Why Bruce Springsteen Disliked His 1975 European Live Debut: ‘I Had PTSD’

Bruce Springsteen, like many of his generation, was profoundly shaped by British rock. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks left a lasting mark on his songwriting and musical identity. So when Springsteen and the E Street Band finally embarked on their first European tour in November 1975, the anticipation was electric. The trek came just months after the release of his breakthrough album, Born to Run, which had cemented his success in the United States.

“In England lived the reasons we were here,” Springsteen wrote in his memoir Born to Run. “The cities of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, rang synonymous with the names of our favorite British Beat heroes. These were mystical destinations, yet here we were, coming in for a landing at Heathrow airport, new representation of the musical mother country with a chance to return some small part of the favor…if we could.”

The Pressure Cooker of Hammersmith

Upon arriving at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, a theater-sized venue, Springsteen was met with a massive marquee declaring: “FINALLY! LONDON IS READY FOR BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.” Inside, every available surface and even some seats were plastered with posters proclaiming him “THE NEXT F—ING BIG THING!”

“I’m frightened and I’m pissed, really pissed,” Springsteen recalled. “I am embarrassed for myself and for my fans. This is not the way it works. I know how it works. I’ve done it. Play and shut up. My business is SHOW business and that is the business of SHOWING…not TELLING. You don’t TELL people anything, you SHOW them, and let them decide. That’s how I got here, by SHOWING people.”

So intense was his anxiety that he tore down as many posters as he could before the show. “By showtime, I’m f—ed,” he admitted. “I’m pathetically wrecked and nervous. At 25, I am still a provincial young man. I have never been overseas in my life.” Despite these internal battles, the concert itself delivered the high-energy rock ’n’ roll the audience expected, capturing Springsteen’s dynamic stage presence.

Aftermath and Reflection

Even after the show, Springsteen’s nerves lingered. “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,” he recalled in the 2025 documentary When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain. “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!”

Springsteen would not return to Europe for another six years, yet his overseas fanbase remained steadfast. Reflecting on the enduring connection with European audiences decades later, he told Rolling Stone in 2013, “There is an emotional openness that is rare in the States.” That first London tour, despite the anxiety and self-doubt he endured, marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship between Springsteen and his international fans.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 11/18/1975, Hammersmith Odeon, London, England, Set List:
1. “Thunder Road” (solo piano/harmonica version)
2. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
3. “Spirit in the Night” (“Stagger Lee” (Lloyd Price) intro)
4. “Lost in the Flood” (tour debut)
5. “She’s the One”
6. “Born to Run”
7. “The E Street Shuffle / Havin’ a Party”
8. “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City”
9. “Backstreets”
10. “Kitty’s Back” (“Moondance” (Van Morrison) snippet)
11. “Jungleland”
12. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” (“Come a Little Bit Closer” (Boyce and Hart) intro and “Theme From Shaft” (Isaac Hayes) snippet)

Encore:
13. “4th of July, Asbury Park” (Sandy)
14. “Detroit Medley”
15. “For You” (solo piano)
16. “Quarter to Three” (Gary “U.S.” Bonds cover)