On This Day, July 20, 1975: Bruce Springsteen launched Born to Run tour

By Jill Lances

July 20, 2026 at 11:45 am EDT

On This Day, July 20, 1975…

Ahead of the release of his third studio album, Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen launched a new tour at the Palace Theater in Providence, Rhode Island.

The show marked Steve Van Zandt’s first official gig as a member of The E Street Band and also the live debut of the future classic “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Other songs in the set included "Born to Run," “Thunder Road,” “Rosalita” and more.

Born to Run was released August 25, 1975, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It has gone on to be considered one of the greatest albums of all time and has been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Van Zandt is still a member of The E Street Band, although he left in 1984 shortly before the Born in the U.S.A. tour. He returned when Springsteen reunited the group in 1995 after a six-year breakup.

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