Bruce Springsteen Covers “A Rainy Night in Soho” in Tribute to Shane MacGowan: Watch

Bruce Springsteen kicked off his show in Kilkenny, Ireland on Sunday by paying tribute to late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan with a cover of “A Rainy Night in Soho.”

“The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon,” Springsteen said of MacGowan in a statement released following his passing late last year. “I was fortunate to spend a little time with Shane and his lovely wife Victoria the last time we were in Dublin. He was very ill, but still beautifully present in his heart and spirit. His music is timeless and eternal. I don’t know about the rest of us, but they’ll be singing Shane’s songs 100 years from now.”

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Though “A Rainy Night in Soho” kicked off the main portion of The E Street Band’s Sunday night set in Kilkenny, it wasn’t actually the first song performed by Springsteen. Earlier in the day, he surprised fans who arrived early with a solo acoustic rendition of “This Hard Land.” Watch fan-captured footage of both performances below.

Springsteen and the E Street recently kicked off the European leg of their 2024 tour, with dates running through the end of July. They’ll then return to North America for a leg of late summer stadium shows. Tickets can be purchased here.

@springsteen OPENING UP KILKENNY WITH @poguesofficial RAINY NIGHT IN SOHO!! @springsteen #SpringsteenTour2024 #Springsteen #estreetband pic.twitter.com/3vfabQ4WGa

— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) May 12, 2024

When @springsteen surprises the early birds with an acoustic rendition of ‘This Hard Land’ #Springsteen #SpringsteenKilkenny pic.twitter.com/AQxfa2uIM3

— Ticketmaster Ireland (@TicketmasterIre) May 12, 2024