Rock legend Bruce Springsteen has revealed his wish to keep performing until the end, saying he wants to stay on stage for as long as possible.
Speaking at the world premiere of his documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at the Toronto International Film Festival, the 74-year-old said, “If I went tomorrow, it’s OK. What a f****** ride!”
The comment drew loud applause and reflected a sentiment Springsteen has returned to repeatedly. In both the film and post-screening Q&A, he said he has no intention of stepping away from performing anytime soon and wants to continue until “the wheels come off.”
In the documentary, he expands on that idea in more personal terms. “Since I was 16, playing live has been a deep and lasting part of who I am — and how I justify my existence here on Earth,” he says.
He adds that music is not just a career but a life purpose. “I plan on continuing until the wheels fall off and for as long as the audience will follow me,” Springsteen said in the film. “That’s my job.”
Health struggles and forced cancelations
Springsteen’s remarks come amid his ongoing battle with peptic ulcer disease, which forced him to cancel remaining shows in 2023.
In a radio interview in October, he said, “I had the stomach problem, and one of the big problems was I couldn’t sing. You sing with your diaphragm. My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me. So I literally couldn’t sing at all. That lasted for two or three months.”
He described the illness as a “monster” that left him “heartbroken” when he had to postpone concerts. A statement at the time said his medical team advised him to step back “out of an abundance of caution.”
Despite those setbacks, Springsteen has consistently ruled out retirement. At a Philadelphia show in August, he said, “We’ve been around 50 f****** years and we ain’t quitting! We ain’t doing no farewell tour bulls***! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!”
He added, “Farewell to what? Thousands of people screaming your name. That’s all it takes. I ain’t going anywhere.”
The 2023 E Street Band tour was also disrupted by COVID-19 cases among members, including Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Jake Clemons, Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell. Springsteen later said the band fell ill “one after another.”
The tour later resumed on March 19 in Phoenix, with 52 shows scheduled through November.
