Bruce Springsteen’s Back Stage Rider Demands Revealed
(Photo by Matthew Baker/Getty Images)
The Boss wants what he wants
Bruce Springsteen’s back stage rider demands revealed; and they are not what you would think they would be. Coming from New Jersey you would have thought that he would demand lot’s of Italian food, like pasta and pizza and hoagies. Who would have thought that the Boss prefers chicken soup for his soul?
No Bud for Springsteen!
Bruce Springsteen doesn’t just PRETEND to hate Budweiser . . . he actually hates it. According to his tour rider, the band needs six types of alcoholic drinks, including six bottles of “quality beer” that are, quote, “not Budweiser.” We don’t know what he has against Bud, but it better not be backstage after the show (or before). We don’t know what beer he prefers, just something of a higher quality than the “King of Beers”.
Chicken soup for the rock and roll soul?
When you think of all the foods that would be on his rider, you probably wouldn’t have thought about chicken soup. I’m sure he’s not talking about Campbells Chicken Soup. Nope. Bruce himself requires chicken soup “with lots of broth” before the show.
Springsteen says “Don’t skimp on the shrimp”!
After it he has his bowl of soup he wants 16 cold, fresh shrimp “with homemade seafood sauce”. We assume that he doesn’t eat the shrimp all by himself. Maybe he splits them with his wife Patti Scialfa and they have 8 each or maybe Little Stevie gets his share too. By the way, what is seafood sauce? Maybe it’s just another name for Cocktail Sauce?

TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 12: Bruce Springsteen attends the “Western Stars” premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 12, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
In a twist!
The Boss is very particular when it comes to his snacks. He doesn’t want any other pretzel than two bags of Rold Gold pretzels with “no substitutions.” We are not sure if he wants his pretzels to be the small knotted kind or the long ones. Either way, it’s Rold Gold or nothing!
He also needs hand-squeezed lemon juice, six hard-boiled eggs with the yolks removed, “guess he is watching his cholesterol” Finally he wants peeled and sliced apples, and cubed watermelon.
But that’s not all!
The Jersey native also requires a massage therapist and a manicurist who can do, quote, “a man’s and a woman’s acrylic nail work”. We suppose these people are on call for anyone in the band that is feeling stressed (massage) or not feeling pretty (manicurist). Nice perks if you can get them!
No matter what you think of Bruce Springsteen’s Rider Demands, nowhere does he insist that all the brown M&M’s be removed the way Van Halen supposedly did. Do they still make the brown ones?
Bruce Springsteen ENERGIZED Gillette, Addresses Dying
It was a textbook tutorial on how Bruce Springsteen ENERGIZED Gillette, Saturday night. In fact, the energy is still in me, and the thousands of Bruce fans that flocked to Foxborough, Massachusetts. Did I mention that this was the FOURTH Springsteen show this year? That didn’t stop him from a rockin’ two hour and twenty nine minute set of non-stop energy. And, I mean NON-STOP. He didn’t stop. My wife even asked, did he even stop for a drink of water?
Don’t Be Scared, Live In The Now
For lifelong Springsteen fans, whether you go for the hits, (I’ll address that later) or you’re a lifer, complete with your Stone Pony T-shirt, you ask yourself this question. Forgive me for addressing the elephant in the room. The question on at least my mind: is this last time we’ll see him LIVE? Hey, it’s a fair question! Bob Barker passed away this past weekend. Now, Bob was older than Bruce, so we can tap the breaks a bit. Bruce, on September 24, turns 74.
The Sermon on Mount Gillette
Bruce, in a very heartfelt, but convincing way, faced his, and our certain future, talking about our reality as humans. We all will die. It was almost a sermon on mount Gillette and we were his disciples. Springsteen took off his fun and frolicky Boss hat and plopped on his Dad, teacher, mentor hat, to share an intimate story of how a member of his very first 1960’s band died of cancer. You could see his heart burst through on the giant screen. We could hear a pin drop, as he ended the story saying, he was the final remaining living member of that original, first band. Our collective heart was moved, as we all can relate to this time in our life, where, longtime, close family members, friends, and co-workers have reached the end of this life, and moved on to the next part of the journey.
Don’t Be Scared, Live In The Now
Bruce ended his sermon with a beautiful, acoustic performance of Last Man Standing. You didn’t have to know the song to feel it’s power. The take away, that was encouraged by Bruce himself, was to live in the moment. Rejoice that we’re alive IN THE NOW. That’s all we have and really, what matters.
The Set List
One thing is clear: this tour is for core fans. They got what they came for. If you’re a fan of ONLY Springsteen’s familiar radio hits, you had to take a back seat. He didn’t perform many of his familiar radio hits, like Hungry Heart, I’m On Fire, Born In The USA or My Hometown. But, hearing Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark and Glory Days, LIVE, made it worth the two hour wait, as those songs, were the encore! Take a look:
Lonesome Day
(Tour debut, first time since 2017)
No Surrender
Ghosts
Prove It All Night
Letter to You
The Promised Land
Out in the Street
Candy’s Room
Kitty’s Back
Nightshift
(Commodores cover)
Atlantic City
Johnny 99
Mary’s Place
Last Man Standing
(Acoustic with Barry Danielian on trumpet)
Backstreets
Because the Night
(Patti Smith Group cover)
She’s the One
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Badlands
Thunder Road
Encore
Born to Run`
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Seven Nights to Rock
(Moon Mullican cover) (Tour debut, first time with… more )
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
(Followed by Band Intros)
Encore 2:
I’ll See You in My Dreams
(solo, acoustic)
So, let’s take the advice, and see how Bruce Springsteen ENERGIZED Gillette!
Bob is a native New Englander, growing up (sorta) in Maine where his love for radio started at a young age. While in high school he hosted radio shows on a local radio station, and he has never looked back.
Bob joined the US Navy and served onboard the Sixth Fleet Flagship as a radio and TV host. After serving for 3 years, it was off to Emerson College in Boston. Bob hosted shows in Boston on WMEX, WVBF and WSSH in the 80’s and 90’s before heading to radio stations in Raleigh, NC, Manchester, NH, and New York City.
Bob has been married for almost 25 years to Carolyn, a Woburn gal and they have 3 daughters, Nicole, Taylor, and Bridget. Bob and Carolyn are proud first-time grandparents to baby Caroline, who they plan to spoil every chance they get!
“I started my career in New England and could not be happier to come back to Boston where I can root for all the Boston sports teams and eat lots of lobster rolls and clam chowder (okay not lots)… It is an honor to host the WROR morning show with LBF and wake up the World’s Greatest City!” Bob writes about recipes and restaurants, pop culture and trending topics.