I really don’t want to think that this is the band’s last go around, and I have to believe and hope it isn’t. However, supposing it is, consider these two reads of things which have earned Bruce a lot of criticism, but might actually be gifts to us:

1. Ticket prices. We think they’re bad now, and to be sure they are and fuck Ticketmaster. But can you imagine what would happen to ticket prices, and how much more Bruce could’ve made, if he’d formally called this a farewell tour? In some ways tickets were going to cost more this time no matter what, and he could be preventing further pricing out of true fans by doing a quiet goodbye.

2. The setlist. I’m as disappointed as anyone else, and really thought the Europe leg would be a complete change. But, if this really is the farewell band tour, consider the following. First, that these could be the songs they want to be remembered for, and the ones that give them the most joy to perform on a last time around the carousel. Second, Bruce is trying to ensure all fans get the same parting show, and doesn’t want to have a situation where the setlist is so wildly different between two shows (i.e. surprise full albums like the mid 2000s-2010s) that fans would be disappointed by what they missed and feel like they didn’t get the same incredible experience as another city or country.

Again, I don’t think this is it and time will tell, but if this is it, I’ll ultimately be extremely grateful to Bruce - not only for everything he’s given us in 50 years, but for the above ways he spun this incredible thing down.