The Boss rocks Joburg

But Saturday’s show put many of those concerns to rest. After Johannesburg bluesman Dan Patlansky had warmed up the crowd with a world-class set, Springsteen and his 17-piece band kicked off with Free Nelson Mandela, originally released by The Special AKA.

After that, a good deal of the set list was determined by the audience, many of whom had come prepared with banners with song titles and messages (including “I was your first black South African fan”) painted on them.

I’m On Fire was the most popular of these requests; just one of a long list underlining how versatile the E Street Band is – they can’t predict which tunes will be asked for, and so must be prepared for all the options in Springsteen’s sprawling back catalogue.

The rain the organisers had feared all week began falling halfway through the set, but instead of dampening the mood, it gave Springsteen a chance to connect more deeply with his fans. He strode out on a walkway leading into the crowd, guitar around his neck, and led several songs (including Johnny 99, on which he was accompanied by his whole horn section), while getting drenched in the persistent rain.

This was the “man of the people” stuff people had come for. The 64-year-old singer returned for an eight-song encore.