In 1985 Bruce Springsteen’s massive hit album “Born in the USA” dominated the airwaves across North America. In the heat of Springsteen’s 1985 tour, the CNE hosted Bruce two evenings, Monday, August 26th and Tuesday, August 27th at Exhibition Stadium.
Toronto and the media are abuzz over the arrival of Bruce in town, and the front page of the city’s newspapers are filled with coverage of his arrival. To this day I cannot remember a show at Exhibition Place that drew such attention and hype.
For the first night Monday show, Bruce arrives by limousine off Lakeshore Boulevard along the east side of Exhibition Place to under the Players sign to the backstage area. There are so many fans that the trip from Lakeshore to the stage takes over 45 minutes due to the frenzy. The show is delayed and management is getting worried that the 80,000+ fans are getting anxious. Finally, the show goes off without a hitch and is a huge success.
Urban legend has it that the following evening, to avoid the fan frenzy and another delay in the show, CNE management organizes a Conklin Shows tractor-trailer to pick up Bruce from a pre-set location downtown and bring him to the CNE in the sleeper in the back of the truck.