Monza 25.07.2023 #SpringsteenTour2023

The Milan (and Monza) area was battered by severe thunderstorms on Monday and early Tuesday (the show day), resulting in a large numbers of trees falling over streets and even causing the deaths of a 58-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl. They even considered cancelling the concert, but extra park workers were working the whole day clearing the concert area, the historic Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

We were sleeping safely in our hotel in Milan when we heard the storm hit the city. Later we were woken up by a bright spotlight, a kind of an emergency light, which was impossible to turn off. It was pointed directly at our bed making it hard to sleep (first world problem, I know). Later on that day, when we walked towards the shuttle pick-up point, we saw the mess the storm has caused in central Milan.

Yes, I did mention a shuttle. We were far better prepared for this adventure than for Hockenheim. Oliver had connected beforehand with some fellow Springsteen fans on BTX, who were willing to share the cost of a shuttle that would take us to and from the concert. At about 3pm the seven of us set off towards the venue. We were dropped off in a small village close to the site and then we walked the rest of the way. After a while we reached a large field with food and beer stalls and a lot of people. The longest queues were at the stalls where you bought tokens, since you couldn’t pay with cash or cards.

Admittance was a bit chaotic for us since we could only find the entrance where everyone was admitted (no matter what kind of ticket) and the line was quickly getting very long. However, it was a warm and sunny day and there was a lovely smell of grass and mint (?) from the ground. Eventually we reached the gates, where we had to show both our tickets and our IDs.

Springsteen kicked off the show with an explosive performance of No Surrender. The atmosphere was charged with noticeable excitement and even as far back as we were standing in Pit A people around us were singing and dancing.

In the River the crowd erupted into a unified sing-along. It is always a spine-tingling moment to hear the voices of around 70.000 people singing at the same time.

Check this drone view to get an idea of what 70.000 people look like.

It was yet another standard playlist, executed as professionally and as energetic as always. The only change came at the end where Twist and Shout was thrown in. Before the show was over, Bruce thanked the Italian fans and promised to come back. By then we were already on our way out of the arena towards the pick-up point, which we reached without difficulty. I’ve read later that it had been pretty chaotic getting out and away for other people (just like we experienced in Hockenheim). I wonder if it really is a good idea to use race tracks or flat fields in the middle of nowhere without proper logistics for concerts as big as these.

This was the last Euro show of this leg. There are rumours of more shows being announced for 2024, but for now they are just rumours. Bruce and the band will have a short break before they continue playing in North America. It’s a leg that stretches through the autumn and ends in San Fransisco on December 12.

For us this concert summer is over and we’ll head home. In my next blog post I’ll summarise the whole #SpringsteenTour2023 adventure and have a look at what’s next on the agenda for us.