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Bruce Springsteen Salutes Late Guitar Great Duane Eddy, Previews European Tour in New Video Messages

Bruce Springsteen has paid tribute to late guitar legend Duane Eddy in a new video posted on his social media sites, and, in a separate clip, heโ€™s shared a preview of the next leg of his 2024 world tour with the E Street Band for his European fans.

Eddy, who died of cancer on April 30 at age 86, was known for his twangy guitar sound. He scored a run of hits in the late 1950s and early โ€™60s with instrumentals like โ€œRebel-โ€™Rouser,โ€ โ€œForty Miles of Bad Road,โ€ โ€œBecause Theyโ€™re Young,โ€ and โ€œPeter Gunn.โ€ Eddy was long cited as a major influence on Springsteenโ€™s own guitar playing.

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โ€œThis is Bruce Springsteen, coming to you from Cardiff, Wales,โ€ the Boss said in his video tribute while holding an electric guitar. โ€œThis is a belated note of gratitude and remembrance for the king of the twang guitar, Duane Eddy, who just recently passed away,โ€ โ€œDuane was a huge influence on my guitar stylings.โ€

He continued, โ€œ[W]ithout Duane, thereโ€™s no this,โ€ and proceeded to play a few recognizable notes that he then identified as the โ€œBorn to Runโ€ riff.

[RELATED: Bruce Springsteen Thanks U.S. Audiences, Playfully Warns European Fans, โ€œWeโ€™re Coming to Get Ya!โ€]

Springsteen concluded the message by saying, โ€œDuane, rest in peace. Play on in that big house of 1,000 guitars. We love you.โ€

Springsteenโ€™s Message to European Fans

Springsteen is in Cardiff to kick off a European tour leg with the E Street Band on Sunday, May 5. The outing features 26 concerts, and winds down with performances at Wembley Stadium in London on July 25 and 27.

To rev fans up for the trek, Bruce posted a clip on his socials in which he said, โ€œHereโ€™s a little preview for Cardiff and the rest of Europe of what youโ€™re going to be seeing on this tour. Get ready.โ€

The video then shows a montage of footage of Springsteen and some of the other E Street Band members performing at their recent concerts, soundtracked by a rocking live rendition of his 1975 gem โ€œSheโ€™s the One.โ€

Fans Respond to Springsteenโ€™s Preview Video

Springsteenโ€™s message inspired a bevy of fans to post notes of their own in the comments section of his Instagram page.

โ€œSo excited!โ€ one fan wrote. โ€œTravelled 14 hours yesterday from Isle of Man. I know itโ€™s going to be so worth it.โ€

A second commented, โ€œCannot wait! We were there in 2013 and weโ€™ll be there again tonight! Weโ€™re on our way!โ€

A third fan posted, โ€œOoooh Yeaaaaah, we are ready!!!! Canโ€™t waitโ€ฆIโ€™m counting the days for Barcelona. Coming all the way from Thessaloniki, Greece.โ€

More About Springsteenโ€™s 2024 Tour Plans

Besides playing in Cardiff and London, Springsteen and the E Street Band also will be visiting a couple other U.K. cities, as well as Ireland, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

After the European trek, the Boss and his group will then mount a second U.S. leg in August and September, followed by a Canadian trek that runs from late October to late November. Visit BruceSpringsteen.net to check out his full itinerary.

Tickets for the concerts are available via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.

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Photo by Rob DeMartin