Los Angeles, May 24 (IANS): The stage is set as Bruce Springsteen and his backing band 'E Street' are returning to perform in three legs of their tour the dates of which will be announced soon.

The 2023 tour will start with US arena in February, followed by European stadium shows kicking off on April 28 in Barcelona, with a second North American tour leg starting in August.

Springsteen said in a statement accessed by 'Variety', "After six years, I'm looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I'm looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street."

The planned European stops are Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, Ferrara, Rome, Amsterdam, Landgraaf, Zurich, DAsseldorf, Gothenburg, Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Vienna, Munich and Monza. Additional cities and shows in the UK and Belgium will be announced at a later date.

The 2023 dates will mark the first live shows for Springsteen and the E Street Band since the conclusion of their 14-month, worldwide 'The River' tour in Australia in February of 2017.

The group last played publicly on 'Saturday Night Live' in December of 2020, where they performed two songs from their most recent studio album, 'Letter to You'.

Last year, Springsteen, who will be 73 when the tour launches, released the group's 'The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts' film, collaborated with President Barack Obama on the book 'Renegades: Born in the USA' and reprised his 'Springsteen on Broadway' show to help reopen New York City's theatres last summer.

The E Street Banda's members are: Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren - guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa - guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent - bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt - guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg - drums; with Soozie Tyrell - violin, guitar, vocals; Jake Clemons - saxophone; and Charlie Giordano - keyboards.