BBC Music Television announces When Bruce Springsteen Came To Britain

I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show!

BBC Two and iPlayer will celebrate Bruce Springsteen with a night of programming in May to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s first UK concert.

The centrepiece is When Bruce Springsteen Came To Britain, a fascinating new documentary from Wise Owl Films, part of All3Media, chronicling the artist’s unique relationship with the UK – as revealed in a world exclusive new interview with the American musician.

The one-hour film tells the story of how a 26-year-old Springsteen and the E Street Band first arrived in the UK in November 1975 for a sold-out performance at the Hammersmith Odeon (now the Eventim Apollo), giving his new album Born to Run its European premiere.

The concert was heavily hyped by Springsteen’s record company, who were keen to sell him as the new Bob Dylan. On arriving at the venue, the New Jersey-born star was dismayed to see posters which proclaimed ‘Finally London is ready for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’.

In this new interview, which sees Bruce tell many never-heard-before stories, Springsteen reveals how he was so disappointed by his own performance that night that he couldn’t watch the footage back for over 30 years.

Bruce says: “(After the show)...I went to a party that was supposed to celebrate my triumph, but I felt I’d been terrible and so I was embarrassed to even go in... I went in for a few minutes, couldn’t stand myself being there, went out, ran back to the hotel, sat in my lonely room under a big black cloud, ate whatever I had and went to bed....I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show!”

Fortunately, a second concert at the same venue a week later was a personal triumph, but Springsteen did not return to the UK until 1981 for The River Tour, which took him around the country to venues including Edinburgh, Birmingham, Stafford and six nights at London’s Wembley Arena.

Springsteen recalls his first visit to Newcastle on that tour – “It was huge for us to go to Newcastle. All I knew was, Newcastle - The Animals! I was one of the biggest Animals fans and to this day still am” - and to Brighton - “I remember (it) very, very well because it was seaside – we said, ‘Oh man, this is a little bit like Asbury Park!’”

We hear Springsteen talk about his vivid memories of first hearing a Beatles song and his love of all things British in the 1960s.

The documentary also chronicles the Born in The USA tour of 1985 which saw Springsteen playing huge outdoor venues for the first time. The story is brought up to date with Springsteen’s triumphant 2024 UK tour and his induction as the first-ever, overseas songwriter to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy.

The documentary also features new interviews with guitarist and E Street Band member Stevie Van Zandt, friends and fellow songwriters Sting and Peter Gabriel as well as Sir Michael Palin, who wrote about the first Hammersmith gig in his famous diary. We also hear from promoter Harvey Goldsmith (who booked Bruce for the Hammersmith show), Bruce’s legendary manager and producer Jon Landau and Springsteen superfan, actor Rob Brydon, who talks about the connection he has had with Bruce’s music.

Featuring archive from the 1970s to the 2020s, the film highlights the stories of ‘ordinary’ fans who recount how hearing – and meeting – Springsteen changed their lives, including Juliana Heron, the wife of a striking miner, who received a cheque from the rock star towards their struggling community’s funds.

This is the story of a unique and ongoing, two-way, love affair - from the Leeds team behind BBC Two’s successful When X Came To Britain series (Bob Marley, Nirvana, Motown, Tina Turner, Blondie and ABBA) and The Hacienda: The Club That Shook Britain.

Mark Robinson, Wise Owl Films said: “This documentary chronicles a truly special relationship between an iconic American artist and the UK – and one who seems to inspire an unrivalled loyalty and passion from his fans. Not only has Bruce been influenced by British songwriters and musicians, in turn he has influenced new generations of them too”.

As a part of the night on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, Hammersmith Odeon, ’75 sees the European concert debut of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They entertained a few thousand fans at the famous West London venue (now named Eventim Apollo) on November 18th, 1975. The gig resulted in the band’s fourth live album, released in 2006. Tracks performed by Bruce Springsteen, Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Stevie Van Zandt, Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg, include the classics Born to Run and Thunder Road.

The night will also host a new episode of Bruce Springsteen at the BBC, featuring a compilation of performances from across TV shows including Old Grey Whistle Test, Top of the Pops, and BBC Four sessions: Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Sessions Band spanning the past six decades.

Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Music said: “Bruce Springsteen is not only a global music icon, but he’s an honorary Brit here in the UK - he’s become one of our own! We know BBC viewers will love watching this film, which lifts the lid on his early visits to the UK with a world exclusive new interview, as well as some great insight from those that have been hugely impacted by him and his music. We’re looking forward to celebrating Bruce all night on BBC Two with a new compilation of his most loved hits and one of his all-time classic live performances.”

Credits

When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain is a Wise Owl Films production for BBC Two and BBC Pop Music TV. It was commissioned by Rachel Davies, Commissioning Editor, BBC Pop Music TV and Jonathan Rothery, BBC Head of Pop Music TV. It is produced and directed by Stuart Ramsay, edited by James Alcock and the Executive Producer for Wise Owl Films is Mark Robinson. Wise Owl Films is part of All3Media.

Hammersmith Odeon, ’75 is a Thrill Hill Productions film, produced by Jon Landau and directed by Derek Burbridge.

Bruce Springsteen at the BBC is produced by BBC Television, the series producer is Simon Goretzki.

BBC Pop Music TV highlights over the past months have included: Coldplay’s Radio 2 Piano Room performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra (BBC One); Radio 2 Piano Room featuring Elkie Brooks, Kate Hudson, Myles Smith, Kiefer Sutherland and Teddy Swims amongst others (BBC iPlayer); Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped (BBC Two), Mariah Carey Meets Rylan (BBC Two); Radio 2 In Concert – The Cure (BBC Two); Boybands Forever series (BBC Two); Mercury Prize 2024: Album of the Year (BBC Four); Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music (BBC Two); Later…with Jools Holland (BBC Two) and many more; Fred again.. and Liam Gallagher at Reading and Leeds Festival (BBC One); and the broadcast of Glastonbury 2024, which included over 90 hours of live performances from the five main stages on TV, BBC iPlayer, radio and BBC Sounds. The BBC’s coverage won Best Live Event at the Televisual Bulldog awards, for BBC Studios Productions.