‘Bruce Springsteen is like a church’ – The Boss superfans can’t wait for Dublin gigs

Mark Carter, from Dublin 4, has been a fan of Bruce’s music since he first heard the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town as a teenager.

He has flown back from seeing the gig in Barcelona to attend all three concerts here, starting tonight, followed by Sunday, May 7 and Tuesday, May 9.

“Barcelona was awesome, it’s probably the best crowd in the world, it’s exceptional,” he said.

“I’ve probably seen him about nine times in Barcelona, they’ve always been fantastic concerts. They’re passionate, hard to describe.

“I first saw him in Slane, he’s played 28 shows here over the years and I figured out I’ve been to 24 of them.

“I’ve two friends that have been to 27 of them. I saw him a good few times abroad, more than in Ireland.

“I think Springsteen recognises there’s certain places where the crowds are very special.

“I’ve met him and his wife before and we chatted about Ireland. He loves Ireland on a personal level as well as professionally.”

As he lives around the RDS, Mark will be chatting to other fans going to the concerts and soaking up the atmosphere ahead of each gig.

“In terms of delivering night after night, he’s 73 years of age, his shows last weekend were three hours long. His amount of energy is remarkable, his voice is still in good shape too,” he said.

“I don’t just enjoy the concerts; I love the camaraderie at the gigs. The craic as well as the music. Bruce fans are very special people.

“I think his music is very honest and passionate. He’s one of the greatest rock and rollers ever. He’s been doing it since the late 1960s. He’s produced some of the greatest songs ever made.

“When you get older you have a lot of memories of gigs and you think back to what happened, certain songs, certain situations, certain relationships, travelling.

“For people who don’t go to church, somebody like Bruce Springsteen is their church.”

Meanwhile, Brendan Quinn (21), from Artane, accidentally became a Bruce fan after he was “dragged to a concert” by his mother in 2016.

“I had no interest in seeing him in Croke Park the last time he was here. My mam got tickets last minute and she dragged me along,” he said.

“I enjoyed the concert and since then, I started listening to his early albums. Now, I’m head over heels, a die-hard fan.

“I’m going to all three shows in Dublin, as well as heading off Sunday week to see him in Paris, followed by Ferrara and finally Rome.

“I’m hoping to get to see him in Hyde Park in London in July too, but don’t know whether I’ll be able to afford that one yet.

“I don’t find the same kind of heart in today’s music. I could talk about Bruce for hours; I love his lyrics. There’s something very relatable there.

“I’m 21, I grew up in Dublin, an ocean away from New Jersey, I’m a fraction of Bruce’s age. There’s something relatable, particularly his first four or five albums. There’s a yearning, a desperation in them.

“Young people now, the prospects for our future in Ireland aren’t amazing. I think it has parallels in an album like Born to Run, where there’s this desperation to get out of the small town and see the world, even if you don’t know how you’re going to do it.

“I’m constantly being slagged for my taste in music. My friends would say I’ve an ‘auld fellas’ taste in music, but the truth is, Bruce has become a big part of my life over the past seven years or so.

“I’ve been desperately waiting since then to see him and it’s finally happening,” he said.