Bruce Springsteen shows no-quit in Philly: 'No farewell tour for the E Street Band!'

The music world is full of farewell tours that seem to last forever.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ain't having it.

“We ain’t doing no farewell tour bull(blanking),” said Springsteen for the stage of Citizens Bank Park on Friday, Aug. 23. “Jesus Christ, no farewell tour for the E Street Band! Hell no! Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name? Yeah, I want to quit that!”

The crowd responded with a stadium-sized "Bruuuuce."

“That’s it, that's all it takes,” Springsteen quipped. “I ain’t going anywhere.”

The Springsteen state of the band address followed his Wednesday, Aug. 21 declaration from Philly that they ain’t quitting.

“We ain’t quittin’,” said Springsteen while introducing “Last Man Standing” from the band’s 2020 album “Letter to You.” “We ain’t stopping — what the (blank) for? Why do people stop?”

Up next is Sept. 7 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; Sept. 13 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore; and then Sept. 15 as part of the Sea Hear Now festival on the beach in Asbury Park.

Shows are scheduled through Nov. 22 of this year and there are four make-up dates scheduled for the summer of 2025 in Europe. Shows in Europe were postponed in May of this year due to Springsteen's “vocal issues” that arose after a May 22 performance at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England, in what fans called a chilly and rainy day.

More: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Philadelphia review: A concert with a message

More: Bruce Springsteen, during second night in Philly, talks about last year's illness

Shows were postponed last year, including two in Philly, due to Springsteen's bout with peptic ulcer disease. The Boss apologized to the Philly crowd for the postponement and thanked the crowd for their patience.

There have been discussions among fans about band's future in light of the postponements and the ages of the core members. Springsteen will turn 75 on Sept. 23. The statements from the stage at Citizens Bank Park have nixed that.

Also, echoes of setlists complaints seem distant. The nights in Philly seemed like two totally different concerts. “Atlantic City” and “Lonesome Day” opened Wednesday's concert with a degree of solemnity but “Working on the Highway,” “Spirit in the Night,” and “Hungry Heart,” which followed soon after, turned the proceedings into a party.

Springsteen interacted with audience members a bit more on Wednesday. It takes good camera work from Team Springsteen to show the interplay between the Boss and fans but it pays off by making the show seem more intimate.

The look on Springsteen's face when he received a small blow-up doll of a priest with his face superimposed on it from a fan was priceless. Alas, no divine intervention took place Wednesday or Friday — “If I Was the Priest” was not performed on either night.

Opener “Seeds” followed by scorching “Prove It All Night” lit a fire on Friday. “Reason to Believe,” “Atlantic City,” and “Long Walk Home,” worked well as a somber and stirring mid-set theme of hope among despair and “Wrecking Ball,” “The Rising” and “Badlands” provided another theme — this time of desolation followed by rejuvenation.

On a side note, singing “Wrecking Ball” with its references to the Giants and the Meadowlands on Wednesday and Friday in a Philly stadium in the eve of football season takes some guts. Springsteen was booed — not Bruuuced — both times. On Wednesday, he threw in a quick “Eagles” reference but on Friday, no such “Eagles” screen pass was attempted.

The Boss took the sack.

The show’s core theme of mortality and its motivational properties has remained central since the tour began 18 months ago in Tampa. Springsteen in both Philly shows spoke of the passing of George Theiss, his friend and bandmate from the '60s-era Freehold band the Castiles, in a mid-show monologue prior to “Last Man Standing” and “Backstreets,” and the closed both shows with a solo acoustic version of “I'll See you in my Dreams” that was both poignant and sweet.

Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered. They rocked Philadelphia into the ground.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bruce Springsteen shows no-quit in Philadelphia: 'No farewell tour!'