Bruce Springsteen has confessed his first ever UK gig was so ’embarassing’ it’s had a lasting impact on his health.
He and the E Street Band gave his first performance on November 18, 1975, at the Hammersmith Odeon, now the Apollo.
Springsteen fans will get to dive into his life through a new biopic with Jeremy Allen White transforming into the Hungry Heart hitmaker — but first, the BBC are honouring 50 years since he came to the UK.
A new BBC 2 documentary, When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain, will explore the early days of The Boss attempting to break into the UK scene.
In the 50th anniversary film, Springsteen, 73, recounted that fateful first ever show which gave him ‘PTSD’.
He shared: ‘After the show I went to a party that was supposed to celebrate my triumph, but I felt I’d been terrible and so I was embarrassed to even go in.’
The embarrassment was so bad that Springsteen actually ran away from the party in shame.
He continued: ‘I went in for a few minutes, couldn’t stand myself being there, went out, ran back to the hotel, sat in my lonely room under a big black cloud, ate whatever I had and went to bed.
‘I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show.’
Legend has it, Springsteen saw posters saying London was ‘finally ready’ for him before the show.
Reportedly, this was too overwhelming for pressure and publicity so he tore down the posters which had sent him into a spin.
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The show was recorded, with many commenting he seemed more sombre than usual and while he usually tells rambling tales was cutting himself short.
It was meant to be broadcast live over the radio, but manager at the time, Mike Appel, reportedly backed out last minute, pre-empting a bad show due to Springsteen’s low mood.
Springsteen returned to the venue a week later and smashed his second gig in a personal triumph.
He would not return to the UK again until 1981, with his The River Tour heading to cities like Birmingham, Newcastle, Stafford, and Edinburgh.
London was on the tour, and this time the Growin’ Up singer took on six nights at Wembley Arena – of course, to huge acclaim.
The documentary dives into those first shows and Springsteen’s wider UK domination, including interviews with the legend himself.
It also features new interviews with guitarist and E Street Band member Stevie Van Zandt, friends and fellow songwriters Sting and Peter Gabriel.
There’s also chats with Monty Python’s Sir Michael Palin, who wrote about the first Hammersmith gig in his famous diary and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who booked the Hammersmith show.
Featuring archive footage from the 1970s to the 2020s, Wise Owl Films — part of All3Media — explores Springsteen’s unique relationship with Britain.
Mark Robinson of Wise Owl Films said: ‘This documentary chronicles a truly special relationship between an iconic American artist and the UK – and one who seems to inspire an unrivalled loyalty and passion from his fans.
‘Not only has Bruce been influenced by British songwriters and musicians, in turn he has influenced new generations of them too.’
Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Music said: ‘Bruce Springsteen is not only a global music icon, but he’s an honorary Brit here in the UK – he’s become one of our own!
‘We know BBC viewers will love watching this film, which lifts the lid on his early visits to the UK with a world exclusive new interview, as well as some great insight from those that have been hugely impacted by him and his music.
‘We’re looking forward to celebrating Bruce all night on BBC Two with a new compilation of his most loved hits and one of his all-time classic live performances.’
BBC Two and iPlayer will air a night of programming in May to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s first UK concert.
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