Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band “had a party” Sept. 1 during their three-show residency at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Full of nostalgia, harmonica riffs, and lots of dancing, the old-time rock band blended a setlist of past and present songs in a rendition of Springsteen’s very own “Eras Tour.”

The New Jersey-born singer and his 18-member band serenaded MetLife’s 50,000-person crowd on Friday night for almost three hours. The 2023 tour is based on Springsteen and the E-Street Band’s most recent 2020 album, “Letter to You,” written about the passing of a former band member George Theiss. In a powerful speech midway through the show, Springsteen reminisced about being the last surviving member of his very first band, The Castiles, and transitioned smoothly into “Last Man Standing.” 

“The Boss,” which is Springsteen’s long-standing nickname, sang 28 songs on Friday, including four add-ons, making it a massive tracklist that Springsteen and his band impressively played in just under three hours. Jersey Shore anthem, “Spirit in the Night,” from Springsteen’s first album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J” kicked off the surprise add-on songs during his hometown show. 

At 73 years old, Springsteen continues to carry an immense stage presence, albeit slower than what most avid fans are used to. Despite the lack of pace usually shown by Springsteen and the E-Street band, they were as buoyant as they could be —Springsteen took no breaks throughout the entire show.  

When guitarist Nils Lofgren did his signature spin across the stage during “Because the Night,” the MetLife crowd erupted in cheer at the old-time move being brought back to the stage. The music never stopped as the crowd’s applause shifted from the ending of one song into the opening chords of the next. 

“Mary’s Place” sparked extra attention from the crowd as “the Boss” called for help and walked through the crowd while singing the song about healing and moving forward. While introducing the song he exclaimed, “We’re here to bring the life out of you and we want to get the life out of you, that’s right!” 

As the song amped up into the opening chords, the New Jersey crowd grew louder and louder, breathing life into the stadium and to everyone outside its confines. The closing riff of the song was delivered with passion by Springsteen, a high and powerful duet between singer and crowd that smoothed the night away into more song and dance. 

Generations of fans and families came out to watch the band perform, a young boy in the general admission crowd held up a sign on the big screen that read, “My first Bruce concert!” Springsteen acknowledged the fan with a point and a wave.

Springsteen finished the night with two encores, the first included a medley of his oldest hits, “Born to Run,” “Glory Days,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” The second encore consisted of only one song, “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” In an emotional tribute to his fans, Springsteen stood solo on stage and finished out the night by singing to the crowd “When all of our summers come to an end where we can still meet and live and love again.” 

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band delivered an electric performance for a crowd to appreciate the music of their past and incorporate it into their present. The band continues their North American tour in Syracuse, New York on Sept. 7.