Bruce Springsteen will feature on three consecutive episodes of The Tonight Show next week in support of his new covers album ‘Only The Strong Survive’, as well as a special Thanksgiving episode later this month.
The Boss will kick off his residency on the show on Monday night (November 14), return the following evening and wrap up on Wednesday (November 16). Springsteen will play four songs from ‘Only The Strong Survive’ over the three-episode run and will also be the show’s lead guest, partaking in segments alongside host Jimmy Fallon. Springsteen will then return to the show on November 24 for its Thanksgiving edition.
Springsteen and Fallon have worked together on many occasions. He performed on Late Night when Fallon was hosting the show multiple times, including a parody of ‘Born To Run’ about former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s Bridgegate scandal, and a cover of Willow’s ‘Whip My Hair’ while Fallon was impersonating Neil Young.
Springsteen has appeared on The Tonight Show three times since Fallon took over hosting duties in 2014, but never as a musical guest, only as an interviewee.
‘Only The Strong Survive’, Springsteen’s new collection of soul covers, is set to arrive tomorrow (November 11). In a four-star review, NME said that, on the album, Springsteen “resurrects these classics as a means of celebration, pointing back to some of the strongest songwriters and vocalists of all time with 15 huge and heartfelt tributes”.
“Not only does it shine a light on what inspires one of the greatest living American songwriters, it also works to preserve the greats of the past and ensures that the best music and stories continue to survive.”
Next year, Springsteen and the E Street Band will tour the UK, Europe and North America, with The Boss reuniting with his legendary backing band for their first tour together since 2017. The tour will kick off in Tampa in February, continuing throughout the US until mid-April. The European and UK leg will kick off with a pair of concerts in Barcelona in late April, wrapping up in Italy towards the end of July.
On Monday night (November 7), Springsteen delivered his annual performance of songs and jokes at this year’s Stand Up for Heroes benefit gig in New York. Springsteen has played almost every edition of the annual event – which benefits the Bob Woodruff Foundation to support charities and run programs benefitting US veterans – since its inception in 2007.
During his set, Springsteen played ‘House Of A Thousand Guitars’, ‘I’ll Work For Your Love’, ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’ and ‘Dancing In The Dark’. He also peppered his set with bawdy one-liners. “During sex, you burn off as many calories as if you ran eight miles. But who can run eight miles in 30 seconds?” he said at the start of the night, before adding that he “got that off the internet”.