TheMercenary
Ancient Mariner
Bruce in 1994. 
OutwardFeller
Nomad
I was about to see Springsteen in Prague last Tuesday... I think that rescheduling the show won´t happen as I look on his tour shcedule.
Anyways, both Bruces are doing the right thing for themselves!
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Bruce Springsteen has already rescheduled the Prague and Marseille gigs (new dates in 2025).
JUNE 15, 2025 - PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC @ AIRPORT LETNANY (Originally May 28, 2024) - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND | Bruce Springsteen
It’s the spectacular return of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - live in Prague at the Airport Letnany on 15-June, 2025
brucespringsteen.net
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
SixesAlltheway
Ancient Mariner
"When was this guitar made, let me just check. OK it's later than 1968 definitely"
Iron Lurker
Ancient Mariner
Bruce has had just about enough of himself and is about to kick himself out of his own band. That will show him.
And yeah, I think he just posted here instead of the Blaze thread by mistake too.
CA Bryers
Ancient Mariner
Dammit, I did mean to post it there. Must've been bouncing through my thread notifications and thought I'd landed on the Blaze one. Schmuck I am!!!
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
What if the original press release was badly photoshopped?
Yes, absolutely. We may also get some photos soon of him recovering and getting better with one of his hobbies, aviation, and one of those popular modern mini aircrafts.
Looking at the venue's Facebook page it appears to have just been a meet & greet/general hangout.
Spambot
Meme Lord
On the first day of June I've attended pilgrimage to the altar of Holy Trinity (Mandrake denim vest, Mandrake T-shirt and Mandrake beanie) and bowed before of our Bruceus Bruceus in the ancient city of Buda&Pest.
It was a good gig.
The whole trip to Budapest was amazing, and the gig wasn't the main event for me. Maybe that's the reason why I came without expectations and had a good time. Speaking of Budapest, I'd highly recommend it: rich history, good cuisine, interesting nightlife, phenomenal public transport and reasonable prices. We've spent almost four days there, and I still have a feeling we missed out a lot.
Bruce was in a good mood, that argument that came here where people discussed Bruce is on a much higher level on his own gigs than on Maiden's - it's bollocks. Unfortunately, his voice didn't accompany his energy on stage. Right after the first song, I saw him going behind, turning his back to the audience and blowing his nose. Shortened setlist it is. (funnily enough, during the gig I went on setlist.fm to check something from previous gigs and noticed the whole setlist was already online, and we were only four or five songs in!)
House Band of Hell looked fun. Dave Moreno is really energetic, Mysteria is (sometimes a bit much) on the cheesy side, Naslund and Leclerq were locked good (Leclerq sounded good, but I had a feeling Naslund is miles above him in terms of playing and stage presence. IDK why I thought that, but I had that feeling afterward) and Tanya was professional (my wife later told me that, while taking pictures, more people zoomed on her than on Bruce, kinda ungrateful position). Considering circumstances how this band came to be, I say the result is amazing. They all seemed like they had fun on stage individually, yet there was a feeling of synergy, too. This is a stupid, and a bit unfair thing to say but - they looked more like a band than British Lion.
The audience really seemed to be enjoying themselves, although they had a subtle way of showing it. During the gig, I was all around the place and noticed people were really into it, but except the first couple of rows, there wasn't "excessive energy" around. It could be that's how usually audience behave in Hungary, or I've expected the last rows to jump and clap because that's how it goes on Maiden gig (which is a bit unrealistic) but it could've been due to the place. Speaking of the place...
The venue where Bruce played, Barba Negra, is a bit out of the city center, and although we got there relatively quick, you realize you're in the middle of nowhere. I've been to the gigs that are outback-ish, or in industrial zones, or in suburbs etc. But the whole area surrounding Barba Negra felt a bit... poor. The venue is actually OK. It's a big hangar with it's back open (I guess they close it in the winter). But continued on that is an area with stands located in three different places (merch, drinks, food). There were also bars on the inside (by the sides and one big in the middle, thumbs up for that). Also, there was another big tent opposite of the hangar, and I guess there was some other event happening there. So, people watered-down all over the place since you could see the stage from any of the area. Yet it didn't feel like a open-air gig, since the stage itself was inside a hangar. So it was neither an intimate indoor gig, nor it felt like a festival experience. Which is a shame, because I've read there are much better, same-sized places in Budapest where the gig could be held. But I guess this one is most profitable for the promoter (later this month Megadeth and Corey Taylor Swift are also playing there).
Beer was good, not that expensive, and lines weren't long. Merch was expensive, but I guess that has become a standard in the last two years on live gigs. I didn't see much people walking around in Mandrake merchandise (46 euros for T-shirt, around 25 euros for beanie and over 70 euros for hoodie). Another weird thing was the schedule: doors opened at 6 PM, opening band (which were embarrassing) were at 7 PM and Bruce at 8 PM (mind you, the schedule was known days in advance, before anybody knew he would be sick). So, when Bruce said "Thank you Budapst, see you again real soon!" it wasn't even 10 PM, and we were already at the exit. Which wasn't a problem since public transport is great and night-life interesting in Budapest, but for somebody whose prime (or only) goal was Bruce's gig - it was a bit early to end the night.
Setlist
Right after encore, Bruce admitted he had laryngitis, and he had second thoughts about singing tonight, but decided to give it a go since he had good memories from Hungary. It didn't look like sucking up to the audience, he really looked happy on stage. That moment I got confirmation Bruce really cared about this gig and wanted it to happen, and realized I was on a tour that has positive energy around it (although here and there we find a thing to point and moan about). Unfortunately, in all that effort, it seemed like he took a step too far. I'm not surprised it has come to this since it has been going for a couple of last shows, but I also I sincerely hope Romania was the only canceled date and if it's not, I hope he comes back as soon as possible.
Ending this review with hope that Bruce gets well soon and Romania is just a small smudge on an otherwise great tour.
For I have another pilgrimage in July.
It was a good gig.
The whole trip to Budapest was amazing, and the gig wasn't the main event for me. Maybe that's the reason why I came without expectations and had a good time. Speaking of Budapest, I'd highly recommend it: rich history, good cuisine, interesting nightlife, phenomenal public transport and reasonable prices. We've spent almost four days there, and I still have a feeling we missed out a lot.
Bruce was in a good mood, that argument that came here where people discussed Bruce is on a much higher level on his own gigs than on Maiden's - it's bollocks. Unfortunately, his voice didn't accompany his energy on stage. Right after the first song, I saw him going behind, turning his back to the audience and blowing his nose. Shortened setlist it is. (funnily enough, during the gig I went on setlist.fm to check something from previous gigs and noticed the whole setlist was already online, and we were only four or five songs in!)
House Band of Hell looked fun. Dave Moreno is really energetic, Mysteria is (sometimes a bit much) on the cheesy side, Naslund and Leclerq were locked good (Leclerq sounded good, but I had a feeling Naslund is miles above him in terms of playing and stage presence. IDK why I thought that, but I had that feeling afterward) and Tanya was professional (my wife later told me that, while taking pictures, more people zoomed on her than on Bruce, kinda ungrateful position). Considering circumstances how this band came to be, I say the result is amazing. They all seemed like they had fun on stage individually, yet there was a feeling of synergy, too. This is a stupid, and a bit unfair thing to say but - they looked more like a band than British Lion.
The audience really seemed to be enjoying themselves, although they had a subtle way of showing it. During the gig, I was all around the place and noticed people were really into it, but except the first couple of rows, there wasn't "excessive energy" around. It could be that's how usually audience behave in Hungary, or I've expected the last rows to jump and clap because that's how it goes on Maiden gig (which is a bit unrealistic) but it could've been due to the place. Speaking of the place...
The venue where Bruce played, Barba Negra, is a bit out of the city center, and although we got there relatively quick, you realize you're in the middle of nowhere. I've been to the gigs that are outback-ish, or in industrial zones, or in suburbs etc. But the whole area surrounding Barba Negra felt a bit... poor. The venue is actually OK. It's a big hangar with it's back open (I guess they close it in the winter). But continued on that is an area with stands located in three different places (merch, drinks, food). There were also bars on the inside (by the sides and one big in the middle, thumbs up for that). Also, there was another big tent opposite of the hangar, and I guess there was some other event happening there. So, people watered-down all over the place since you could see the stage from any of the area. Yet it didn't feel like a open-air gig, since the stage itself was inside a hangar. So it was neither an intimate indoor gig, nor it felt like a festival experience. Which is a shame, because I've read there are much better, same-sized places in Budapest where the gig could be held. But I guess this one is most profitable for the promoter (later this month Megadeth and Corey Taylor Swift are also playing there).
Beer was good, not that expensive, and lines weren't long. Merch was expensive, but I guess that has become a standard in the last two years on live gigs. I didn't see much people walking around in Mandrake merchandise (46 euros for T-shirt, around 25 euros for beanie and over 70 euros for hoodie). Another weird thing was the schedule: doors opened at 6 PM, opening band (which were embarrassing) were at 7 PM and Bruce at 8 PM (mind you, the schedule was known days in advance, before anybody knew he would be sick). So, when Bruce said "Thank you Budapst, see you again real soon!" it wasn't even 10 PM, and we were already at the exit. Which wasn't a problem since public transport is great and night-life interesting in Budapest, but for somebody whose prime (or only) goal was Bruce's gig - it was a bit early to end the night.
Setlist
The setlist was the usual one, and it's no wonder he didn't rotate Accident of Birth and Abduction. They really work well as an opening 1-2 combo. People got a bit more enthusiastic on Laughing in the Hiding Bush as Bruce was trying to engage with the audience more. Speaking of that, I haven't seen a lot of clips after those first two opening show, but Bruce demanded much more "singing" from the audience. It could've also been the cold (that last part of Alchemist Bruce waited for two or three times for audience to start singing that last line "And so we lay...". As I've said, I've seen him blowing his nose right on the first song, so he is probably trying to take longer rests for his voice.)
During Afterglow, the back screen was turned on and it was a nice touch. It wasn't disruptive, the focus was still on them, but they occasionally did interesting things with it (Fire filter on Darkside of Aquarius, kaleidoscope filter on Frankenstein). Speaking of Frankenstein, it really is a fun bit, I don't even mind it taking a place of some other Bruce song. All the band can show off, and Bruce can be both silly and theatrical with it. Again, I haven't watched a lot of clips, so I don't know did he do a couple of fu** ups or were those intentional (for example, repeating the second chorus in Jerusalem). Also, I might've misheard it, but before Tears of a Dragon, Naslund did some acoustic intro on guitar and I could've sworn it sounded the same as the opening notes of Sonata. Not that I'm dying to hear that one live, but it could sound interesting.
During Afterglow, the back screen was turned on and it was a nice touch. It wasn't disruptive, the focus was still on them, but they occasionally did interesting things with it (Fire filter on Darkside of Aquarius, kaleidoscope filter on Frankenstein). Speaking of Frankenstein, it really is a fun bit, I don't even mind it taking a place of some other Bruce song. All the band can show off, and Bruce can be both silly and theatrical with it. Again, I haven't watched a lot of clips, so I don't know did he do a couple of fu** ups or were those intentional (for example, repeating the second chorus in Jerusalem). Also, I might've misheard it, but before Tears of a Dragon, Naslund did some acoustic intro on guitar and I could've sworn it sounded the same as the opening notes of Sonata. Not that I'm dying to hear that one live, but it could sound interesting.
Right after encore, Bruce admitted he had laryngitis, and he had second thoughts about singing tonight, but decided to give it a go since he had good memories from Hungary. It didn't look like sucking up to the audience, he really looked happy on stage. That moment I got confirmation Bruce really cared about this gig and wanted it to happen, and realized I was on a tour that has positive energy around it (although here and there we find a thing to point and moan about). Unfortunately, in all that effort, it seemed like he took a step too far. I'm not surprised it has come to this since it has been going for a couple of last shows, but I also I sincerely hope Romania was the only canceled date and if it's not, I hope he comes back as soon as possible.
Ending this review with hope that Bruce gets well soon and Romania is just a small smudge on an otherwise great tour.
For I have another pilgrimage in July.
GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Rod Smallwood’s original statement mentioned the man-flu (he is from Yorkshire), but the wording was corrected before they posted it online.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Bruce also recorded the Paris show:
www.instagram.com
He plays a bit of the Tears Of The Dragon's intro on the acoustic. The live footage looks great. Hope the sound/mix will be the same.
Bruce Dickinson on Instagram: "Paris… You were something else!! We’re looking forward to bringing #TheMandrakeProjectTour to Mystic Festival this week… Who will be there?! : @officialduketv #TheHouseBandOfHell"
5,439 likes, 92 comments - brucedickinsonhq on June 4, 2024: "Paris… You were something else!! We’re looking forward to bringing #TheMandrakeProjectTour to Mystic Festival this week… Who will be there?! : @officialduketv #TheHouseBandOfHell".
www.instagram.com
He plays a bit of the Tears Of The Dragon's intro on the acoustic. The live footage looks great. Hope the sound/mix will be the same.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Rod Smallwood’s original statement mentioned the man-flu (he is from Yorkshire), but the wording was corrected before they posted it online.
Bruce called it a grippe anglais in Paris
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
When I saw the whole tour schedule and the Maiden tour following I thought this man will break someday in the middle of tours. He must take it easy and do less concerts. For his health and well being. Hope for a good recovery.
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
I just say that he pretended to make a tour like 1980's or like he would be 30 years old. Once he ended the Maiden 2023 leg he didn't stop until now. He must take it easy. And to be honest after 17 or 19 years without any solo music and 26 years from the last solo tour. he has planned all these gigs that it requires a lot of effort to his vocals. Singing everyday or almost everyday. I don't get it.
Anyway it's just my opinion
Azas
The End Of An Era
That's way too much of Bruce with a guitar for me. Cognitive dissonance alert.