Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s concert at Wrigley Field in Chicago is one of the most highly anticipated shows of their 2023 tour. As an epic Springsteen concert at the historic baseball stadium approaches, many fans are wondering: what time will The Boss actually take the stage?
The Leadup to Springsteen’s Wrigley Show
Springsteen is well known for delivering legendary concert experiences, with his shows often stretching over 3 hours of high-energy performing. His critically acclaimed album “Western Stars” was released in 2019, and he has continued touring behind it with his trusted E Street Band joining him once again.
The 2023 tour is particularly special as it marks the first time “The Boss” will perform at the famed Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs’ home stadium is an iconic venue that has hosted concerts from acts like Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and Billy Joel. Music legends in their own right, but now it’s Bruce’s turn to grace the Wrigley stage and make history.
Demand for tickets was understandably through the roof. Wrigley Field seats over 40,000 people, and the venue allows for special on-field seating to accommodate even more fans. The concert sold out immediately, hardly a surprise for a performer like Springsteen who is renowned for his marathon performances and all-out energy.
Fans lucky enough to score the coveted tickets have been looking forward to this show for months. Wrigleyville is buzzing with excitement leading up to the concert date, with diehard Springsteen fans traveling from across the country to see The Boss rock Wrigley.
Typical Bruce Springsteen Set Times
Of course, the burning question on every concertgoer’s mind is: What time can we expect Springsteen to actually take the stage? His shows are long, so fans need to plan ahead.
Over decades of live performing, Springsteen has developed some typical set time patterns:
- For an evening show, he tends to take the stage between 8:30 pm and 9:00 pm.
- For a weekday show, he may go on a little earlier, between 7:30 pm and 8:15 pm.
- If there is an opening act, he will follow them after about a 45 minute set.
So for a big Saturday night headline show like at Wrigley Field, it would be reasonable to expect Springsteen to hit the stage around 8:45 pm.
Factoring in the Wrigley Field Schedule
Of course, some additional factors related to the specific Wrigley Field concert need to be taken into account as well. Things like:
- If there is an opening act, and how long their set is
- Any scheduling limitations from the venue
- How long the break is planned to be between sets
Fortunately, we have some key pieces of information to help pin down the timeline:
- There is one opening act: Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements)
- Tommy Stinson is scheduled to play for 45 minutes
- Wrigley has a hard curfew for concerts to end by 11:00 pm
Knowing it’s a Saturday night show, and assuming Stinson will finish around 8:00 pm, we can make an educated guess that Springsteen and the E Street Band will hit the stage at 8:45 pm. This allows ample time for them to play one of their trademark marathon sets, planned to be over 3 hours long, and still finish by 11:00 pm sharp.
The Fundamentals of a Springsteen Show
Let’s take a closer look at what goes into a standard Bruce Springsteen concert. Knowing the basic outline and flow of his shows can also lend some insight into predicting when he’ll realistically be able to take the stage.
The key elements fans can count on at a Springsteen show include:
- A high energy, bombastic entrance to kick off the show. This includes the iconic E Street Band introductions.
- A mix of beloved classics, newer songs, covers, and rare treats fans may not expect. Truly a career-spanning setlist.
- Plenty of Bruce’s famous storytelling intros during songs. Those legendarily long “sermons from the Boss” before certain hits.
- High points spaced throughout the set. Bruce knows how to plan epic encores and leave fans satisfied.
- Surprise special guests if fans are lucky. Other artists may join Bruce on stage.
- An upbeat, celebratory atmosphere. Bruce’s shows feel like a communal experience.
All of that takes time. His concerts are not brief affairs, so he needs to start at a reasonable hour to deliver the full Springsteen experience.
What About Support Acts?
Warm up and supporting acts also factor heavily into the start time equation. Concerts traditionally begin with one or more opening acts who play 30-45 minute sets to hype up the crowd.
At Wrigley, Tommy Stinson is scheduled to take the stage at 7:15 pm. His 45 minute set puts him finishing right around 8:00 pm, leaving 45 minutes to an hour before Springsteen hits the stage. This is a typical amount of time allotted for roadies to reset the stage between acts.
Having an opener like Stinson allows The Boss to start his headlining set a little later in the evening. If Springsteen was the sole act, he’d likely start closer to 8:00 pm out of necessity. But with a scheduled supporting player, Springsteen can hold off until 8:45 or so.
Curfews and Venue Rules
The scheduling wishes of venues also plays a major role in determining concert start times. Most public entertainment spaces have curfews governing how late activities can go until. This is especially true at outdoor venues like Wrigley Field.
Wrigley has an 11:00 pm curfew in place for concerts. While Springsteen has been known to occasionally play nearly 4 hour sets, he can’t start too late or he’ll run up against Wrigley’s hard stop time.
An 8:45 pm start time allows him flexibility for a 3+ hour rock-a-thon while still complying with the curfew. If he started any later than that, his set would get unfairly cut short – and no fan wants that!
Weather Considerations
For outdoor stadium shows like Wrigley Field, weather is always a wildcard factor. Rain, lightning, or extreme heat could potentially delay the start time.
Fortunately, the forecast looks excellent for show day: mid 70s and sunny. A perfect summer evening. Therefore, weather looks like it won’t be an issue pushing things later.
However, unexpected weather issues that rolled in could force discussions of delaying things a bit. Let’s hope Mother Nature cooperates and it’s smooth sailing to an 8:45 pm start time!
Common Bruce Springsteen Set Times
Looking at some recent typical Springsteen concert start times can provide a helpful benchmark as well:
Date | Venue | Set Start Time |
---|---|---|
June 16, 2022 | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA | 8:50 pm |
August 9, 2022 | United Center, Chicago IL | 8:35 pm |
April 28, 2022 | Seminole Hard Rock Arena, Hollywood FL | 8:00 pm |
March 14, 2022 | Toyota Center, Houston TX | 8:15 pm |
February 6, 2022 | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles CA | 7:45 pm |
You’ll notice Springsteen consistently starts in the 8:00-9:00 pm range for evening shows. The Wrigley concert should follow suit.
What About Day of Week?
The day of the week the concert falls on can also shift things slightly. Weekend shows tend to start a bit later, while weeknights may move up a bit earlier.
The Wrigley Field show is on a Saturday. So while a Tuesday or Wednesday may have seen a 7:30 pm start, for a weekend Bruce will aim for the high end of his typical range.
If it was a weeknight he was more likely to start at 8:00 or 8:15 pm. But for a big Saturday night headline stadium show, starting closer to 8:45 pm makes perfect sense.
How Long Will Springsteen Play?
A key consideration when estimating what time Bruce will start is the planned duration of his set. On this tour, he’s been consistently playing shows lasting between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
For the Wrigley Field gig, he has planned an extra long performance timed out at just over 3 hours of music. This accounts for the later start time, allowing him to play a full marathon set within the venue’s curfew constraints.
Putting the Pieces Together
Taking all these factors into consideration, we can make an educated prediction that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band will take the stage at Wrigley Field at approximately 8:45 pm.
This factors the venue’s curfew, the 45 minute opening set finishing at 8:00 pm, the typical Saturday night timeframe Bruce starts, and allowing plenty of time for a 3 hour rock spectacle fans expect.
While the exact timing could shift a little in either direction, 8:45 pm looks like the most likely start time for The Boss to begin his historic debut concert at the iconic Wrigley Field stadium!
Conclusion
Determining when Bruce Springsteen will actually start his concert comes down to putting together the clues.
By looking at typical set time frames, venue specifics like curfews, opening act schedules, days of the week, weather, and planned show duration, we can make an educated guess of when he’ll hit the stage.
For his highly anticipated Wrigley Field show, the most likely start time looks to be about 8:45 pm. This satisfies venue curfews, follows his usual Saturday night time frame, and allows for a full 3+ hour rock extravaganza fans are eagerly awaiting.
While anything can happen, if you tell your fellow Springsteen fans to be in their seats ready to rock by 8:45 pm, you seem like the most knowledgeable and seasoned Boss fan around. Use this guide to boost your Bruce concert cred and enjoy the stellar show at the one and only Wrigley Field!