New Jersey welcomes Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as tour stops at MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was a sort of homecoming as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played their first of three concerts at MetLife Stadium on Wednesday.

The 73-year-old’s last concert at the stadium was seven years ago.

The Boss is back in his hometown, playing his iconic songs of the working men and women at MetLife Stadium, from “The Promised Land” to “No Surrender” from his best-selling album “Born in the U.S.A.”

“Great to be in New Jersey,” Springsteen told the crowd.

Before the concert, Springsteen fans tailgated in the parking lot, barbecuing and blasting music from their cars.

Fans say Springsteen’s songs, often speaking of his Jersey roots, have been a part of their lives.

Kathy and Bob Young remember their first Springsteen concert in the early ’80s.

“She could not see and we ended up, and I ended up standing on her seat and my seat. She saw the whole show on my shoulders,” Bob Young said.

Wednesday’s crowd was mostly Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, many bringing their kids.

It was a first concert for Liz Kelsey and her three children together, from Yorktown Heights, New York.

“When we had these three, we decided we’re going to make them Bruce fans. We are going to play his music. We’re going to make them know about Bruce,” Liz Kelsey said.

“I feel like it’s all we listen to when we go to the Jersey Shore every summer,” Sara Kelsey said.

Springsteen and the E Street Band play two more shows at MetLife on Friday and Sunday.

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The Boss had to postpone his Aug. 16 and 18 concerts in Philadelphia due to illness. They have been rescheduled for August 2024.