Springsteen set for first ever South Africa tour

Tickets went on sale Wednesday for Bruce Springsteen’s first ever tour of South Africa, which comes decades after he and his E Street Band campaigned for the end of apartheid.

Springsteen and the band will play gigs on January 28 and 29 in Cape Town and February 1 in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto, a crucible of the anti-apartheid cause.

The group were vocal opponents of the racist white-dominated regime that ended in 1994.

In 1985 guitarist Steven Van Zandt founded the Artists United Against Apartheid movement to promote a cultural boycott of the country.

The group produced an album, song and documentary titled “Sun City” — named after a casino and concert venue that was built in the north of the country to attract foreign performers.

Springsteen as well as stars Jackson Browne, Ruben Blades, Miles Davis, U2, Ringo Starr and Bob Dylan all took part.

“Our goal was to stop performers from going there, and to this day no major artists of any integrity have played Sun City,” Van Zandt was quoted as saying at the time.

Springsteen’s promoters billed the upcoming gigs as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Tickets for the Johannesburg gig went on sale at a starting price of $30 (22 euros) apiece. Some more expensive tickets were still available by Wednesday evening.