with furnace heat — and Springsteen bathed in red light — with a showcase for Nils Lofgren’s blistering guitar work and Charles Giordano’s accordion. A cover of the Commodores’ “Nightshift” was a vocal showcase for Springsteen along with his four backing singers: Curtis Kingston, Ada Dyer, Lisa Lowell and Michelle Moore. Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, was absent on Wednesday.

On the truth-seeking song “Promised Land,” Steve Van Zandt handed his guitar first to Jake Clemons’ saxophone and then to Springsteen’s harmonica as he strode along the front of the stage, vowing to “blow away the lies that leave you lost and heartbroken.”

Springsteen was in full swing at the local ball club’s stadium, whose name glowed on the giant scoreboard to his right. He went back to 1973 and played “E Street Shuffle” by The Wild, Innocent & E Street Shuffleand the night was lit by flashlights from cell phones showing the wonderfully sad “Streets of Philadelphia” from Jonathan Demme’s 1993 AIDS drama.

The encore in the lighted hall began with “Born to Run” and the show ended with Springsteen alone on stage. He apologized for last year’s postponement – “it took a while, but we did it” – and then thanked his Philly fans for their loyalty. He then accompanied himself on guitar for “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” one of his many meditations on mortality from 2020. Letter to you.

Here is the setlist for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, August 21, 2024. A full review will be posted Thursday. Springsteen and the E Street Band return to Citizens Bank Park on Friday.

“Atlantic City”

“Lonely Day”

“Night”

“No surrender”

“Ghosts”

“Working on the highway”

“Promised Land”

“Ghost in the Night”

“Hungry Heart”

“Youngstown”

“Long way home”

“The E Street Shuffle”

“Night shift”

“Streets of Philadelphia”

“Racing on the road”

“The Last Survivor”

“Back alleys”

“Because the night”

“She is the one”

“Wrecking ball”

“The Uprising”

“Wasteland”

“Thunder Street”

Encore

“Born to run”

“Rosalita (Come out tonight)”

“Bobby Jean”

“Dancing in the Dark”

“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” – Nightfall

“Spinning and screaming”

Second encore

“I will see you in my dreams”