During a performance in Ireland, Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to the late Shane MacGowan with a rendition of a classic from The Pogues. Fan-shot footage of Springsteen performing ‘A Rainy Night In Soho’ can be seen online. The performance took place on Sunday 12 May at the Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. It wasn’t the first song that Springsteen played that day as he surprised fans who showed up early with an acoustic rendition of ‘This Hard Land’ hours before the start of the concert.
Last year, Springsteen surprised an ailing MacGowan with a visit before performing in Dublin, demonstrating his admiration for the late Pogues frontman. Springsteen wrote of MacGowan late last year following the latter’s death. “Shane was one of my all-time favorite writers,” he continued. “The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon.”
MacGowan was a highly-acclaimed Irish musician and iconic frontman of The Pogues. He passed away “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30th 2024. His funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8th. Fans lined the streets of Dublin for MacGowan’s funeral which was attended by Nick Cave, Glen Hansard and Irish President Michael D. Higgins.
Grieving the loss of her husband, Victoria Mary Clarke, MacGowan’s wife, revealed that she is in grief counselling. Springsteen’s public show of respect for MacGowan could be seen as a small offering in light of such enormous loss. In his tribute, Springsteen shared memories of his last time seeing the acclaimed singer in Dublin, stating: “His music is timeless and eternal. I don’t know about the rest of us, but they’ll be singing Shane’s songs 100 years from now.”
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