Famed American rocker Bruce Springsteen declared he was here to stay after unfounded rumors began swirling that he and his E Street Band were embarking on a "farewell tour."
During one of his shows at the Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 23, the "Glory Days" singer didn't mince words when he told his adoring crowd:
“We’ve been around for fifty f*cking years, and we ain’t quitting!”
You can watch a viral clip of him asserting that he's tougher than the rest, here.
The 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who is also known as one of the greatest artists of all time, continued:
“We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullsh*t. Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for The E Street Band! Hell no."
"Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name? Yeah, I wanna quit that!"
He concluded with:
"That’s it. That’s all it takes. I ain’t going anywhere.”
Fans were not about to settle for nonsense like a "farewell tour" from such an American institution.
His world tour with the E Street Band resumed in March after some dates had to be postponed due to his recovery from peptic ulcer disease.
Springsteen is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. He's been referred to as a "rock 'n' roll poet" who "[radiates] working-class authenticity."
He is also a pioneer of heartland rock, a genre of music conveying themes resonating with the working class through socially conscious lyrics, starting with his breakthrough album in 1975, Born to Run, followed by Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and The River (1980).
He reached mainstream success with 1984's Born in the U.S.A., with songs containing anthemic lyrics advocating for the rights of common working-class citizens. The album, which he recorded with the E Street Band, spawned seven hit singles, including the title track, that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
The artist continued releasing albums without the E Street Band, swapping them out for session musicians before reuniting with his bandmates on the 1995 Greatest Hits album.
In 2002, Springsteen released The Rising, which he dedicated to the victims who perished in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The early 2000s saw the release of folk albums Devils & Dust (2005) and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006), and two more albums with the E Street Band, Magic (2007) and Working on a Dream (2009).
He continued topping the charts with the next two albums, Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014).
In 2017, 2018, and 2021, he performed the critically acclaimed show Springsteen on Broadway, his concert residency at the Walter Kerr Theatre and St. James Theatre in New York City. The shows featured him solo performing his music on piano and guitar while sharing stories from his 2016 autobiography Born to Run.
Showing no signs of slowing down, he released the 2019 solo album Western Stars and the 2020 album with the E Street Band, Letter to You.
His more recent record was a solo covers album, 2022's Only the Strong Survive.
Springsteen has sold 71 million albums in the U.S. and over 140 million worldwide and has won 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Special Tony Award.
If he said he's sticking around, he's definitely here to say.
After all, who is anyone to question the Boss?
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