Sam Fender to support Bruce Springsteen in Italy: “What the fuck is going on?”

Sam Fender is set to support his hero Bruce Springsteen at two shows in Italy next summer.

The Boss is heading out on tour across Europe with The E Street Band next summer, and will be supported by Fender – himself nicknamed the ‘Geordie Springsteen’ – at two shows in Ferrara and Rome in May.

“I’m thinking about the moment [Springsteen’s] music first resonated with me when I was a teenager!” the singer wrote on Twitter.

“Next year I’m opening up for him in Italy. What the fuck is going on?”

Fender will play alongside Springsteen at the Parco Urbano G. Bassani in Ferrari on May 18 and again at Rome’s Circo Massimo on May 21.

See details of the shows below. The legendary singer recently defended the ticket prices for the tour after reports that some tickets were priced at $5,000 (£4152) each thanks to Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” model.

I’m thinking about the moment @springsteen music first resonated with me when I was a teenager!
Next year I’m opening up for him in Italy ???? what the fuck is going on ???? pic.twitter.com/fYyQ2AVUeb

— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) November 28, 2022

Speaking to NME for a 2021 cover feature, Fender discussed the ‘Geordie Springsteen’ tag he has been labelled with, saying: “I can’t exactly bat off those comparisons, can I?

“At the same time, I don’t feel worthy of that tag,” he added. “The first time I heard it, I was like, ‘That’s fucking sick’, but you don’t want to be riding off the coattails of The Boss for the rest of your life. I can write my own songs, they’re different and my voice doesn’t sound anything like Springsteen’s. I don’t have his growl; I’m a little fairy when I sing.”

Fender will also headline Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park next summer, a venue Springsteen played in 1985 that was attended by Fender’s godfather.

Of Springsteen’s impact on his own music, he told NME: “I guess my biggest hero, Springsteen, he never ever stopped singing about his home. He never stopped writing about people.

“I think that’s the reality – just because things are going good here doesn’t mean that I have to completely lose connection with the human experience.”