Bruce Springsteen won't return to tour until 2024

NEW YORK

American rock legend Bruce Springsteen announced on Sept. 27 that he will postpone the remainder of his 2023 tour dates until next year, as he recovers from treatment for peptic ulcer disease.

The 74-year-old singer "has continued to recover steadily" and will continue treatment for the rest of the year on doctor's advice, the statement said.

"Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement, and support, I'm on the mend and can't wait to see you all next year," he said in a statement.

The artist beloved as "the Boss" has been on tour with his E Street Band since the start of the year.

But earlier this month he announced he was postponing his September concert dates in the United States due to his illness. He also postponed two shows in August due to an unspecified illness.

"Rescheduled dates for each of the 2023 shows, including those postponed earlier this month, will be announced next week, all taking place at their originally scheduled venues," the statement said Wednesday.

The artist behind mega hits like "Born to Run" and "Dancing in the Dark," Springsteen has sold more than 150 million records.

Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside stomach lining and the upper portion of the small intestine. The most common symptom is abdominal pain.

Springsteen's current tour is the first he's gone on with the E Street Band since 2017, and he's been on the road most of 2023.

He traversed the United States before taking on Britain and Europe, then returned stateside in August.

Just before announcing his ulcer, the Boss played a nonstop three-hour set in his home state of New Jersey under a full late-summer moon, at one point ripping his shirt open to the delight of tens of thousands of fans.

Springsteen is famous for his marathon shows, with the longest clocking in at more than four hours, a performance he pulled off in Helsinki in 2012.