February, 2026…..

How did we get here?

For years, I’ve been asked if or when I’d be up for doing a full on Springsteen tribute, given that I’ve incorporated so much of his music into my own, whether it’s covering Bruce songs at gigs, or the Springsteen influence in what I’ve written so far.

I am what you’d probably dub a Springsteen Maniac. Saw him for the first time at Bramhall Lane in ‘88, having convinced Poppa K to take me, who was instantly converted to the cause.

You know those big box sets he releases, where he empties his vaults of unreleased songs?

I usually sing along with them on first hearing, having got most of ‘em on bootlegs somewhere. I’ve got his answering machine message saved on my phone. It’s what plays when you text me.

Anyway, am I ever gonna do a tribute? The answer was always a firm no.

I’ve always been fairly ambivalent towards tribute acts. On the one hand, looking back through the prism of where we are here in 2026, I’ve often been pretty vocal in my opinion that the rise of tribute bands has directly contributed to the downfall of original rock music over the last thirty years. Who’s gonna give young original bands a gig if tribute bands are what sell out venues?

Far as I’m concerned, if you missed out on seeing Queen or Pink Floyd when they were touring, well tough shit.

I missed out on seeing Beethoven and The Beatles, mate, on account of not existing at the time.

We’ve always got those brilliant records, and they’ll live forever.

Instead of forming a tribute band, why not apply yourself and make some genuinely brilliant music that ONLY YOU can do, and be the next Oasis, pal?

On the other hand, well, as a guy who owns a pretty cool rock n roll venue, a great tribute band brings a night of great music, a top crowd, and most importantly, helps me pay to keep the lights on. I really do enjoy them.

Luckily, I’m in a position where I can champion original music and show excellent tributes too, so I don’t sleep too badly at night.

Plus, I only really tend to do shows in places that interest me. In a place where the audience want to LISTEN, and be entertained. The idea of doing the same thing over and over bores the hell out of me, call it undiagnosed ADHD if you like (it’s one of the reasons I stopped teaching),but I constantly need a new thing to keep me interested. And when I’m interested in something, I give every inch of myself to it.

So the only way I’d ever do a tribute show is if I found it interesting, right? If it was something I could do, and put my own spin on it.

So how would I do a Springsteen tribute? Only if I found I could do something with it that I – and other people – had never seen before.

I’ve always had a big long list of Springsteen songs that I could play to you immediately if you popped a guitar into my hand, and one night, after hours when I’d closed the pub, I sat on my own with my acoustic (I do this a lot), and began to play my way through ‘em. Not looking any chords up on my funky lil’ app, just playing what I could remember.

I was there for over three hours.

Clearly, I had something here, baby. But how do you present it? Who’s gonna wanna see me play every Springsteen song in my repertoire, and maybe part with a few dubloons (coin) to do so?

Got me thinking. I’ve seen many Springsteen tours, but what’s the one I wished I coulda seen?

The Nebraska Tour. The one he never did.

How would THAT have worked?

At the height of his fame, and just before the megastardom of Born In The USA, how would Bruce’s first solo acoustic shows have sounded?

His first true acoustic show (after he’d made it- not the coffee shop gigs of his youth – got a few of those somewhere) was the Bridge Benefit Show in 86, when he was HUGE, and he still brought Nils Lofgren and Danny Federici along with him, focussing mainly on Born In the USA material (it’s on YouTube – check it out).

His first true acoustic tour came in 1995 with The Ghost Of Tom Joad. (saw it in Manc, at the Apollo, on me Tod).

But what would a solo “Nebraska” tour in early ‘82 have sounded like?

Well, now and again, the world needs a hero…

I promise, if you’re a Springsteen fan, you’re gonna have a GREAT night out.

Unfortunately, there will be no saxophones.

Just the brilliant songs of Bruce Springsteen, stripped down and shining, in all their glory.

Come and join us for a look at a legend’s alternate history.

I can promise you nothing, but a GREAT night.