🚌 Saying Goodbye & Arriving in San Sebastián
As I mentioned in my last post, Oliver had to head back to Cologne and work, but he persuaded me to stay. So, after a bittersweet goodbye, I caught the bus from Bilbao to San Sebastián. It’s only about an hour and twenty minutes and the road winds its way through the green hills. It’s scenic and beautiful but also a bit of a challenge if you, like me, try to finish a blog post while battling mild motion sickness.
🍽 Good Food & Familiar Faces
On Sunday evening, I had the pleasure of being invited to dinner by my friends Alex and Andreas, together with Fleur and Ros. Fleur had heard about La Viña, a restaurant known not just for its food, but for serving what’s rumoured to be one of the best cheesecakes around. When we arrived, the hype was real. A long line stretched out onto the street, filled with people hoping to grab a slice of their famous tarta de queso. We, however, were there for the full experience, so we ordered a beer and waited for the kitchen to open. While we stood outside, an American guy came out with a slice and asked me to film him trying it for the first time. Of course I said yes. (You can see the video [here].) Once inside, we had a really lovely evening, good food, lots of laughter and swapping of stories.
The next morning, after the first Roll Call, I met up with Alex and Andreas again. They were in search of breakfast and had found a nice café, Simona Speciality Coffe Club, right across from the ”Bruce Hotel”. For fun, we snapped a few photos from a distance, no stalking intentions, I promise. But still… if you look really close, are you sure that’s not Bruce hiding behind the curtain in the open window up in the tower?
Later that day, I climbed the steps up to Monte Urgull to check out the statue and enjoy the view. It was warm and I was definitely sweaty by the time I reached the top but it was worth it. The statue up there is called El Sagrado Corazón (“Sacred Heart”) and has been blessing the city since 1950. It stands over 12 metres tall, and with the chapel underneath, the whole thing is more than 24 metres high. It’s one of the symbols of the city.
🔥 Bonfires & Breaking News
In the evening, our last night before the concert, I went out to eat again, this time in Bodega Donostiarra and the food was to die for. I had tuna, and it was absolute heaven. The dessert, a kind of French toast, was also outstanding. Alex and Andreas enjoyed their food just as much, and I was so grateful to them for letting me tag along once again.
Later, we walked down to the beach and saw it dotted with bonfires. The air was thick with smoke. We learned that June 23rd is Noche de San Juan, or Saint John’s Eve, a traditional celebration to welcome the summer solstice. People light fires, toss in something old they want to leave behind, and jump over the flames to symbolise a fresh start.
On that same evening we got the news that guitarist (and musical director) Stevie Van Zandt had been taken to the hospital with appendicitis and had his appendix removed. It was big news and, at the last Roll Call, all people could talk about. We were, of course, curious to see if the setlist would change because of his absence.
🎟 Show Day & Queue Life
On show day, I moved in with Norbert and Rainer for one night. We had booked so late that it was hard to find anything else at a reasonable price, and both of them, two sweet Bruce acquaintances, were kind enough to take me in.
What better way to ease into solo show life than by jumping into the Roll Call circus? I had number 503 and landed in a little cluster of mostly Spanish fans, friendly, but not too keen on speaking English. Jaime, number 501, was the one who spoke to me a little.
Before the final Roll Call (16:00), the one where we had to stay put, I managed to squeeze in a few things: I went to the barber, took the bus to the old town for some lunch, walked along the beach a bit, and then headed back to the apartment to rest. The weather was sunny and pushing 32°, so I was fully expecting the five hours in line to be a bit of a challenge. I chatted with a very nice couple from the Netherlands. When the heat peaked in the afternoon, the man bought me a cold beer, completely unprompted. It saved my day. I forgot to ask their names, but I won’t forget the gesture.
🍪 Cookie Monster
While waiting around in the line, you always meet new people and sometimes even unexpected celebrities. At one of the Roll Calls, I suddenly recognised The Cookie Monster. Not the real one, of course, but a bright blue Cookie Monster backpack that I’ve seen many times on the big screen when the cameras show the crowd. His humans, Susanne and Michael from Munich, told me he first came along in 2023, and his second show was actually in my hometown, Gothenburg. They noticed he looked great on screen, and while they’re quick to say it’s all about Cookie, I think they also enjoy the bit of attention he brings their way. Naturally, I had to get a photo.
🎤 The Show
Well, that turned out to be quite a night! The start of the show followed the usual routine. It was solid and I had a good spot, sixth row dead centre just behind my friends. Some songs in we could feel a few raindrops and then, at the beginning of Land of a Thousand Guitars, a huge flash of lightning lit up the sky and Bruce suddenly stopped and said we needed to take a break for the storm. The band left the stage and the crew hurried to cover the gear.
At first it was just a light rain, which actually felt great after I’d been toasted by the heat all day. Then it suddenly the sky opened up and it was pouring down. Mixed with the rain were hail, small pieces of ice, that even hurt a little when one smacked you on the head or on the back.
I had left my rain poncho in the apartment (rookie mistake) with the lovely weather earlier in the day, I never thought I’d need it. I was soaked to the underwear, no exaggeration. A kind woman behind me offered to take care of my phone when it really started coming down, which was such a relief. Security had us step back from the rail for safety. At one point Bruce came up at the back of the stage, waved and cheered us on.
After the break, Bruce seemed determined to get us warmed up and to match us. He mixed up the setlist and went to his sponge several times to wet himself down and kept coming down to the podium to be close to the crowd. At one point, he spotted a souvenir bottle (whiskey, maybe?) asked for it to be handed over, drank quite a lot, and tossed the rest over the audience.
With Stevie absent due to illness, Nils covered the extra guitar parts, including the little “guitar talk” in Thunder Road. Aside from a couple of minor slips, the band held it together well. Even Gary joined in on some classic Stevie parts, for example the traditional guitar-raising bit during My Love Will Not Let You Down.
The funniest moment came during the band intro in the beginning of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Bruce forgot to introduce Max Weinberg, probably because they had made some changes on stage. At the start of the next song, Twist and Shout, I saw Nils whisper something to Bruce and Bruce quickly corrected himself: “…and the mighty Max Weinberg!” The crowd loved it.
Compared to the printed setlist, a few changes were made after the break. My City of Ruins was dropped and replaced with Growin’ Up (my first time live), My Love Will Not Let You Down, Darlington County and Working on the Highway. Things got back on track with I’m on Fire (which was also soundchecked) and the only other addition later in the set was Glory Days in the encore.
It really felt like two different shows, one before the storm and another after. Overall, it was a great night, packed with energy and surprises. Roll calling is fun and definitely adds to the experience, but it’s also hard work: you’re tied to the schedule, and there’s a lot of waiting before you get your reward.
Norbert and Rainer had picked up ham, cheese, baguettes and some cold beer, so after the show we had a little late-night feast in the apartment. Falk had joined us too. We were tired but still on a high as we were trying to comprehend what we just had experienced before heading off to bed. A perfect end to a wild and memorable day.
Now it’s back to Cologne for a quick reset with Oliver and to do some laundry before we drive to Gelsenkirchen on Friday for the next show. See you further on up the road!
Setlist
- Lonesome Day
- Prove It All Night
- Land Of Hope And Dreams
- Death To My Hometown
- No Surrender
- Rainmaker
- Atlantic City
- The Promised Land
- Hungry Heart
- My Hometown
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- Long Walk Home
- House Of A Thousand Guitars
- Growin’ Up ** Solo Electric **
- My Love Will Not Let You Down
- Darlington County
- Working On The Highway
- I’m On Fire
- Because The Night
- Wrecking Ball
- The Rising
- Badlands
- Thunder Road
- Born In The U.S.A.
- Born To Run
- Bobby Jean
- Glory Days
- Dancing In The Dark
- Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
- Twist And Shout
- Chimes Of Freedom
Stray Bullet 
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