In fact, with over twenty headline acts scheduled to perform over the next four months, alongside packed listings at the city’s independent venues and the recent announcement on Cardiff City Music Festival happening in the autumn, 2024 might just be Cardiff’s biggest year for music yet.
To celebrate we’ll be profiling some of the stories from this blockbuster year for live performances in the city; speaking to the fans, the bands and the behind-the-scenes talent about what makes Cardiff such a special place for live music.
Kicking us off is Creative Cardiff’s very own ‘superfan’ telling us why she’s so excited to see The Boss on her home turf:
Jess, when did you become such a big fan of Bruce Springsteen?
I was born on September 23 and so share a birthday with Bruce Springsteen. Technically the first song I ever heard was ‘Dancing In The Dark’, Springsteen’s big 80s hit that was playing on the radio just as I made my own entrance to the world, or so says the family legend. Despite this, my parents weren’t really massive fans when I was growing up, so Springsteen was never more than background music in my childhood. For me, the turning point was the release of ‘The Rising’, an album inspired by the Twin Towers terrorist attacks, in 2002. As an older teenager at that point, I’d started to get more interested in classic rock which led to me seeing Springsteen live for the first time at Crystal Palace Park in the summer of 2003. I was never the same again…
How many Springsteen concerts have you been to?
Definitely more than 20, and in lots of different places around the world. That might seem like a lot, but honestly in the context of Springsteen fans that’s hardly anything at all. There are plenty of people amongst the fan community who’ve been following Bruce since the early 70s and have been to one, two, three, even four hundred plus shows. I’m a mere amateur.
What’s so special about a Springsteen show?
Everyone always talks about the length of a Springsteen show: I’ve never seen him play for less than a three-hour set for example, and his longest ever stage time (in 2012) was four hours and six minutes. That’s at least double the industry standard length of a concert, probably more. For me, that’s a big factor in what sets a Springsteen show apart from other acts. Investing that much time with an audience means building a relationship with them that goes beyond the transactional dynamic of ‘paying money to be entertained’. There’s an authenticity about seeing Springsteen on stage that transcends anything I’ve seen from another performer, and that feels energising as an audience member almost to the point of catharsis. I’m not a particularly spiritual or religious person, but the way I feel at the end of a Springsteen show is how I imagine people who are might feel after hearing a really good sermon. It’s a shared, collective experience that reinforces all of the things I love about the world. I’m on a high for days afterwards.
What’s different about seeing Springsteen here in Cardiff?
For starters, Cardiff is a fantastic city for large scale live music because our stadium is so close to the city centre infrastructure. In other cities you might have to walk a considerable distance to get to a venue of the size of The Principality, and that can make the crowd feel quite dispersed. But in Cardiff the atmosphere is much more concentrated and intense; there’s a really tangible sense of ‘an event’ that permeates all the streets and bars and restaurants, which really ramps up the pre-show ‘buzz’.
More thematically, there’s an alignment between Springsteen’s music and the rich industrial heritage of South Wales. Songs like ‘Badlands’, ‘The River’ and ‘Your Hometown’, whilst written about the American blue-collar experience, resonant profoundly with the realities of post-industrial and working-class communities everywhere. The frustration and stasis of belonging to a place that’s overlooked is a common theme in Springsteen’s work, and his ability to vocalise the ‘unremarkable’ lives of everyday people has led to him being regarded as a champion for equity, for democracy and for socialist values. Things I think we care very deeply about, and take pride in, in this part of Wales.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about going to the show?
Just go! Opening the European tour in Cardiff is a big deal and – with the band not getting any younger – I’d be surprised if we see Bruce perform at this scale in the city again sadly. We’re so lucky to have performances of this size and quality on our doorstep. Even if you can’t get your hands on a ticket, why not take a walk around to soak up the special atmosphere. Or just come and find me at the City Arms before the show – I’ll be the one in the ‘Born To Run’ t-shirt.
