At 1:00am on June 10, 2022 I was able to score tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in Barcelona. That was the defining moment that solidified that I would be coming to Spain and hiking the Camino de Santiago! The reality hit hard and the excitement of the adventure to come was incomprehensible. I was only able to get tickets in the second pit (orange section) which is the farthest from the stage that I have ever been but I wasn’t going to complain! There isn’t much better than seeing Bruce in Barcelona.

Fast forward to yesterday, the day of the concert was finally here. Brais met me at the hotel in the morning. We had a quick discussion about the weather and at the last minute I decided to bring my poncho…just in case! We walked the 30 minutes to the Olympic Stadium (think 1992 Summer Olympics) up a steep hill and many stairs!!

For those who have never been to a Bruce Springsteen concert, his philosophy on concert tickets must be explained. The entire floor section is General Admission but there is a process to get close to the stage. For my section, we had to get there early and line up. The first person arrived at 8:00am (yes I asked her). We got there at 11:00am and we’re about 100th in line. By 1:00pm there were easily 1000.

It was really warm but we were all very cautious not to drink too much water or cerveza because a) you didn’t want to lose your place in line to use the restroom and b) the port-a-potty situation wasn’t nice! (For the record I lasted 14 hours without using the restroom!) We started to become friends with the people around us in line. The 6 of us started looking out for each other (and hold our places in line) if we needed to stretch our legs or get food/water.
Around 4pm they moved us into the Olympic Stadium. After 30 years (since the Olympics) the facility was starting to fall apart but one could easily imagine the beauty of the complex when it was newly built.

They ushered 2 groups of people towards the concert venue. I was barely in the second group. Everyone else had to wait further away on the opposite side of the Olympic Stadium. This is a picture of my group:

The best part of the group is that there were people there from all over Europe. I was the only American. I was also the only English speaking person. My new friends also barely spoke English (except for Brais) but always made sure I understood what was going on and trust me when I say there was so much going on!
The group behind us had to wait at the other side of the Olympic Stadium.
Note: Notice how blue he skies are!!

This next picture was taken 20 minutes later.

And then…the heavens opened up!

Rain before Bruce

Thank goodness I had my poncho. Many people didn’t and there were tons of people shivering. I think it was the first time in my life I have been prepared for something like that!

There was so much integrity for the line to get into the show (based on arrival time). People were very calm about it! As we moved from the initial line to the Olympic stadium to the ticket takers (in the pouring rain) – nobody was running, everyone saw the funny side of the weather and heaven forbid anyone try to cut in line because the crowd wasn’t having it!
That said, it was a free for all once you moved into the concert venue. We actually entered into the back of concert venue at 6:30pm and it was a mad rush to get to your spot. Everyone was in a full sprint despite being told to quit running by security! And, it was still pouring rain! The group was briefly separated but we quickly found each other and we’re be able to be together for the show. We were able to get front row seats of the second section which made the day of waiting worth it. The great thing is that there was a 5 foot walkway between the two sections so we really didn’t have anyone in front of us. One of the security guards actually told us not to hold onto the front railing because it was thundering and lightning and he didn’t want us to get electrocuted! God help us!


As luck would have it, a rainbow came out and the rain stopped 30 minutes before the show was about to start. It was an awesome performance. The crowd was electric, the band was on fire and Bruce put 120% into his performance. He played the full 3 hours and I have to say it was the best Bruce show I have been to.

Tom Hanks and his wife were also there and only a few feet away from us!

Despite the long day, ranging from being hot and getting sunburned to freezing in a torrential rainstorm, I have to say this was my best Bruce concert. The crowd makes the show because they are on fire, it obviously energizes Bruce and the E Street Band which makes the band better performers which excites the crowd and it just keeps going. Bruce’s lyrics are able to paint a vivid picture, he can shape deep emotions in just a few words. He has a distinct voice and is just a great performer. The ironic thing about the Barcelona concerts is that 90% of the people don’t speak English yet know every word and meaning for every single song.
So I leave Barcelona with some amazing Bruce memories, several Bruce friends and a heart that is full. Now I’m ready for phase 2 of this adventure!
And Fyi there was so much going on I didn’t even think about my blister. It is still there but much smaller! I think it will be fine!