Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to Shane MacGowan with performance of “A Rainy Night in Soho”

Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to Shane MacGowan with performance of “A Rainy Night in Soho”
Debbie Hickey/Getty Images

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band brought their tour to Kilkenny, Ireland, on Sunday, where they paid tribute to the late Irish singer Shane MacGowan, who passed away in November at age 65.

Fan-shot footage posted to social media shows Bruce and the band performing “A Rainy Night in Soho,” the classic track by MacGowan’s band The Pogues.

When Shane died Bruce paid tribute to him on social media, sharing that Shane “was one of my all-time favorite writers.” He added, “The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon.”

According to setlist.fm, “A Rainy Night in Soho” was the first song of Springsteen’s main set, but fans who got to the show early got a surprise from The Boss. The rocker came out with his guitar to perform for the “early birds” in the audience, treating them to an acoustic performance of “This Hard Land.”

The rest of concert featured plenty of Springsteen classics, including “Born To Run,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road.” Springsteen also got up close and personal with the Kilkenny crowd, jumping into the pit during “Spirit in the Night.” Unfortunately he had a little issue getting out and needed a hand from security to lift him out.

Bruce has two more shows in Ireland: He plays Cork on May 16 and Dublin on May 19. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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