Bruce Springsteen has claimed he “had PTSD” from his first concert in the UK.
The Boss is marking the 50th anniversary of his first-ever gig on British soul with a new documentary and has recalled how “embarrassed” her was by the performance he and the E Street Band gave on November 18, 1975, at the Hammersmith Odeon (now the Apollo).
Speaking on BBC2’s upcoming documentary ‘When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain’, he recounted: “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.
“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.”
The ‘Born to Run’ hitmaker admitted: “I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show.”
Fortunately, Springsteen had another concert at the venue days later that was significantly better.
However, he wouldn’t play the UK again until 1981 on ‘The River Tour’.
Springsteen, 75, also fondly reminiscences about his first time in Newcastle.
He said: “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.”
And the ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ hitmaker remarked about his Brighton show: “I remember it very, very well because it was seaside – we said, ‘Oh man, this is a little bit like Asbury Park’.”
The hour-long documentary is set to air in May and will feature never-before-seen footage and special appearances from Sting, Peter Gabriel and his E Street Band member Stevie Van Zandt.
Filmmaker Mark Robinson, of Wise Owl Films, said: “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.”
Fans can expect a whole evening of content, including the Hammersmith Odeon gig, plus a new episode of ‘Bruce Springsteen at the BBC’, featuring his performances from TV shows ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’, ‘Top of the Pops’, and BBC Four sessions.
BBC Music commissioning editor Rachel Davies commented: “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! We know BBC viewers will love watching this film, which lifts the lid on his early visits to the UK with a world exclusive new interview, as well as some great insight from those that have been hugely impacted by him and his music. We’re looking forward to celebrating Bruce all night on BBC2 with a new compilation of his most loved hits and one of his all-time classic live performances.”