Bruce Springsteen Covers Lorde’s ‘Royals’ In New Zealand
Bruce Springsteen‘s ongoing tour of Australia and New Zealand has featured some of the most surprising cover choices of his career, but he topped himself last night in Auckland, New Zealand when he walked onstage and kicked off the show with a rendition of Lorde‘s “Royals.” His solo acoustic version made the song sound like it was originally cut during the Nebraska sessions, and he tweaked the lyrics slightly, singing “you can call me king bee” instead of “queen bee.”
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The show at Auckland’s Mt. Smart Stadium marked Springsteen’s second-ever live appearance in New Zealand, and his first time there in eleven years. He wraps up this leg of the tour tonight with a second gig at the stadium before heading to America in early April for a five-week run of shows.
During the Australian leg of the tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band (with guest Tom Morello) covered AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell,” INXS’s “Don’t Change,” the Easybeats’ “Friday On My Mind” and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” The common thread there is that they are all songs by Australian bands. Who knows which New Zealand act he’ll cover tonight? Split Enz? Johnny Devlin? Flight of the Conchords? Anything seems possible.