Manchester, the Boss is in town. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are up north for a very rare UK residency at the Co-op Live – and his shows have already kicked off. Bruce is one show down, with two more still to come.
Bruce’s current tour has been rolling on since 2023 and it’s already one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Manchester is the city tasked with getting the next leg of The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour going, and it’s one of only two places in the UK getting an E Street Band tour stop in 2025 (the other is Liverpool, in June).
Heading to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Manchester over the coming days? Here’s everything you need to know about the shows.
When is Bruce Springsteen playing at Manchester’s Co-op Live?
Bruce’s three shows in Manchester are on May 14, 17 and 20, 2025.
What are the timings?
The timings vary slightly for May 17 and 20, though the merch trailer and canalside area open at 2pm for both shows. Expect him on stage at around 7.45pm.
Saturday May 17
Early entry is at 5pm, premium doors 5pm, general admission 6pm.
Tuesday May 20
Early entry is at 4.30pm, premium doors 5pm, general admission 5.30pm.
What’s the setlist?
True Bruce Tramps know that the Boss plays a different set every night. For an idea of the songs he plays, here was his setlist at the first Manchester show (according to Setlist.fm).
- Land of Hope and Dreams
- Death to My Hometown
- Lonesome Day
- My Love Will Not Let You Down
- Rainmaker
- Darkness on the Edge of Town
- The Promised Land
- Hungry Heart
- My Hometown
- Youngstown
- Murder Incorporated
- Long Walk Home
- House of a Thousand Guitars
- My City of Ruins
- Letter to You
- Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
- Human Touch
- Wrecking Ball
- The Rising
- Badlands
- Thunder Road
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Born to Run
- Bobby Jean
- Dancing in the Dark
- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
- Chimes of Freedom (Bob Dylan cover)
Who is supporting?
There’s no support.
Can I still get tickets for Bruce Springsteen at Manchester’s Co-op Live?
Ticketmaster says that Bruce’s remaining dates have ‘low availability’, with tickets (including resale) up for grabs from around £115. Find out more here.
Seating map
Here is the seating map, according to Ticketmaster.
Bag policy, cloakroom and banned items
Each person can bring one bag into the venue, which must be smaller than A4 and not a backpack, travel case, laptop bag or large tote bag. Baggage storage is in the orange car park, and each bag costs £15.
Banned items include weapons, ammunition, explosives, horns, whistles, drums, fireworks, flagpoles, large umbrellas or any other item which in the venue’s reasonable opinion, may cause danger or disruption to any event or to other visitors. Laptops, iPads, Go Pros and the like also aren’t allowed.
What are the reviews saying?
Springsteen and the E Street band’s first show in Manchester on May 14 was a mighty, dominant performance notable for Bruce railing against the current US administration. It received rave reviews from several publications.
In the Guardian, Daniel Dylan Wray’s five-star review said the evening was ‘bruised and angry yet also hopeful and filled with love’, describing the band as a ‘hurricane force’.
The i's Joe Goggins awarded five more stars, saying that Springsteen ‘appears ageless’ and that ‘throughout this three-hour set, wherever you look on the stage, something exhilarating is happening’.
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