When I learned last October that Bruce Springsteen would be performing in San Sebastian on my birthday, it felt like a sign. We had never seen him perform, had heard for decades how amazing he is, and since he is 75 years old, we knew that if we wanted to see him, 2025 would be the time. I immediately messaged my dear friend Debbie – a true Springsteen fanatic since age 16 – to invite her to come from CA, and she didn’t hesitate in responding, “YES!”
Buying tickets was a stressful process. We managed to secure two tickets on the floor for Debbie and Rebekah, her law school buddy/fellow Springsteen fanatic, and two seats for Jeff and me. Rebekah also secured two seats for the second show that was added as tickets for the first were selling out. The excitement in San Sebastian was palpable. These wouldn’t be the Boss’s first shows here, but they would be the only shows in Spain during this tour.
Debbie & Rebekah arrived on Wednesday evening (June 18) and immediately went to the “roll call” location where they were assigned numbers 163 and 164, which gave them the opportunity to be “on the rail,” or as close to it as possible. The process required them to check in three times per day (10 am/3 pm/7 pm) until the day of the show, when they would have to arrive at 3 pm for the 9 pm concert. Failure to appear meant you lost your place.
Learning this, we were beyond thrilled to have seats and no obligation to do anything but show up. The idea of spending so much time and effort was unimaginable to us. Ultimately there were more than 600 fans with numbers who queued for the opportunity to get in before anyone else. Bruce fans form a serious community, and Debbie and Rebekah made many new friends and saw others they had met in Cork, Ireland last year.
Fans took over the city; you couldn’t miss seeing them in their concert T-shirts and other regalia. Many of them stalked Bruce and the members of the E Street Band, inside and outside the Hotel Maria Christina – Debbie and Rebekah included. Here they are with Charlie Giordano and Curtis King:
Each day the local paper reported on the Bruce sightings. Overall, he kept a low profile because of the response when he appeared, always with a bodyguard:
In between their checking in, we enjoyed everything San Sebastian has to offer, especially the food:
On the night of the concert, we sent Debbie & Rebekah with a picnic to the stadium, where they spent 3 hours waiting outside with their new besties, then another 3 hours inside in front of the stage. We waltzed in about 20 minutes before showtime. Based on their views of Bruce as he visited “the pit,” one might argue it was worth it:
In contrast, here was our view from the last row of the stadium:
We were perfectly happy where we were, with seats, unobstructed sight lines, a view of how the entire crowd was reacting, and our own space. The show was impressive; they played for just under 3 hours. We would not consider ourselves converts to Team Bruce, but we are pleased that we had the experience, especially since it is possible this could be the last European tour.
The second concert was 3 days later (June 24) – Bruce is smart to rest up between shows. This time Debbie & Rebekah had seats and therefore no further “roll call” obligations. This allowed us to enjoy more outings, including a hike, and more restaurants and shopping.
We went to see the Noche de San Juan celebrations on the 23rd, which marks the beginning of the summer with bonfires. We saw the main celebration in Constitution Plaza, where there was traditional Basque dance around a tree that was later lit on fire, which was then extinguished, and then pieces of the bark were cut and distributed to the crowd. The pieces of wood are considered good luck for the year if you hold on to it.
I had never witnessed this ceremony before, which included the mayor among the dancers. I was happy Debbie and Rebekah got to see it – and get some wood (a unique souvenir).
The second concert was momentous. First, (Little) Stevie Van Zandt did not perform as he was in the hospital recovering from having his appendix removed not long after the first show. Second, they stopped the show, in the middle of a song, due to a thunderstorm. After a 30-minute break, Bruce and the band returned and played the longest set to date. They were more spontaneous and performed several songs that were not previously heard during the tour. Debbie and Rebekah were relieved to have seats, where they were protected from the heat and rain, and could rest their very tired legs and feet during the break.
The energy the Bruce fans brought to the city was eclectic and exciting. Still, I think everyone who lives here was glad to have the city back to “normal” once the Bruce circus moved on.
It was a fabulous visit and a memorable way to celebrate my birthday, shared with old and new friends.
Hasta pronto,
Shana & Jeff
