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The Boss has been my favorite my whole life, the soundtrack to my life if you will. Born to Northeasterners and brought up in the eighties, I knew that Bruce was it. I even wrote my fifth grade Social Studies report on him after we were assigned to choose an “Amazing Americans”. My teacher didn’t get it.
That’s why last night was so special for me, seeing Bruce in concert is an experience everyone, whether they’re fans or not should have, because THAT is what a rock and roll concert is about – appreciating your fans by giving them more than their moneys worth, and making them feel inspired for days after.
Springsteen, now pushing sixty years old and his loyal and talented E Street Band all senior citizens as well, played the Sports Arena last night. His performance made me forget about the insane traffic and closed parking lots on the way, it made me forget about my terrible seats and the long line to go pee. Really, it made me forget about everything bad that ever happened in the entire world ever. EVER.
Exploding on stage with “Radio Nowhere” a song off his new album Magic, everyone was out of their seats and stayed that way the majority of the show. Magic is a great record, harkening back to his early days of romantic stories about working class folks, but now Bruce has the authority to get a little political on us which he did with “Living in the Future” another track off Magic. Bruce knows his fans and knows what they want and throughout the over two hour performance mixed it up with new songs off Magic and old classics like “She’s the One”, “Candy’s Room” and one of the highlights of the night – a nostalgic and powerful rendition of “Backstreets”. Bruce didn’t leave out “Lonesome Day” and a fist pumping, chills on your arms, version of “The Rising” off the The Rising album, written in response to 9/11. Patti Scialfa, his wife and member of the band, joined Bruce for a duet and the E Streeters were all on the top of their game, especially Stevie Van Zandt, singing into Bruce’s mike with him and squirming around on stage per usual. The first closing was to “Badlands” and then came the encore which included “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” one of the prettiest songs off Magic, his staple “Born to Run” and perfectly 80’s sounding “Dancing in the Dark” which had everyone doing their best Courtney Cox impression. Ok fine, maybe that was just me.
What is comes down to is this- Bruce IS an “Amazing American” like my fifth grade teacher assigned – he’s the epitome of patriotism. He loves America, enough to write songs about political and social change, and of course play a mind blowing show night after night for all of us. He’s playing a second show tonight and although it is sold out, word on the street is that Craigslist has been posting some pretty cheap prices. It’s worth it!
Bruuuuuuuuuuce!
Setlist after the jump
Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason to Believe
Candy's Room
She's the One
Livin' in the Future
The Promised Land
Town Called Heartbreak
Backstreets
Working on the Highway
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands
* * *
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Thundercrack
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
American Land
photo by jon bando via flickr
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Way to put the Bruce Experience into words, Corey.
The last time I saw Bruce was the night Staples Center opened, and when they played BTR with the lights up, it was like I was born again or something.
BRUUUUCCCEE!!!!!!!!!!!
This is my 8th time seeing Bruce in my lifetime. I felt like I was home again last night. I grew up in NJ, hung at the same shore haunts written in many of his songs. I heard Bruce on the radio for the first time in 1972. I bought my first album in 1973. The first time I saw the band was at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, MI in 1978. I was eight months pregnant....wonder what effect that has had on my daughter? I have had the privilege to be front and center, in Auburn, MI in 1984. Bruce performed at the LA Coliseum, September 1988, at the Concert for Human Rights. That was the last time I saw him, until last night. I have followed his return to the road with the E Street Band with great enthusiasm. It was so much fun being with this crowd, although many of us had gray hair (me included). But, for 2+ hours, I was young again, caught up in the wonderous, infectious lyrics and rifs I remember from back in the day. Bruce's music gave me a reason to believe long ago that I had a chance to be better than the situation I was in, way back then. His music helped to buy my ticket out of a life I was stuck in, into a life a now cherish. I recently met a friend who said his teenage son worshipped Bruce's music and has mastered many of his songs on the piano. I gave that kid my 1981 tour shirt, to remind him of how long the band has given hope and strength to lots of folks out there, looking for a reason to break free and live life as it was meant to be lived!! Rock on, to all who care out there!
Well, if you were in the back (behind the hanging speakers/scoreboard) you got bushwacked and assassinated by a sound glitch that overdrove Garry Tallent's bass and Max's bass drum so badly that it was all you could hear during Backstreets, and it painfully lasted for 3 or 4 songs. I've never heard a Springsteen show that was technically less than perfect.
I guess I should have sprung for better seats.
But then - the incredible energy during the encore! What a finale! You leave a Bruce concert drained, but floating from the hope and possibilities.