Milan 3.7 2025 #SpringsteenTour2025

After a couple of slower-paced days filled with gelato, sightseeing, and the book signing, Thursday arrived—Show Day! To this day, I always get butterflies in my stomach when it’s finally time for a concert. This one felt especially charged: the second Milan night and the last show of the tour.

Since Sunday, we’d been trying to meet up with Kim and her husband Pete from the US. I’ve known Kim online for probably ten years, but we’d never met in person. Somehow, we always seemed to be in different places. When we were at the Duomo, they were at Stazione Centrale, and so on. But finally, on show day, we found a window that worked. We met for a coffee by the Duomo, and it was really lovely to catch up at last. Funny how easy it can feel to talk to someone you’ve never actually met before.

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From the Duomo, we took the metro to San Siro Stadio and it was hotter than hot on the asphalt area in front of the stadium again. On the way to a restaurant, we passed the merch stand and spotted a San Siro concert T-shirt, this time in black, instead of the disappointing baby blue version they had on Monday. Of course, I had to buy one. We had a pizza at Al Meazza Ristorante Pizzeria (after this trip, I might need a full-on pizza detox). Just as our food arrived, Werner showed up and joined us.

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The big question on everyone’s lips was still whether this show would be different since it was the last of the tour (and maybe the last ever in this constellation). Oliver and I had both said it was better not to expect too much, lower expectations meant less chance of disappointment. But I think we both secretly hoped for something special, something one of a kind.

We already knew the Italian fan club, ourloveisreal.it had planned a choreo, and sure enough, as we entered the stadium, we were handed scarves that said “Our love is real” and were told to hold them up as the show started. The scarves were either blue or yellow, and once the band entered the stage they created a beautiful sea of colour. At the same time, a massive mosaic appeared in the stands with the words “See me in your dreams.” Pretty impressive and clearly a result of a lot of work and dedication by the organisers, ourloveisreal (Instagram)

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pinkcadillacmusic (Instagram)

From the very first note, I felt an energy in the crowd that just hadn’t been there on Monday. My Love Will Not Let You Down is such a strong opener and by the end of it, I was already drenched in sweat. At the close of the song, Bruce stopped the band and let the crowd sing along.

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Next came Prove It All Night (for the second time on this leg) and then Darkness on the Edge of Town. These are great songs to have early in the set because everyone knows them and the whole stadium sings along. Bruce then moved into the speech introducing the Land of Hope and Dreams tour and followed it with the title track.

One of the strongest sequences of the night was Because the Night, Wrecking Ball, The Rising, and then Badlands. When Badlands kicked in, it felt like the whole stadium (and my chest) exploded. I was so warm, not just from the heat and the constant movement, but from the sheer energy all around me. It was one of those moments when everything hits at once: sound, lights, crowd and emotion.

One of the many fun things about this tour has been running into familiar faces again and again. We’ve met Eelco and Jetske from the Netherlands at several shows. Eelco is even taller than Oliver so they always manage to spot each other over the sea of heads, even if we’re standing far apart. Somewhere along the way, it became a bit of an inside joke that Oliver never really waves his arm during Bobby Jean, like everyone else does. On the first show in Milan, they were standing on opposite sides of the pit, and during Bobby Jean, they locked eyes and when Oliver finally gave in and waved, they both laughed so hard. This night in Milan, we were standing a bit closer, and Jetske managed to snap a funny photo of them both waving away, Oliver with the blue banner from the choreo tied around his wrist.

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We’d heard rumours that a concert film was in the works, and it certainly looked and felt like Milan was being recorded for something bigger. Since Marseille, there had been an extra camera at the back of the pit, apparently to “practice” filming, and in Milan there were two more added at the front. There was also a guy with a portable camera roaming the pit, filming crowd reactions and close-ups. After the show, credits rolled on the big screens, just like in a movie. That might also explain why the band wore identical outfits both nights.

It is, in a way, pretty cool to maybe be part of something that’ll end up on screen but I do wonder if the filming added to the sense of things being controlled. It might also be the reason to why Stevie showed up for the first Milan show, even though it was obvious he wasn’t really well enough to be there. If they were filming, it probably was important that the whole band was on stage both nights to have more footage to choose from when they edit.

There’s no doubt the atmosphere at San Siro was incredible. It was charged, emotional and loud. From the start, the crowd gave everything: singing, jumping, holding up scarves, creating a beautiful choreo, and yet, as the show went on, I couldn’t shake a small feeling of disappointment. Yes, Rockin’ All Over the World was a fun addition, but apart from that, it was more or less business as usual. For the final night of such a long tour, I think many of us had quietly hoped for something more, something unique. Maybe a rare song, a spoken thank you or some words to the fans who’ve followed him across cities and countries since 2023. We got none of that. No Jungleland, no Incident, not even a switch from Bobby Jean to Glory Days. Still, the show had its highs; the crowd, the noise, the emotion and I’m grateful I was there. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t leave me wishing for just a little more.

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This tour has given me so much, but what I’ll remember most isn’t just the music, it’s the people. I’ve been on the outskirts of the Springsteen community since 2012, back then on Twitter, and in 2013 I got the chance to meet many of the people had ”talked to” on social media in real life at a big pre-show party in London. That was my first show abroad. But it wasn’t until this tour ”The World Tour 2023-2025” that I truly went international, thanks to Oliver and also thanks to Oliver (and this blog), I’ve met even more people, each with their own story, and that has been the real treat. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are amazing but just as amazing is the community that surrounds them. People from all over the world, bonding over a shared passion, enduring heat, cold, rain, dehydration, and toilets with no paper, sharing meals, drinks, and memories. Some of those people have become real friends (you know who you are). I feel lucky to be a small part of it.

That said, life doesn’t stop here, there’s more to come. Oliver and I already have a few shows lined up; Guns N’ Roses in Warsaw next weekend and Robbie Williams in Munich a few weeks later and White Buffalo in Hamburg. We’re also keeping an eye out for new acts and new bands to follow. It’s a fun way to keep travelling and discovering new places. I’ll keep sharing our adventures here and I hope some of you will keep reading, even if Bruce isn’t always the main focus.

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Setlist

1. My Love Will Not Let You Down
2. Prove It All Night
3. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
4. Land Of Hope And Dreams
5. Death To My Hometown
6. Rainmaker
7. The Promised Land
8. Hungry Heart
9. My Hometown
10. The River
11. Youngstown
12. Murder Incorporated
13. Long Walk Home
14. House Of A Thousand Guitars
15. My City Of Ruins
16. Because The Night
17. Wrecking Ball
18. The Rising
19. Badlands
20. Thunder Road
21. Born In The U.S.A.
22. Born To Run
23. Bobby Jean
24. Dancing In The Dark
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
26. Twist And Shout
27. Chimes Of Freedom
28. Rockin’ All Over The World