Bruce Springsteen Announces 2016 U.S. Tour

By ERIC KIEFER (Patch Staff)

The Boss is back.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are heading to the nation’s capital as part of their recently announced “The River Tour,” which will include a date at the Verizon Center in DC on Friday, Jan. 29.

The announcement of the tour coincides with Friday’s release of “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection,” a comprehensive look at the ‘80s era and Springsteen’s “The River” album.

Springsteen and the E Street Band launch The River Tour 2016, a nine-week US trek, on Jan. 16 in Pittsburgh. Each night of the tour will be mixed for release on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net as high-quality downloads and CDs. Recordings will be available within days of each performance.

The original The River Tour began Oct. 3, 1980, two weeks before the release of Springsteen’s fifth album, and continued through Sept. 4, 1981. With sets that regularly approached the four-hour range, the 140-date international tour firmly established a reputation for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as marathon performers.

Tickets for The River Tour go on sale Friday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m., via Ticketmaster.com.

SNL appearance

Springsteen will precede the tour with a Dec. 19 performance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” his third appearance on the show.

According to a release, The River Tour is the first outing for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band since the 2014 High Hopes Tour.

The E Street Band’s current members include Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa – guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent – bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt – guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg – drums; with Soozie Tyrell – violin, guitar, vocals; Jake Clemons – saxophone; and Charlie Giordano – keyboards.

Photo via brucespringsteen.net