New BBC film to mark the anniversary of The Boss’s first British gig in 1975 reveals his deep dismay over a ‘terrible’ UK debut but also how much he loved our country and the fans
Bruce Springsteen will mark the 50th anniversary of his first UK gig with a new BBC documentary in which he explains how the concert was a huge disappointment.The 26-year-old arrived in London with the E Street Band in November 1975 to give new album Born to Run its European premiere with a sold-out performance at the Hammersmith Odeon.
The concert had been heavily hyped by Springsteen’s record company, who were keen to sell him as the new Bob Dylan, but he found the pressure too much to bear, tearing down posters declaring: “Finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band.”
In a new interview for BBC2’s When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, The Boss, from New Jersey, admits he was so dismayed by his own performance during his UK debut that he couldn’t watch the footage back for over 30 years. Bruce, 75, says: “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.
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“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.” And he concludes: “I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show.” Happily for him, a second gig at the same venue a week later went far better, but Springsteen did not return to the UK again for six years. In 1981 he came back for The River Tour, which took him all over the country to venues including Edinburgh, Birmingham, Stafford and London’s Wembley Arena.
Springsteen particularly recalls his first visit to Newcastle, saying: “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.” He also recalls enjoying Brighton, because it reminded him of home. “I remember it very, very well because it was seaside – we said, ‘Oh man, this is a little bit like Asbury Park’.”
Film-maker 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”.
The hour-long BBC2 special will air in May containing many never-heard-before stories from the man himself, on a night dedicated to programming about Springsteen. Fans will hear him talk about his vivid memories of first hearing a Beatles song, which inspired him to buy his first guitar, and his love of all things British in the 1960s.
Featuring archive footage spanning more than half a century from the 1970s to the 2020s, the film will feature many stories from fans who feel that hearing, and in some cases meeting, the rocker changed their lives. These include Juliana Heron, the wife of a striking miner, who received a cheque from Springsteen towards their struggling community’s funds.
Also chronicled in the “two-way love affair” is the Born in The USA tour of 1985, which saw Springsteen playing huge outdoor venues for the first time. And the story reaches all the way to last year, with Springsteen’s triumphant 2024 UK tour which coincided with his becoming a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, an honour which he is the first overseas songwriter to land.
It also has contributions from stars including pals and fellow songwriters Sting, Peter Gabriel and bandmate Stevie Van Zandt plus fans Sir Michael Palin and Rob Brydon. There are also thoughts from promoter Harvey Goldsmith – who booked Bruce for the Hammersmith show – and his legendary manager and producer Jon Landau.
Springsteen has sold a total of 135million albums worldwide, with half going to buyers in the US and around 15million to UK fans. Born in the USA was the first to reach the number one slot here in 1984, remaining in the British charts for two and a half years. Eleven more number one albums would follow, the most recent being 2020’s Letter to You, which made him the first solo artist to achieve a UK number one album in five consecutive decades. Springsteen has conducted 11 official UK tours, including the one later this year in Manchester and Liverpool.
The BBC2 night to mark the star’s UK debut will include the gig recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on November 18 1975, which was later released in 2006 as the band’s fourth live album. There will also be a new episode of Bruce Springsteen at the BBC, featuring a compilation of his performances since the 70s on TV shows including The Old Grey Whistle Test, Top of the Pops, and BBC Four sessions.
BBC Music commissioning editor Rachel Davies said: “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.”
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