Sam Fender has shared his emotional response to assembly his musical hero Bruce Springsteen for the primary time.
The North Shields singer-songwriter supported The Boss in Ferrara, Italy final evening (Could 18) and is scheduled to open for him once more in Rome on Sunday (Could 21).
Upon asserting the gigs final yr, Fender – who has been known as the ‘Geordie Springsteen’ – wrote: “I’m serious about the second [Springsteen’s] music first resonated with me once I was a teen!
“Subsequent yr I’m opening up for him in Italy. What the fuck is occurring?”
Fender carried out forward of Bruce Springsteen And The E Avenue Band taking to the stage at Parco Urbano Bassani. Following the help slot, the musician shared an image of himself with tears in his eyes. “FUCK,” he captioned it. “Simply met the boss.”
A follow-up video confirmed Fender and his bandmates reflecting on the expertise as they travelled again from the venue. “I’m gonna fucking whitey, me,” he mentioned in disbelief. “It was the maddest factor ever.”
The artist wrote above the clip that he was nonetheless “spinning from assembly Bruce”, and described the present as “insane”. In one other Instagram publish, he used the caption: “Full circle second full.”
After opening for The Boss on the Circo Massimo in Rome this weekend, Fender will play a headline live performance in Milan subsequent Tuesday (Could 23).
The ‘Seventeen Going Beneath’ artist has cited Springsteen as a significant affect on his sound, and is usually in comparison with the legendary singer-songwriter. Chatting with NME in 2021, Fender mentioned: “I can’t precisely bat off these comparisons, can I?”
He continued: “On the similar time, I don’t really feel worthy of that [‘Geordie Springsteen’] tag. The primary time I heard it, I used to be like, ‘That’s fucking sick’, however you don’t wish to be using off the coattails of The Boss for the remainder of your life.
“I can write my very own songs, they’re totally different and my voice doesn’t sound something like Springsteen’s. I don’t have his growl; I’m a bit fairy once I sing.”
Subsequent month will see Fender play two headline exhibits at Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park, the place Springsteen performed a gig that was attended by Fender’s godfather in 1985. He’ll turn out to be the primary Geordie band to prime the invoice on the stadium (discover any remaining tickets right here).
“I suppose my largest hero, Springsteen, he by no means ever stopped singing about his residence,” Fender informed NME upon asserting the primary St. James’ Park date final September.
“He by no means stopped writing about folks. I feel that’s the truth – simply because issues are going good right here [it] doesn’t imply that I’ve to utterly lose reference to the human expertise.”
Fender can be attributable to headline TRNSMT and Studying & Leeds this summer time. Moreover, he’ll make appearances at numerous European festivals together with Rock Werchter, Sziget and NorthSide.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Avenue Band, in the meantime, will play two headline gigs at BST Hyde Park in London this July as a part of their 2023 UK tour. Discover any remaining tickets right here.
