Big surprise for the fans of US rock star Bruce Springsteen: At the start of the European tour, he presented them with a special guest on stage: the former First Lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, performed as a background singer at the concert in Barcelona.
On Friday evening, the 59-year-old stood in high spirits with a tambourine next to the musicians, also known as “The Boss” by his fans, in the Olympic Stadium and sang the super hit “Glory Days” from 1984 with him. The approximately 60,000 spectators were thrilled reported the newspaper “La Vanguardia” on Saturday.
Michelle and her husband, former US President Barack Obama, have long been friends with Springsteen and arrived in the Mediterranean metropolis on Thursday.
Together with Springsteen and US director Steven Spielberg, the Obamas also did a sightseeing tour of the city before the concert, admired by surprised locals and tourists, as reported by “La Vanguardia”.
After dinner together in a fine restaurant, Barack Obama, Spielberg and Springsteen went into the kitchen to thank the staff for the excellent food and to take a group photo with the entire workforce.
Springsteen and the Obamas met in 2008 when the legendary rock musician performed on the campaign tour of the then-Senator who was running for President of the United States.
Eight years later, Springsteen received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his civic service from President Obama at the White House.
Years later, when the country split because of the Black Lives Matter protests and the corona pandemic, Obama approached “The Boss” with an idea: How about reflecting on the state of the nation together in a podcast – and also talk about growing up in American society?
Podcast and book by Obama and Springsteen
As “Renegades: Born in the USA”, this talk podcast stormed the charts of the streaming platform Spotify in February 2021. The self-proclaimed “Renegades”, i.e. “renegades”, tell how they fulfilled their American dream and made it to the top of their respective professions as outsiders.
In the book, which follows on from the success of the Renegades podcast, Obama and Springsteen explore their nation’s struggles and contradictions.
After two concerts in Barcelona, 27 more Springsteen concerts in eleven countries were planned for the European tour until the end of July. In Germany, the 73-year-old is expected in Düsseldorf (June 21), Hamburg (July 15), Hockenheim (July 21) and Munich (July 23).
Barack Obama will arrive in Berlin in a few days. He will perform at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 3rd. The daily mirror is co-organizer of the discussion. The visit to Berlin is said to be part of Obama’s trip to Europe.
Obama, now 61, was President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. During the 2008 election campaign, he gave a celebrated speech in front of tens of thousands of people at Berlin’s Victory Column, and as president in 2013 he spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate. (with dpa)
