Bruce Springsteen RDS, Dublin

“Only the Boss says when to pull the plug” ran one of the banners at Bruce Springsteen’s concert at the RDS in Dublin last night.

Springsteen had the distinction of being silenced by the authorities at his concert in London at the weekend. Last night, he took the stage for the first of two shows at Dublin’s RDS with a sprightliness that belies his age — he will be 63 in September.

On record, Springsteen has often been guilty of sticking to a tried and trusted formula. Live, he dispels any doubt as to his conviction. He performs with the intensity of a man who’s just been told the night will be his last.