The Boss plans NZ concert

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

Rock icon Bruce Springsteen has confirmed his first concert in New Zealand, in what will probably be the biggest concert event of the summer.

Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland on Friday, March 28.

It will be his only New Zealand concert as part of the Australasian leg of a world tour that started in August and will extend long into next year.

The veteran musician's profile has risen since September 11, after he figured heavily in rock's response to the terrorist attacks.

His latest album, The Rising, chronicles the aftermath of the events through the eyes of the ordinary Americans he has long written about. It debuted at number one in the album charts in 11 countries, including the US.

The album also reunited Springsteen in the studio with the E Street Band, with whom he had recorded his biggest-selling album, 1984's Born In the USA, before parting company four years later.

Recent reviews of his shows in the Northern Hemisphere suggest the 53-year-old and the band are in exciting form, and still playing their traditional marathon three-hour sets.

Said Britain's Independent: "He can still rouse the crowd, skid along the stage on his knees, dance on top of the grand piano but what the show also makes apparent is how he has grown as a vocalist and the band have refined their irrepressible chemistry."

Tickets for the Auckland show go on sale on Monday, December 9, through Ticketek.

Prices are $165 plus booking fee for a standing area in front of the stage and reserved seating around the stadium's concrete bleachers, and $85 plus booking fee for general admission.

Another American act that will cause many baby-boomers to dig into their wallets is also playing an Auckland show in the new year - singer-songwriter Jackson Browne performs at the Civic on February 10.