Bruce Springsteen coming to Winnipeg for the first time

A rock legend is making a stop in a city he has never visited before this fall.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced Tuesday that they will be bringing their tour to Winnipeg on Nov. 10, 2023.

It is Springsteen’s first performance in Winnipeg in his career. Springsteen’s tour, which recently began in Florida, is his first tour since The River Tour in 2016-2017.

Those interested in purchasing tickets for the tour will have to register for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, which is intended to make it easier for fans to get tickets, and harder for resellers and bots, according to a news release. The program will accept registrations until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET (10:59 p.m. CT), with tickets going on sale on Feb. 22 at 10 a.m.

“Registration does not guarantee tickets – we expect there will be more demand than there are tickets available,” reads a message on Ticketmaster’s website. “A lottery-style process will determine which registered fans receive a unique access code and which are put on the waitlist. Receiving a code doesn’t guarantee tickets.”

Springsteen, 73, is best-known for hits Born to Run, Thunder Road, Dancing in the Dark, Hungry Heart and Born in the USA, among many others.

In addition to Winnipeg, Springsteen and the E Street Band will also perform in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Montreal, along with two concerts in Toronto.

'I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO LAUGH OR CRY'

Diane Geddes is one of many of Springsteen's superfans and has been campaigning for The Boss to make a stop in Winnipeg.

She runs the Twitter account Springsteen2Wpg and said she was thrilled when the announcement was finally made.

"I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry or to dance or have relief. I was just really super excited. It was an amazing day," said Geddes.

She said she has been working to bring Springsteen to Winnipeg for around 10 years, but knows of others who have been trying for 40-plus years.

Geddes' love for Springsteen started when she was a teen, saying she would always listen to his music. Her fandom was taken to the next level when she got to see him in concert for the first time in 1999 in Fargo, ND.

"I got the bug. Just going and the music and the lyrics and the fun and the fact that every show is different and you never really know what you are going to experience on any given night. It just captures you."

Since then, Geddes has travelled all over the world to see Springsteen – from Canada and the United States to Australia and Europe – she has now seen him live 60 times.

"We know there are a lot of people here this is the first time they are going to see (him). I can tell you, you can watch the videos, you can watch YouTube, it is just not the same as a live show with Bruce Springsteen."

Geddes is retired and living in Mexico now, but she plans on making her way back up to Winnipeg to see him perform in the city she has been advocating for.

She said people should be prepared to have a lot of fun at his concert and to dance along to all of his songs.