The Boss is OK.
Bruce Springsteen laughed off an onstage fall over the weekend in Amsterdam. He tripped on a set of stairs and tumbled face-first, as seen in video recorded by a Saturday concertgoer. The “Born to Run” singer, with electric guitar in hand, was able to stretch out an arm to brace the fall.
The crowd groaned as Springsteen, 73, lay on his back for a few seconds. But once he wriggled to sit up with the help of two stagehands who brought him to his feet, he revealed a big smile. After taking a breath, he waved his hands and jokingly yelled into the microphone, “Goodnight everybody!”
As the rocker ran toward his E Street Band, the crowd at the Johan Cruijff Arena applauded. The band went on to perform one of its iconic marathon concerts.
Springsteen stays in peak performance physique by following a modified diet that has him eating only one meal a day, according to his younger rocker peers, such as Chris Martin and Tim McGraw, who have gone to Springsteen for health advice.
Saturday’s 26-song show included classics such as “Wrecking Ball,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Glory Days.” The show wrapped with a more recent track from Springsteen’s 2020 album, the somber acoustic ballad “See You in My Dreams.”
Springsteen and the E Street Band are on the European leg of their 2023 world tour, which kicked off in late April with two nights in Barcelona’s Estadi Olímpic.
The band drew controversy recently for proceeding with a scheduled arena show in Ferrara, Italy, after the country’s northern region was flooded by rainstorms, which caused several deaths, landslides and broke riverbanks. Some local officials considered the show an insult to those reeling from the tragedy.
Springsteen and his band have also faced criticism from many fans who think tickets are unfairly inflated and not affordable. The Boss previously defended Ticketmaster’s controversial Verified Fan program and dynamic pricing. He said they ultimately help put money from ticket sales into the pockets of artists and not scalpers.
Several days after the band’s show in Amsterdam, Springsteen played a show Tuesday in Edinburg, Scotland, his last for the next week before kicking off 19 other European shows throughout the summer.
In August, the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer will return to North America for a 31-show run in the United States and Canada.
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(L.A. Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.)
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