When was Bruce Springsteen's first concert in the UK? Rock singer says he had "PTSD" from the event

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen recently opened up about his first-ever concert in the United Kingdom, admitting that the experience left him with PTSD.

On April 10, 2025, during an exclusive interview with BBC, an American singer-songwriter named Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen reflected on his first-ever concert in London, United Kingdom, in the early 1970s. The New Jersey artist revealed that he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder following the event —

"I had PTSD from the first Hammersmith show," Springsteen said.

This revelation led to attention being drawn to the details of his first concert. The New Jersey artist Bruce Springsteen made his debut performance in the United Kingdom on November 18, 1975, at the renowned Hammersmith Odeon, one of the most prestigious venues in the country.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can occur after extremely stressful or distressing events.

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Bruce Springsteen admits to having PTSD after debuting in the United Kingdom:

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, Bruce Springsteen revealed his mental health condition during an interview with the BBC after his concert in the United Kingdom.

During the conversation, Springsteen spoke about his performance 30 years ago and indicated that he was so disappointed that he does not even watch his UK performance today.

The New Jersey artist Bruce Springsteen revealed that after the show, he was supposed to be having a party with colleagues and friends, but instead, he ran back to his hotel and sat in a lonely room, adding —

"(After the show)...I went to a party that was supposed to celebrate my triumph, but I felt I'd been terrible and so I was embarrassed to even go in... I went in for a few minutes, couldn't stand myself being there, went out, ran back to the hotel, sat in my lonely room under a big black cloud, ate whatever I had and went to bed," Springsteen said.

Speaking further about the performance, the artist noted that his second concert at the same venue took place just a week later, which, in his view, was a resounding success.

However, despite the positive reception, Springsteen did not return to the United Kingdom until 1981. His next visit occurred during The River Tour, during which he spent considerable time in cities such as Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Stafford and performed six nights at London's Wembley Arena.

In addition, he spoke about his experience of visiting the United Kingdom for the first time, specifically Newcastle. Bruce Springsteen suggested that it was "huge" for him to visit Newcastle —

"It was huge for us to go to Newcastle. All I knew was, Newcastle - The Animals! I was one of the biggest Animals fans and to this day still am," Springsteen said.

Bruce Springsteen's first concert in the United Kingdom was a part of his Born to Run tour. The New Jersey artist performed a mix of the setlists from his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., released on January 5, 1973, and his third studio album, Born to Run, which was released on August 25, 1975.

He performed the top songs, including Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Spirit in the Night, The E Street Shuffle, She's the One, Born to Run, Backstreets, and Kitty's Back.

The artist did not provide extensive details about his mental health condition, nor did he comment on whether he still experiences these challenges or how he overcame them.

Additionally, Bruce Springsteen's performance at the Hammersmith Odeon is not documented online as anything less than exceptional, with no indication of a subpar or underwhelming performance.